For corporate accounts, you must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to. However, if a single transaction covers multiple of the company’s accounting periods then it may be longer. For self-employed accounts, you must keep your records for at least 5 years after the 31st January submission deadline of the relevant tax year. To make sure you are paying the correct amount of tax, HMRC have the right to check your records.