How long to keep employee timesheets
Seven years is the number most people know. Where it comes from, what it covers, and the other record rules, such as tax and long service leave, worth checking beside it.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between awards, agreements, contracts and states, and what applies depends on the employee. Check the official source, and ask a workplace relations professional when it matters.
The short answer
Time and wages records, including timesheets, must be kept for seven years under the Fair Work Act.
Other laws have record rules of their own. Tax records are generally kept for five years, and state and territory long service leave laws can require records to be kept for a set period as well. Keeping everything for the longest period that applies is the simplest approach.
| Record | How long, and under what |
|---|---|
| Timesheets and other time and wages records | Seven years, under the Fair Work Act |
| Pay slips | Given within one working day of pay, with the pay records kept for seven years |
| Tax records | Generally five years, under tax law |
| Long service leave records | As the state or territory law sets |
Official sources
Check the rule against these, in their current versions, before relying on it.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Fair Work Act 2009 | Section 535, including the seven year period |
| Australian Taxation Office | How long business tax records are kept |
Worked examples
General examples of where to look. They are not advice about any particular employee.
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| A business moves from paper timesheets to an app | The paper records still have to be kept for their seven years, or copied in a way that keeps them legible and complete |
| A business is sold | Who keeps the records for the rest of the period, and how they can be produced |
| An employee leaves after twelve years | Whether the state or territory long service leave law needs records older than seven years |
Employer checklist
- Keep timesheets and pay records for at least seven years
- Check your state or territory long service leave law for its record period
- Check the tax record period with your accountant
- Keep records readable and complete, even after changing software
- Make sure somebody else can find them if you are not there
What Roster Flow records, and what it does not decide
- Approved timesheets and clock records in your account
- Corrections to a time, with the reason and the manager who decided it
- Hours exported as CSV, for your own records
- How long your business must keep each kind of record
- Your own records after you stop using Roster Flow
Review log
13 September 2026: written by Roster Flow from the structure of the National Employment Standards and modern awards.
18 September 2026: every statement on this page checked against the official sources it names, by Roster Flow. It is general information, not advice from a workplace relations professional.
What that check covers, and what to confirm for your own situation:
- Seven years for time and wages records, and what counts as one
- The general tax record period, and when it starts
- Long service leave record periods in each state and territory
- What happens to records when a business is sold
- That every source link opens the current version of the source
Questions
What do the rules say about keeping timesheets?
Time and wages records, including timesheets, must be kept for seven years under the Fair Work Act.
Is there more to keeping timesheets than that?
Other laws have record rules of their own. Tax records are generally kept for five years, and state and territory long service leave laws can require records to be kept for a set period as well. Keeping everything for the longest period that applies is the simplest approach.
Does Roster Flow decide keeping timesheets for me?
No. It does not interpret an award and it does not work out what anybody is paid. How long your business must keep each kind of record stays with the business and its own advisers, and this page is general information rather than advice about your situation.
Where do the rules on keeping timesheets come from?
Fair Work Act 2009, covering section 535, including the seven year period. Australian Taxation Office, covering how long business tax records are kept. Read them in their current versions before you rely on anything here, because they change.