The Department of Posts issued an order for the Preservation Period of Postal Records.
In this order, the period for preservation of postal records has been fixed.
Each post office should follow these orders to preserve their postal records.
Preservation Period for HO and SO
Preservation Period For Mail and Sorting Postal Record
- Mail Lists received and despatched- 2 years
- All records of the mail department except those mentioned in item 1 above and elsewhere in
- this part- 1 year
Preservation Period For Delivery Postal Record
- Deposit Account- 18 months
- Letter Postage account- 18 months
Charge Report Post Office PDF Download
Preservation Period For Registration and Parcel Postal Records
- Memos or admission of delivery obtained from the addressees in cases where inward foreign parcel receipts are not forthcoming- 1-1½ years
- Inward foreign parcel receipts obtained from the Director of Accounts (Postal) for purposes of enquiry- 1 – 1½ years after completion of enquiry
- Register of customs duty realised on postal parcels and letters- 1 – 1½ years
- Inward foreign parcel bills 1 – 1½ years
- Register of letter mail articles detained for customs examination- 1 – 1½ years after the items under detention are finally disposed off
- Register of refunds and write back of customs duty allowed on postal parcels and letters- 1 – 1½ years after the items assessed for the customs duty are finally disposed off
- Statement showing details of inward duty prepaid parcels and the amount claimed in the UK General Account- 3 years
- Schedule of customs duty and other charges realised in cash on inward foreign parcels and letter mail articles- 1 – 1½ years
- Parcel receipts and assessment memos relating to inward foreign parcels and letter mail articles- 1 – 1½ years
- Schedule of cash refunds of customs duty and postal fee- 1 – 1½ years after the items assessed to the customs duty are finally disposed off
- Registered lists received and despatched- 2 years
- Parcel lists received and despatched- 2 years
- Receipts for inward foreign registered articles of the letter mail and for inward foreign parcels on which no customs duty is charged- 1 – 1½ years
- All records of registration department except those mentioned in item 11 above and elsewhere in this part- 1 year
- All records of Parcel department except those mentioned in item 12 above and elsewhere in this part- 1 year
- Duplicate copies of the lists of parcel receipts returned to the Director of Accounts (Postal) and to offices of Exchange- 1 – 1½ years
(Note: In the case of an article of the foreign post under dispute regarding which an enquiry is in progress, the records pertaining to it should be kept until the matter has been settled even if the prescribed period is exceeded)
Preservation Period For Speed Post Postal Record
- Customer Receipt Book- 6 months
- BNPL Booking Journal- 1 Month
- Speed Post Manifest- 6 months
- Speed Post Abstract- 6 months
- Speed Post Delivery Bill- 6 months
- Speed Post Mail List- 6 months
- Speed Post Money Order List- 1 Year
- Speed Post Delivery List- 6 months
- Speed Post Special Delivery List- 6 months
- Speed Post Coord. Report- 6 months
- Speed Post Intimation Slip- 6 months
- List of transactions of booking of Speed Post articles- 1 Year
- Speed Post Ledger for BNPL- Permanent
- Speed Post Bill for BNPL- 1 Year
- Register of Cheques sent for Clearance 1 Year
- Speed Post Inland Complaint File- 3 months after closure of the case
- Speed Post International Complaints- 3 months after closure of the case
Preservation Period For Indian Postal Order Records
- List and Journals of Indian Postal Orders sold- 18 months
- List of Indian Postal Orders paid- 18 months
- Register of Indian Postal Orders in stock- 18 months
Preservation Period For Treasury and Cash Postal Records
- Treasurer’s Cash Book 10 years
- Treasury Passbook 10 years
- Treasury Vouchers 3 years
- Treasury receipts 3 years
- Cash Book (TR.4) 10 years
- Register of cheques received and cleared (ACG 28) 5 years from the date of last entry in the register
- Register of cheque/receipt books 5 years from the date of last entry in the register
- Counterfoils of used cheque book/receipt books 5 years from the date of last cheque drawn/receipt issued from the book
- Money receipts (ACG 67) 5 years from the date of last cheque drawn/receipt issued from the book
- Cash Book maintained by drawing and disbursing officers 10 years
For Sub Accounts Postal Records
- Head Office Summary- 3 years
- Sub Office daily accounts- 18 months
- Branch office daily accounts- 2 years
- Sub office summaries- 18 months
- Branch Office summaries- 18 months
- Sub Office slips- 18 months
- Branch Office Slips- 2 years
- Sub Office Accounts- 3 years
- Branch Office Accounts- 3 years
- Treasurers Cash Book- 10 years
Preservation Period For Savings Bank Account Postal Records
- SB Ledgers in HO To be destroyed forthwith by Postmasters after ensuring that all the accounts in the ledger have been closed, transferred or recopies and after obtaining certificate from the Postal Account Office that all the discrepant items of ledger have been settled. The folios pertaining to silent accounts will be extracted and kept separately in a serial order of accounts in convenient folders duly stitched and their particulars entered in a special register
- Ledger cards of closed and transferred accounts and used up ledger cards- 6 years provided the ledger agreement work has been completed
- Sub Office SB Journals To be destroyed by Sub Postmasters after ensuring that the SB ledgers have been prepared in respect of all accounts standing in the books of a sub office
- SO SB Ledgers 6 years after all the accounts have been closed, transferred or recopies
- SO CTD journals of 5 year accounts 6 years from the date of last entry
- SO CTD journals of 10 year accounts 12 years from the date of last entry
- SO CTD journals of 15 year accounts 18 years from the date of last entry
- SO journals of RD accounts of 5 years 6 years from the date of last entry
- SO journals of FD accounts of 5 years 6 years from the date of last entry
- SO journals of TD accounts- 1 to 5 years 6 years from the date of last entry for 3 and 5 year accounts and 3 years from the date of last entry for 1 and 2 year accounts
- Specimen signature books – HO To be destroyed forthwith by Postmaster after ensuring that the application forms pertaining to all accounts pending in the books have been prepared
- Specimen signature books – SO 5 years after all the accounts featuring in the books have been closed or transferred
- Guard books containing letters pledging deposits in the PO security deposit accounts Letter of pledge may be retained for two years after the pledge has either been released or the account has been closed
- Register of Sale of Gift Coupons 18 months after the Gift Coupons are discharged
- List of Gift Coupons sold during the month 18 months
- Claims to postal certificates of deceased holders (all relevant material including files, registers and records)- Three years after payment is made except where payment is made on indemnity bond in which case the papers together with the bond should be preserved for six years after the month in which payment is made
- Record Keeping for Savings Bank/Certificates All long books and List of Transactions either available in hard copy or in soft copy- 5 years
- All ledger cards or account details either available in hard or soft copy, Account Opening Forms with CDD/KYC documents and SS Books- 5 years after closure of the account
- All account closure vouchers 5 years from the date of closure of accounts
- All purchase application forms along with KYC/CDD documents 5 years after discharge of certificates
- Telephones Daily lists of telephone revenue collections 2 years
- Counter foils of receipts in form Eng 8 for collection of Telephone Revenue- 1 year
- Counter foils of receipts in form Eng 9 for collection of Telephone Revenue- 2 years in respect of departmental connections without involving guarantee and for those relating to guaranteed connections will those connections are given up or the guarantee is terminated
- Stock Invoices of articles received from the Stock Depot- 3 years
- Carbonic copies of invoices returned to Stock Depot- 3 years
- Postal and other publications After supply of new editions
- Invoices of Publications and books of blank forms After receipt of the first invoice for the year (destroyed by the Inspecting Officer during inspection)
- Stock book 10 years after the year in which it is replaced by a fresh stock book
- Receipts and invoices with the exception of those under dispute 3 years
- Gradation List 3 years after new ones have been issued
- Correspondence relating to personal files, appointments, nominations, leave, pension and punishments- 3 years after the month in which the official concerned ceased to belong to the Department.
- Confidential records/character sheets of officials who have died- 2 years after death
- who have retired 5 years after retirement (preserved with pension cases)
- who have retired on invalid pension 25 years or 3years after death, whichever is earlier (preserved with pension cases)
- who have been dismissed, removed or compulsorily retired as a disciplinary measure 6 years (preserved with disciplinary proceedings)
- Service Books (including leave accounts) 3 years after death/retirement or date of final sanction of pension, whichever is later
- Personal files 3 years after death/retirement or date of final sanction of pension, whichever is later
- Records of disciplinary proceedings 10 years from the date of disposal of disciplinary case
- Records of appellate proceedings 7 years from the date of disposal of appeal
- Service records of ED agents 1 year from the date of termination of service
Preservation Period for BO
- Branch Office account (Pa.6)- 3 years after they are used up
- Branch Office Journal (Pa.5)- along with BO slips- 3 years after they are used up
- Book of BO receipts (MS 87(a)- 2 years
- Registered lists- 2 years
- Parcel Lists- 2 years
- Mail Lists received and despatched-2 years
- Branch Office slips- 2 years
- Invoices of publications and articles received from the Stock Depot- 3 years
- Order Book- To be destroyed on special permission of the Divisional Superintendent
- Stock Book -To be destroyed on special permission of the Divisional Superintendent
- Village Postman’s book of receipts (MS.87)- 2 years
- Book of Postmarks- 2 years
- Circulars of the Head of the Circles containing convictions of Departmental officials- Permanent
- Enumeration Returns- 5 years
- Yearly village returns- 5 years
Note: The records at serial 9, 10, 11 and 12 above should be destroyed by fire or otherwise, in such a manner that they may not be used again. Other record should be torn up and sold as waste paper.
Preservation period For HRO Records
- Cash Books- 3 years
- Cash abstracts- 3 years
- Copies of contingent bills and bills for double duty and outstation allowances- 3 years
- Loss case register – Permanent
- Statements and correspondence relating to reserved accommodation supplied to Railway Mail Service Sections half yearly and weighment of bags despatched under weighment system half yearly- 1 year
- Stock book of bags- 3 years
- Memo of disbursement of pay and allowances with receipts- 3 years or 1 year after issuing by audit whichever is later
- Invoices of articles received from the Stock Depot- 3 years
- Carbonic copies of invoices returned to Stock Depot- 3 years
- Register of sanctioned establishment of RMS office- 1 year after new one is prepared or supplied
Preservation Period of Postal records at SRO
- Correspondence relating to robberies, thefts, etc (inland post)- 1 year after the cases are closed
- Invoices of articles received from the Stock Depot- 3 years
- Carbonic copies of invoices returned to Stock Depot- 3 years
- Order Book of a mail office or a section- 3 years
- Correspondence relating to personal files (appointments, nominations, leave, pension and punishments etc)- 3 years after the month in which the official concerned ceased to belong to the Department. In cases where the Department is likely to be involved in some loss, they should be preserved till the monetary responsibility is fixed.
- Work papers of RMS offices and sections- 18 months
- Correspondence relating to the disposal of registered articles (both letters and parcels)- 18 months
- Other records of a Record or Sub Record office with the exception of those mentioned in the important instructions at the beginning of this book and other account records with prescribed period of preservation- 18 months
- Arrangement register- 18 months (in cases where Department is likely to be involved in some loss, they should be preserved till the monetary responsibility is fixed)
- Attendance Register -18 months (in cases where Department is likely to be involved in some loss, they should be preserved till the monetary responsibility is fixed)
- Daily Report -18 months (in cases where Department is likely to be involved in some loss, they should be preserved till the monetary responsibility is fixed)
- Order Book of Mail/Record offices or sections which have been abolished- 3 years
Preservation period of Vigilance Records at DO
- Records relating to CCS (CCA) Rules viz. clarifications; interpretations; general notification; schedule regarding appointing authority, disciplinary authority and appellate authority; clarifications and instructions regarding charge sheets, documentary evidence, enquiry officers, examination of witnesses and show cause notices; instructions regarding penalties, consultation with UPSC, appeals and petitions and suspension and subsistence allowance- Permanent (superceded standing rules and orders to be weeded out)
- Records relating to CCS (Conduct) Rules viz clarifications; interpretations; general notifications- Permanent (superceded standing rules and orders to be weeded out)
- Vigilance complaints against Gazetted and non Gazetted officers leading to disciplinary cases- 10 years or 3 years after the final disposal of appeal or final judgement in normal course, whichever is later
- Anonymous and pseudonymous complaint on which no action is taken- To be destroyed at the end of the year
- Other files dealing with vigilance complaints against Gazetted and non Gazetted officers where allegations are not proved- 3 years
- Disciplinary proceedings
(a) Files resulting in imposition of penalties -10 years or 3 years after the final disposal of appeal or final judgement in normal course, whichever is later
(b) Files resulting in exoneration of accused officials- 3 years
(c) Authenticated copy of the order imposing penalty- Copy to be kept in personal file and preserved. Suitable entry to be made in service record - Prosecution
(a) Files relating to prosecution of officers/officials- 10 years or 3 years after the final judgement in the normal course of law, whichever is later
(b) Copy of final judgement- To be kept in personal file and preserved. Suitable entry to be made in service record - Appeals and Petitions
(a) Files relating to appeals and petitions- 7 years
(b) Copy of appellate order when the original order is modified- Copy to be kept in personal - file and preserved. Suitable entry to be made in service record
- Court Cases
(a) Files relating to court cases -10 years after final judgement in normal course
(b) Copy of court orders – Copy to be kept in personal file and preserved. Suitable entry to be made in service record - Intimations and sanctions under CCS (Conduct) Rules, viz regarding employment of dependents in private firms/foreign missions in India, for participation in politics; radio broadcast, contributions of articles, editing or managing of newspapers, publications; evidence before Committee of Enquiry; receipt of subscriptions, gifts, private trade or employment etc- 3 years
- Files relating to
(a) Vigilance control measures- 5 years
(b) Statistical returns -5 years
(c) Activities of Vigilance Officers -5 years - Files relating to general rulings issued by Central Vigilance Commission, Ministry of Home Affairs, CBI etc- Permanent
- Files relating to Parliament questions
(a) Where the question was answered/admitted -3 years
(b) Where the question was disallowed/lapsed/withdrawn- 1 year - All other vigilance records not included in items (1) to (13) above- After obtaining the orders from the Vigilance Section of Postal Directorate.
Preservation Period of Postal Records PDF
Click here to download