# order, shipping, and billing records — How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind

For order, shipping, and billing records, regulation is 29 CFR Part 516; regulator / programme is DOL Wage and Hour (FLSA); retention period is at least 2 years; when the clock starts is from the last date of entry; who it binds is each employer required to maintain records under this part, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **Regulation:** 29 CFR Part 516 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Regulator / programme:** DOL Wage and Hour (FLSA) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Record type:** order, shipping, and billing records _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Retention period:** at least 2 years _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **When the clock starts:** from the last date of entry _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Who it binds:** each employer required to maintain records under this part _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Exceptions and notes:** not including individual sales slips, cash register tapes or the like _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> ( a ) Supplementary basic records: Each employer required to maintain records under this part shall preserve for a period of at least 2 years. ( 1 ) Basic employment and earnings records. From the date of last entry, all basic time and earning cards or sheets on which are entered the daily starting and stopping time of individual employees, or of separate work forces, or the amounts of work accomplished by individual employees on a daily, weekly, or pay period basis (for example, units produced) when those amounts determine in whole or in part the pay period earnings or wages of those employees. ( 2 ) Wage rate tables. From their last effective date, all tables or schedules of the employer which provide the piece rates or other rates used in computing straight-time earnings, wages, or salary, or overtime pay computation. ( b ) Order, shipping, and billing records: From the last date of entry, the originals or true copies of all customer orders or invoices received, incoming or outgoing shipping or delivery records, as well as all bills of lading and all billings to customers (not including individual sales slips, cash register tapes or the like) which the employer retains or makes in the usual course of business operations.

## Source

- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-516

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2027-08-11.
Part of [How long federal regulations require records to be kept: retention periods, what starts the clock, and who they bind](https://referencesource.org/record-retention-periods-federal/).