The issue of retaining accounting records, including which documents and for how long must be retained by taxpayers in accordance with applicable regulations, is one of the most important practical issues. The obligation to demonstrate the factual circumstances constituting the basis for calculating tax liabilities rests with business entities settling taxes with the tax authorities. Such circumstances can be reliably demonstrated (of course, without excluding other evidence) primarily by documents evidencing specific economic events that the tax office is interested in if they give rise to a tax liability.

Retention of accounting records – the obligation of the taxpayer and the accounting office in Kraków

What documentation, referred to as accounting, is being referred to here?

Pursuant to Art. 10 section 1 of the Accounting Act of 29 September 1994 (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2023, item 120, as amended), each business entity should have documentation (should have it), as specified in the Act, describing in Polish the accounting principles (policy) adopted by it, in particular those concerning:

a) the determination of the financial year and the reporting periods included therein,

b) the methods of valuation of assets and liabilities and determining the financial result,

c) the method of maintaining accounting books, including at least:

– the company chart of accounts, establishing the list of general ledger accounts, the adopted principles of event classification, the principles of maintaining subsidiary ledger accounts and their links to general ledger accounts,

– a list of accounting books, and in the case of computer-assisted accounting bookkeeping – a list of data sets constituting the accounting books on IT data carriers, specifying their structure, interconnections, and their functions in the organization of all accounting books and in data processing processes,

– a description of the data processing system, and in the case of computer-based accounting, a description of the IT system, containing a list of programs, procedures, or functions, depending on the software structure, along with a description of the algorithms and parameters and software data protection principles, including, in particular, methods for securing access to data and the data processing system, as well as the software version and its start date;

d) the system for protecting data and data sets, including accounting records, accounting books, and other documents constituting the basis for entries made therein.

In this case, we are dealing with accounting documentation within the meaning of the Accounting Act.

Accounting Services in Krakow – Storage of Accounting Documents

However, “accounting documentation” within the statutory meaning is different from “accounting documents,” or accounting vouchers, within the meaning of the Accounting Act.

So what is an “accounting voucher”? In simple terms, an accounting voucher is a document containing at least:

a) a specification of the type of voucher and its identification number,

b) a specification of the parties (names, addresses) conducting the business transaction,

c) a description of the transaction and its value, if possible, also specified in physical units,

d) the date of the transaction, and if the voucher was prepared on a different date, also the date the voucher was prepared,

e) the signature of the issuer of the voucher and the person to whom or from whom the assets were issued or received,

f) a statement that the voucher has been verified and qualified for inclusion in the accounting records by indicating the month and the manner of including the voucher in the accounting records (assignment), and the signature of the person responsible for these specifications. Accounting documents, in this sense, constituting accounting evidence, should be retained by every business entity for the period during which, in accordance with applicable regulations, it may be necessary to invoke them (to demonstrate the factual circumstances supported by them). This may be necessary, for example, in the event of a tax audit. Therefore, it can be assumed that such documents (accounting evidence) should be retained until the expiry of the limitation period for tax liabilities.

So, the question arises at this point: until when?

Accounting office in Kraków – we care about the accuracy of your tax settlements

This issue, the limitation period for tax liabilities, is already regulated by the provisions of the Act of August 29, 1997, the Tax Ordinance (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2025, item 111, as amended). The basic rule in this regard, pursuant to Article 70 of this Act, is a 5-year period – 5 years from the end of the tax year in which the tax payment deadline expired. This is, of course, a general rule, to which there are exceptions. The primary exception relates to the suspension or interruption of tax liabilities. However, these are specific issues, and we refer those interested to Chapter 8 of the aforementioned Tax Ordinance.

Accounting documents should be stored in their original form: if paper, then in that form; if electronic, then in electronic form.

Accountant and bookkeeper in Krakow – assistance with tax audits.

If you’re having trouble with the Tax Office because you’re facing a tax audit, need to demonstrate specific factual circumstances, and need accounting assistance, please contact us.

Our office, PRWT Księgowość i Obsługa Biznesu sp. z o.o.

Contact details can be found here.