Deadline reference
Books and records: retention period for most required records
17 CFR 275.204-2(e)(1). SEC, United States (federal). Event-relative; binding rule.
Not legal advice. The period or date below is quoted from the official source with its conditions; whether and how it applies depends on your firm's facts and your actual regulatory correspondence. Confirm it in the official source.
Status: Active. Last checked 2026-11-09. All references.
Who it applies to
SEC-registered investment advisers.
Books and records required under paragraphs (a) to (c)(1)(i) and (c)(2) of the rule, with the exceptions the paragraph lists.
Sources: [1] § 275.204-2(e)(1)
Exclusions
Records made under paragraphs (a)(11), (a)(12)(i), (a)(12)(iii), (a)(13)(ii), (a)(13)(iii), (a)(16) and (a)(17)(i) follow other retention paragraphs of the rule.
Sources: [1] § 275.204-2(e)(1)
The published period or date
- Official text
- shall be maintained and preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record, the first two years in an appropriate office of the investment adviser.
- Type
- Event-relative
- Trigger
- The end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on the record.
- Legal status
- Binding rule.
- Effective
- Not stated to present
- Conditions and transitions
- The rule states the period in words (not less than five years), so no numeric period value is recorded here. The first two years in an appropriate office of the adviser. Other paragraphs of the rule set different periods for specific records.
- Sources and locators
- [1] § 275.204-2(e)(1)
No due date is computed here. The toolkit does not interpret event-relative periods, count business days or hold a holiday calendar.
Cite
Cite the official source first. Then: Taft Compliance Group, Exam-prep toolkit (draft), deadline reference dl-ria-books-records-retention, https://taftcompliance.com/resources/exam-prep-toolkit/deadlines/dl-ria-books-records-retention, last checked 2026-11-09.
Sources
Office of the Federal Register, eCFR, 17 CFR 275.204-2 Books and records to be maintained by investment advisers. rule. § 275.204-2(e)(1).
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-17/chapter-II/part-275/section-275.204-2
Checked 2026-11-09.
Supporting passage
(e)(1) All books and records required to be made under the provisions of paragraphs (a) to (c)(1)(i), inclusive, and (c)(2) of this section (except for books and records required to be made under the provisions of paragraphs (a)(11), (a)(12)(i), (a)(12)(iii), (a)(13)(ii), (a)(13)(iii), (a)(16), and (a)(17)(i) of this section), shall be maintained and preserved in an easily accessible place for a period of not less than five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the last entry was made on such record, the first two years in an appropriate office of the investment adviser.
Changes to this reference
No released changes.