Your closing checklist already has the big items. Final taxes, the dissolution filing, creditor notices, the lease, the bank accounts. This step sits near the top and takes little time. Ask your wind-down team to keep it on the list.
Why records need their own step
A workspace plan lapses. A retention rule runs. The admin leaves. Nobody decided to delete the archive. It just happened.
In plain words
Records get deleted by default.
Think of it like this
Default is the dumpster. A lease ends and the crew starts hauling boxes.
A checklist step turns a default into a choice. You can keep the records, delete them, or ask if a buyer wants to rent them.
The step, in plain words
Put it before any deletion date. Label it "Records hold and review."
Pause deletion
If the law and your counsel allow it. Turn off auto-delete rules.
List the systems
Slack, email, CRM, tickets, code, wiki. Note the years.
Find the admin
Who holds the login, and does it still work?
Check for limits
Customer contracts, vendor terms, employee notices.
Keep, license or delete
Write down your choice and the date.
Our company data map makes steps 2 and 3 a one-page job. You fill it in, and your wind-down team keeps a copy in the closing file.
What the step may lead to
For most companies, the step ends with "delete after the holds clear." That is a fine result. You have a written reason.
For some, a buyer may exist. Public deals show the range. Small shutdowns have sold archives for $10,000 to $100,000, per Gizmodo. Google won the auction for one airline's archive with a $10 million bid, and court approval is pending, per Time.
Those numbers come from public deals. They show what has happened and say nothing about what your company will get.
Two paths from the records step
| Feature | Delete | Check for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Ends with a signed note | Yes | Yes |
| Your lawyer in the loop | No | Yes |
| Fewer steps | Yes | No |
| Pick this when | The records look thin, or you just want them gone. | You're curious, or the company had 30 or more staff. |
State pages
Each state has its own filing steps. Our state dissolution pages list them and carry the records step. See Texas for an example. Start at the closing checklist and pick your state.
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State and DC pages, each with a records section
Who decides
You decide, with your lawyer. Your wind-down team keeps the step on the checklist and writes down what you chose.
- You or your IT person pulls the system list.
- Your lawyer reads any license.
- We help with the check and the buyer intro.
A sample note for the closing file
Your attorney or shutdown service can copy and adapt this.
"On [date], the owner and I reviewed the company's records systems: [list]. Auto-delete was paused on [date]. The admin is [name]. Contracts that limit sharing: [list]. The owner chose to [keep / delete / ask for a buyer check] and will keep records until [date]."
A note like this gives you both a clear record.
What if you just want it deleted?
You can do that. The step makes sure the choice was informed and written down. The check takes about three minutes on our data check. If you decline, that goes in the note too.
Want a second opinion before you decide? Send Matt a note, or compare the buyers side by side on the buyer comparison.
