This is part of our Storage, Compliance and Practice Workflows series (Chapter 5 of the Dext tutorial hub):

• Lesson 1: Using the Dext Vault for ATO Record Keeping
• Lesson 2: Finding Receipts Fast in Dext at BAS or Audit Time
• Lesson 3: Multi-User Access in Dext for Your Bookkeeper

The ATO requires business records to be kept for a set number of years, and the Dext Vault stores everything you capture without a physical filing cabinet needed.

1. What the Vault actually stores

Every document you capture, whether photographed, emailed or fetched, is stored securely and remains accessible long after it has been published.

2. How long records generally need to be kept

Business records generally need to be retained for several years, so having them stored digitally rather than in a shoebox is a genuine advantage.

3. Finding a document later

Documents can be searched by supplier, date or amount, making it far easier to locate something specific than digging through paper files.

4. Peace of mind if paper originals fade or are lost

Since receipts fade and paper gets lost, having a digital copy stored automatically is valuable well beyond bookkeeping convenience.

Dext’s official YouTube channel covers the Vault feature: watch the official Dext tutorial. Our registered BAS agents can advise on how long you specifically need to keep records for.