The Connecticut Humane Society sets guidelines on the retention of records which are designed to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, to eliminate accidental or innocent destruction of records and to facilitate Society operations by promoting efficiency and freeing up valuable storage space.
The retention period starts from the date of the submission of the final expenditure report or, for grants and other agreements that are renewed annually, from the date of the submission of the annual financial status report.
The Society follows the document retention procedures outlined below. Documents that are not listed, but are substantially similar to those listed in the schedule will be retained for the appropriate length of time.
Corporate Records
| Annual Reports to Secretary of State/Attorney General | Permanent |
| Articles of Incorporation | Permanant |
| Board Meetings and Board Committee Minutes | Permanent |
| Board Policies/Resolutions | Permanent |
| By-laws | Permanent |
| Construction Documents | Permanent |
| Fixed Asset Records | Permanent |
| IRS Application for Tax-Exempt Status (Form 1023) | Permanent |
| IRS Determination Letter | Permanent |
| State Sales Tax Exemption Letter | Permanent |
| Contracts (after expiration) | 7 years |
| Correspondence (general) | 3 years |
Accounting and Corporate Tax Records
| Annual Audits and Financial Statements | Permanent |
| Depreciation Schedules | Permanant |
| General Ledgers | Permanent |
| IRS 990 Tax Returns | Permanent |
| Business Expense Records | 7 years |
| IRS 1099s | 7 years |
| Journal Entries | 7 years |
| Invoices | 7 years |
| Sales Records (box office, concessions, gift shop) | 5 years |
| Petty Cash Vouchers | 3 years |
| Cash Receipts | 3 years |
| Credit Card Receipts | 3 years |
Bank Records
| Check Registers | Permanent |
| Bank Deposit Slips | 7 years |
| Bank Statements and Reconciliation | 7 years |
| Electronic Fund Transfer Documents | 7 years |
Employee Records
| Employment and Termination Agreements | Permanent |
| Retirement and Pension Plan Documents | Permanent |
| Records Relating to Promotion, Demotion or Discharge | 7 years after termination |
| Accident Reports and Workers Compensation Records | 5 years |
| Salary Schedules | 5 years |
| Employment Applications | 3 years |
| I-9 Forms | 3 years after termination |
| Timecards | 2 years |
Donor Records
| Donor Records and Acknowledgement Letters | 7 years |
| Grant Applications and Contracts | 5 years after completion |
Legal, Insurance and Safety Records
| Appraisals | Permanent |
| Copyright Registrations | Permanant |
| Environmental Studies | Permanent |
| Insurance Policies | Permanent |
| Real Estate Documents | Permanent |
| Stock and Bond Records | Permanent |
| Trademark Registrations | Permanent |
| Leases | 6 years after expiration |
| OSHA Documents | 5 years |
| General Contracts | 3 years after termination |
Electronic documents will be retained as if they were paper documents. Therefore, any electronic files, including records of donations made online, that fall into one of the document types on the above schedule will be maintained for the appropriate amount of time. If a user has sufficient reason to keep an email message, the message should be moved to an “archive” computer file folder.
The Chief Financial Officer is responsible for the ongoing process of identifying its records, which have met the required retention period and overseeing their destruction. Destruction of financial and personnel-related documents will be accomplished by shredding.
Document destruction will be suspended immediately, upon any indication of an official investigation or when a lawsuit is filed or appears imminent. Destruction will be reinstated upon conclusion of the investigation.