PRESERVATION PERIOD FOR POSTAL RECORDS ( ACCOUNTS BRANCH)

SL.NO	NAME OF THE ITEM	PRESERVATION PERIOD
1	Cash book	3 years
2	Contingent bills	3 years
3	Schedule of receipts and payments
4	Memo of disbursement of pay and allowances with receipts for money paid by the postmaster	3 years or 1 year after the completion of audit which ever is later
5	Runners appointment certificates	permanent
6	Remittance advice and acknowledgement	18 months
7	Daily list s of telephone collections	2 years
8	Monthly statements of fluctuating charges in form a	1 year
9	Counter foils of pay orders	3 years from the date of issue of last pay order
10	Register of refunds acg 27	5 years
11	Objection statements and retrenchment memoranda	3 years
12	Receipts for money paid (other than those filed with acquittance rolls)	3 years
13	Register of losses, recoverable advances and retrenchments	4 years
14	Letter of authority for payment to another person or agent	35 years
15	Inspection reports from audit office/ account office	1 year the next inspection provided all the items have been settled
16	Correspondence relating  to sanctions and revision of establishments etc	3 years (in the case of post offices and railway mail services to be destroyed as soon as a new revision is sanctioned)
17	Register of security deposit or Bonds	10 years
18	Correspondence relating to losses, defalcations etc	18 months after final orders have been passed (one year in the case of post offices and Railway mail service offices)
19	Papers relating to grant of advances of pay, traveling allowances, purchase of motor cars etc	3 years
20	Last pay certificates	3 years
21	Renewal of sanctions to temporary establishment	3 years
22	Register of Budget grants	5 yeas
23	Correspondence relating to fund deduction etc	1 year
24	Receipts and invoices with the exception of those under dispute	3 years
25	Demands for license fee, etc on departmental buildings	3 years
26	Gazette officers pay slips	1 years
27	Charge reports (office copy)	1 years
28	Register showing the name, designation, pay etc of gazetted officers drawing pay from a disbursing office	5 years
29	General provident fund record relating to GPF membership	1 year
30	General providing Fund record relating to nomination	1 year
31	Records relating to adjustment of missing credits in GPF accounts	1 year
32	Records relating to financing of insurance policies from GPF accounts	1 year subject to authenticated copy of the sanction being placed on the personal file
33	Records relating to final withdrawal from GPF eg for house building, higher technical education of children etc	1 year
34	GPF annual statements	1 year
35	Grain compensation and overtime allowance etc, Bills	6 years
36	Service rolls	5 years after death, resignation, discharge or retirement whichever is earlier
37	Register of sanctioned establishment	At the end of one year after new one has been prepared
38	Register for maintaining particulars of accounts records destroyed	Permanent
39	Contingent sub vouchers	3 years
40	Bills for reimbursement of medical charges	6 years
41	Register of cheque/receipt books	5 years from the date of last entry in the register
42	Register of destruction of records	Permanent
43	Loan register	10 years
44	Register of files/vouchers/registers Transferred to department al recording wing ie old records room of the department/office Transferred to national archives	25 years    Permanent
45	File index register	10 years
46	Annual establishment returns (Book Establishment)	35 years
47	Expenditure sanctions not covered by paragraph 11 on 27 including sanctions relating to grants in aid	3 years or one year after completion of audit, which ever is later
48	Arrear claims (including sanction for investigation, where necessary)	3 years or one year after completion of audit, whichever is later
49	Records relating to contingent expenditure	3 years or one year after completion of audit, whichever is later
50	Budget estimates/revised estimates of an office	3 years
51	Traveling allowance bills and acquaintance rolls	3 years
52	Service book (Including leave account)	3 years after death/retirement or deate of final sanction of pension, whichever is later
53	Invalid Pension	Till the youngest son/daughter attains the majority or five years, whichever is later
54	Family Pension	Till the youngest son/daughter attains the majority or five years
55	Other Pensions	Till the youngest son/daughter attains the majority or five years
56	Life Certificate of unemployment obtained from pensioners who are paid their pensions by money orders	5 years
57	Money order receipts and acknowledgements of pensioners	5 years
58	Statement of monthly progressive expenditure and correspondence relating to discrepancy in figures	2 years
59	Pay bill register	35 years
60	Office copies of establishment  pay bills and related schedules( in case where pay bill register is not maintained)	35 years
61	Schedule to establishment pay bills for the period for which pay bill register is maintained	3 years or one year after completion of audit, which ever is later
62	Acquaintance rolls of pay and allowances (other than travelling allowances)	3 years or one year after completion of audit, which ever is later
63	Bill register maintained in form TR28 A	5 years
64	Bill of charges for conveyance of mails, etc and payees receipts  for money paid (other than those filed with establishment pay bills)	6 years
65	Muster rolls and register of muster rolls	5 years
66	Schedule of customs duty and other charges realized in cash con inward foreign parcels and letter mail articles	1-1.5 years
67	Schedules of cash refunds of customs duty and postal fee	1-1.5 years after the items assessed to the customs duty are finally disposed off
Courtesy: http://sapost.blogspot.in/