T4 · Trunk

I-9, records & retention

What you have to keep, for how long, and where it lives — the unglamorous backbone of a compliant hiring program.

10 min

Key takeaways

  • I-9 is a hard deadline, not a soft one (3 business days)
  • Retention windows vary by document type — when in doubt, keep
  • The audit you're prepping for might be three years from now
  • HR holds the master copies; you keep nothing on your laptop

Hiring generates paperwork: I-9s, offer letters, interview notes, background check authorizations, reasonable-accommodation requests. Federal law sets retention floors; Creighton policy sometimes exceeds them.

The short version: HR retains the master copies, you don’t keep anything on a personal device, and the I-9 deadline is real. The rest is in the supporting guide.