A business should maintain incorporation records, ownership records, tax and regulatory documents, material contracts, employment records and major corporate decisions.
Core records
- certificate of incorporation
- Memorandum and Articles of Association
- shareholder register
- director records
- board and shareholder resolutions
- share issue and transfer records
- annual returns
- audited financial statements where required
- tax registrations and filings
- licences and regulatory approvals
Commercial records
- customer and supplier agreements
- leases
- loan agreements
- guarantees and securities
- employment agreements
- confidentiality agreements
- IP ownership documents
- settlement agreements
- formal notices and important correspondence
Good records are often decisive in proving what was agreed, who approved it, what was performed and what remains disputed.