How long should restaurants keep invoices, receipts, and tax documents?

Most restaurants keep invoices, receipts, and tax records for a minimum of 7 years, because that window usually covers common tax audit and amendment periods. In practice, many operators keep certain documents longer when they relate to assets, long-term leases, or ongoing disputes.

The safest approach is to follow your local tax authority’s retention rules, then add a buffer for anything that could still be questioned later. A simple, consistent system matters more than perfect filing.

Recommended retention time in most restaurants

As a practical baseline, many hospitality businesses use “7 years” for day-to-day financial and tax documentation. It’s long enough for most audit lookbacks, and short enough to keep storage manageable.

Keep most invoices, receipts, and filed tax returns for at least 7 years
Keep payroll and employee tax records at least as long as local labor and tax rules require (often 7+ years)
Keep asset-related records longer (equipment purchases, renovations, depreciation schedules), often for the life of the asset plus several years
Keep lease, loan, and contract documents for the full term plus several years
Keep insurance claims, incident reports, and dispute-related records until the case is closed, then retain for several more years

What counts as “invoices, receipts, and tax documents”

Restaurant recordkeeping gets messy because the paper trail comes from many directions: suppliers, delivery apps, payroll services, POS reports, and bank fees. When in doubt, treat any document that supports income, expenses, or tax filings as something you may need to keep.

Common examples in restaurants, cafés, and bars

Supplier invoices (food, beverage, packaging, cleaning, linen, maintenance)
Receipts for small purchases (cash-and-carry, hardware, last-minute ingredients)
Daily sales summaries and end-of-day reports that support revenue
Bank statements and merchant processor statements
Tax returns and supporting schedules (VAT/GST/sales tax, income tax, withholding)
Payroll records and employee tax forms

How it’s typically done in a well-run operation

In most restaurants, the goal is to make retrieval easy during an audit, not to build a perfect archive. The common approach is to organize records by month, then keep a clean year-by-year archive.

A simple process that holds up under pressure

Capture receipts and invoices weekly (or daily for high-volume sites)
Match supplier invoices to payments and delivery notes where applicable
File everything by year and month (digital folders or binder tabs)
Lock a “year-end” folder after taxes are filed, so it stays unchanged
Set a calendar reminder to review and securely dispose of records once they pass the retention period

Real-world retention examples

Here are a few scenarios that come up frequently in restaurants:

A café keeps daily cash-up sheets and card settlement reports for 7 years to support reported sales
A bar keeps supplier invoices for spirits, beer, and wine for 7 years, plus keeps stocktake reports that explain unusual variances
A restaurant keeps renovation invoices and equipment purchase documents for much longer, because they affect depreciation and capital allowances over multiple years

Digital systems make retention easier

Digital menus and management platforms don’t replace accounting, but they can reduce day-to-day confusion by keeping operational changes traceable. For example, if you run multiple menus or locations, a system like Menuviel can help you keep a clear history of menu updates (items, availability, and pricing changes), which makes it easier to explain sales patterns when you’re reconciling records.

For financial compliance, the key is still to store your invoices, receipts, and tax documents in a structured, searchable way, with backups and controlled access.