Build a record-retention and export plan before you need it

Keeping a receipt in an app is useful only if the evidence remains readable, accessible, and available when required. A retention plan turns that intention into a repeatable process. It identifies what to keep, who holds each copy, how to retrieve it, and what happens when the business changes accountants or software. Just Invoice provides receipt retrieval and invoice exports as parts of that plan. It should not be treated as a complete legal retention policy by itself.

Confirm the requirements for your records

The CRA generally requires records for at least six years from the end of the last tax year to which they relate, with exceptions and longer periods in some circumstances. Use the CRA’s retention guidance and ask your adviser about the applicable rules. Other obligations may also apply. Avoid a blanket “delete everything after six years” rule. The decision depends on the document and situation, not merely its upload date.

Define the document groups

List issued invoice PDFs, purchase receipts, bank records, contracts, tax filings, and professional working papers as separate categories. Some are stored in Just Invoice; others belong in external systems. Assign an owner and location to each group. A receipt ZIP does not include every record the business may need. The year-end checklist helps reveal those boundaries. For a paper document, agree on the appropriate imaging and original-retention process before assuming a photograph permits destroying the paper.

Export by the right period

Download receipts by their actual purchase year, preserving the ZIP’s original files and CSV index. Keep invoice PDFs and the relevant invoice exports separately, with dates and scope in their names. If an accountant needs a fiscal period crossing two calendar years, retrieve both purchase years and explain the requested boundaries. The annual receipt archive guide provides a practical retrieval sequence. Do not substitute a screenshot of a gallery for the underlying source files.

Test a restored copy

An archive that exists but cannot be opened does not solve the accessibility problem. Unzip a sample, open a photo and a PDF, and verify that the index references usable files. Protect the destination and restrict access to authorized people. Document where the backup lives and who can retrieve it if the usual employee is unavailable. Avoid placing confidential customer archives in an unrestricted shared folder merely because the download is convenient. Review the procedure again when devices or storage arrangements change.

Plan changes before revoking access

Before changing accountants, agree on the documents each party must retain and which copies must be transferred. Revoking portal access stops future access; it does not erase files already downloaded by the former accountant. Subscription and access changes deserve the same planning. Canadian-made Just Invoice simplifies document availability, but the business and adviser still need a complete retention process. Keep that process written in ordinary language so it survives staff changes and the next software decision.