Section 9 — records and accounts
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-18)

Information on the records and accounts you must keep to fulfil your obligations as an alcoholic products producer.

9.1 General

As a revenue trader, you should observe the requirements of Excise Notice 206: revenue traders’ records (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-206-revenue-traders-records). If your records do not satisfy our requirements we may direct you to make the necessary changes.

We require you to maintain and produce for examination your record of your business activities. We may examine:
- profit and loss and trading statements
- management accounts and reports
- balance sheets and trading forecasts
- internal and external auditors reports
- any record maintained for a business purpose
9.2 Records to keep

The following bullet pointed list has the force of law and are made under regulation 6 of the Revenue Traders (Accounts and Records) Regulations 1992.

You must keep records which show:
- materials and quantities used (including additives) in production
- fermentations
- additions
- drawing off
- bottling and packaging
- yeast slurry
- quantities and strength of alcoholic products produced, received, sent out from approved premises, returned to approved premises, constructively removed and lost or destroyed on approved premises
- samples
- imports
- exports
- receipts
- details of any stock-takes, including details of any surplus, deficiency or other discrepancy revealed by the stock-take
Generally, your normal business records will contain or can be modified to contain the information that we require.

As an approved producer of alcoholic products, we also require you to keep an Alcohol Duty account, a spoilt products record (read section 15 — duty paid spoilt alcoholic product (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/alcoholic-products-technical-guide/section-15-duty-paid-spoilt-alcoholic-product) and records of alcoholic product held in duty suspension (read section 10 — duty suspension (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/alcoholic-products-technical-guide/section-10-duty-suspension)).

9.3 Accounts to keep

You must keep an Alcohol Duty account. A duty account is a summary of the Alcohol Duty due in each accounting period.

You must keep an account which contains the following information:
- the amount of duty on all alcoholic product that leaves duty suspension
- the amount of duty reclaimed on spoilt alcoholic product which has been destroyed or reprocessed
- the amount of any under declarations from previous periods
- the amount of any over declarations from previous periods
- the net amount of duty due for the period and the date, and method of payment
An example of an Alcohol Duty account is shown below but another form of account containing the same information can be acceptable.

Example of an Alcohol Duty account

9.4 Length of period to retain records for

You must normally keep your business records for 6 years. If, however, this causes problems contact HMRC (https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/excise-warehousing-excise-goods-movements-and-alcohol-duties-enquiries) to ask if you can keep some of your records for a shorter period. You must get our agreement before destroying any of your business records that are less than 6 years old.

9.5 Keeping original documents

You can keep your records on any form of storage technology, provided that copies are accurate and kept up-to-date, can be easily produced and that there are adequate facilities for allowing our officer to view them when required.

You should contact HMRC (https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/excise-warehousing-excise-goods-movements-and-alcohol-duties-enquiries) to advise us before you transfer records. You may be required to operate the old and new systems side by side for a limited period of time. We may refuse or withdraw approval if any requirements are not met.

9.6 Digital records

If you keep your records in a digital format, these should be readily convertible into a satisfactory legible form and made available to us when required. You should let us know about changes to data, stock and financial management systems by contacting HMRC (https://www.gov.uk/find-hmrc-contacts/excise-warehousing-excise-goods-movements-and-alcohol-duties-enquiries).

9.7 Recording breakdowns or accidents

The following requirement has the force of law and is made under regulation 6 of the Revenue Traders (Account and Records) Regulations 1992.

Any incidents which affect operations, for example, a breakdown of plant, must be recorded accurately in your business records.