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SAICA: Retention of Records Guide (updated)
- 15 October 2026
- Guides
- South African Accounting Academy
Summary:
The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants’ (SAICA’s) Legal Compliance Committee (LCC) has released the 2026 updated Retention of Records Guide.
Article:
This guide refers to the legislation (37 Acts in total) and identifies the timeframe for which certain documents must be kept.
Owing to various legislative requirements, documents must be retained for a certain number of years, depending on the legislation.
The guide does not attempt to include all legislation, but only refers to the general legislation that impact on a wide variety of entities.
The guide has been compiled to assist SAICA members to meet the legislative requirements when they deal with clients.
The guide is structured to refer to the relevant Act and then to the documents that should be kept and to the period of retention.
Click here to download the 45-page Guide:
https://www.saica.org.za/resources/53364
Relevance to Auditors, Independent Reviewers & Accountants:
- There are numerous pieces of legislation that your clients must comply with, and which you must assess compliance with. If they don’t comply with the relevant laws and regulations, you have certain reporting obligations in terms of NOCLAR (NOn-Compliance with Laws And Regulations) – this could include reporting to management, qualifying your audit opinion, reporting a Reportable Irregularity, etc.
- Entities (company or close corporation) and individuals have a duty to keep records for a certain period of time – as stipulated in various Acts that apply to them.
- Where applicable, you also need to retain records in accordance with the Acts – whether you keep these in your own capacity or on behalf of your clients.
Relevance to Your clients:
- Entities (company or close corporation) and individuals have a duty to keep records for a certain period of time – as stipulated in various Acts that apply to them.