L&I offers these guidelines to help you meet business recordkeeping requirements. This is not a comprehensive list of all records you must keep.

Standard Records To Keep

Company

Corporation

• Articles of Incorporation
• Bylaws
• Contracts
• Meeting minutes
• Officers
• Shareholder names and percent ownership

Limited liability company (LLC)

• Certificate of Formation
• Contracts
• Managers
• Member names and percent ownership
• Operating agreement

Partnership

• Contracts
• Partner names and percent ownership
• Partnership agreement

Employment

Employees have the right to examine original records kept by their employers. Keep a record of each employee's:

• Address
• Hire date
• Job change dates
• Job duties
• Job title
• Name
• Non-cash compensation (vehicles, apartments)
• Pay rate and basis (hourly, monthly, piece rate, commission, bonus)
• Social Security number
• Termination date
• Worker's compensation risk class(es)

Financial

• Bank statements
• Cash disbursement journal
• Check registers and canceled checks
• Financial statements
• Invoices
• Purchase records:
  • Materials
  • Miscellaneous contract labor
  • Supplies

Payroll

Itemized employee pay records (pay stubs)

• Commissions and bonuses
• Deductions, including those authorized by the employee (medical insurance, gym memberships, or charity deductions)
• Employer and employee paid taxes and workers' compensation contributions
• Gross payroll
• Net pay
• Overtime hours and pay
• Pay period dates
• Rate of pay and basis of pay (hourly, salary, commission, piece rate, or combination)
• Regular hours and pay

Timesheets

• Applicable occupation and workers' compensation risk class (if your company reports workers in more than 1 risk class or by phase of construction)
• Applicable scope of work (if a prevailing wage job)
• Dates
• Employee and supervisor signatures
• Start and stop times
• Total hours worked

Safety and health

• Accident Prevention Program (APP) (written)
• Employee medical and exposure records
• OSHA 300 Injury/Illness records
• Records for construction work crew safety meetings that must be held at the beginning of every job — then at least weekly after that (per WAC 296-155-110 -5--a-)
  • See an example crew leader safety meeting form in the appendix of the sample Construction APP.
• Records related to specific workplace hazards
• Safety data sheets (SDS):
  • Provide for each hazardous chemical in use.
  • Keep for 30 years. Learn about chemical safety basics.
• Safety meeting records (dates, meeting topics, and workers in attendance)
• Safety training records (training topics, dates, and workers in attendance)

Note: To learn how to identify and record information about workplace hazards, request consultation from an L&I Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) consultant.

Tax

• Department of Revenue reports (state business and occupations taxes, sales and use taxes)
• Employment Security quarterly reports (state unemployment taxes)
• Internal Revenue Service forms:
  • 1099 (Miscellaneous Income)
  • 940 (federal unemployment tax return)
  • 941 (payroll tax return)
  • Income tax returns
  • W-2 (wage and tax statements)
• L&I workers' compensation quarterly reports

Additional Records To Keep (If Applicable)

Your business uses independent contractors

Keep these records if you consider your independent contractors exempt from workers' compensation coverage:

• Contractors' legal names
• Proof of Department of Revenue account
• Records as described in the Independent Contractor Guide (F101-063-000) to demonstrate the contractors' separateness from your business and their compliance with federal income tax requirements
• UBI number or L&I workers' compensation account number

You're a construction contractor who hires subcontractors

Keep these records if you consider your subcontractors exempt from workers' compensation insurance coverage:

• Contractor Registration Number and expiration date
• Proof of Department of Revenue account
• Records as described in the Independent Contractor Guide (F101-063-000) to demonstrate the subcontractors' separateness from your business and their compliance with federal income tax requirements for their business
• Subcontractors' legal names
• UBI number or L&I workers' compensation account number

Keep these records if you supply materials to a subcontractor:

• Completion date of contractor work
• Date materials were supplied
• Project name or location
• Type and amount of material supplied

Your company participates on public works projects (prevailing wage)

• Certified payroll project records:
  • Affirmation page that accompanies certified payroll project records
  • Records to create a certified payroll project
• Hourly value of usual benefits as defined in WAC 296-127-014
• Intents and affidavits:
  • Affidavit of wages paid
  • Intent to pay prevailing wage
• Prevailing wage rate for each worker and worker hour as determined by the nature of the work and the work location:
  • Scope of work (or labor classification)
  • Signed agreements by employees to work 10-hour days (if applicable)

Keep Records for 4 Years

Keep your records for the current year plus 3 prior calendar years. Other agencies, such as the IRS, may require you to hold records longer.

For questions about recordkeeping, contact L&I's Small Business Liaison Office.