Filing System
Always keep 7 years of files. Standard practice is to keep the most recent 3 years in your main filing cabinet and archives for the following four years easily accessible. Due to space limitations, we have only two years of some items in our main filing cabinet and in other cases (particularly archival) we have more than 3 years in the main filing cabinet. For those categories with only two years in the main file, archives are in the same room, close by, as mapped below.
Each drawer is alphabetical by folder title. Drawers 1 (A/P) and 2 (A/R) also contain alphabetic folders.
Filing Standards
- Folder groupings: most current year goes in front
- Sub-folders: Alphabetize from A - Z
- Receipts/Bills: Most current date in front, oldest in back
For easy re-filing, each folder should be labeled with:
- business name, category title or alphabet letter
- the year
- A/P or A/R, if applicable
Inboxes - on top of the cabinet
- to pay (beancounters do this)
- to enter into books (beancounters do this)
- to file (office coordinator or intern does this)
- WTF? (make a new folder and/or ask where it should go)
Drawer 1 - top
Each year separate, with alphabetical/named tabs:
- 2 yrs A/P (accounts payable) alphabetical - we pay them
- By year (independent alphabet for each year)
- Alphabetical by name if more than 3 receipts from same business
- Alphabetical by 1st letter, if less than 3 receipts from same business