Documents to Retain Indefinitely

There are some documents related to plan participants that must be kept indefinitely while a plan is functioning, according to the Watkins Ross blog. In addition, even if a plan terminates, they should be retained for at least another seven years.  

These include documents that contain information concerning:

• date of hire or rehire;
• date of termination;
• eligibility date;
• compensation;
• participation election forms;
• contribution election forms;
• designated beneficiary forms;
• distributions requested
• distributions received;
• rollover requests;
• qualified domestic relations orders;
• plan loan documentation; and
• records sufficient to permit benefits due to be determined.