FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 4: Administrative and Information Matters › Subpart 4.7
FAR 4.705 Specific retention periods.
The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.
In plain English
This section sets out how long a contractor must keep certain records. It says to retain the records described in 4.705-1 through 4.705-3 for the designated periods, but only when retention is required under 4.702. Records are described by their purpose or use rather than by a specific name or form number, so the descriptions apply to all contractor records that fit them even if your own filing labels differ.
Applies to: Contractors required to retain records under 4.702
What it requires
- Retain the records identified in 4.705-1 through 4.705-3 for the periods designated
- Apply the retention requirement only where retention is required under 4.702
Key terms: retention periods · records · 4.705-1 through 4.705-3 · 4.702 · purpose or use
Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.
The text
The contractor shall retain the records identified in 4.705-1 through 4.705-3 for the periods designated, provided retention is required under 4.702. Records are identified in this subpart in terms of their purpose or use and not by specific name or form number. Although the descriptive identifications may not conform to normal contractor usage or filing practices, these identifications apply to all contractor records that come within the description.
Sections it refers to
← 4.704 Calculation of retention periods. · 4.705-1 Financial and cost accounting records. →
Rule changes for FAR Part 4
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 1, 2, 4, 33, 39, 40, and 53 ↗ · proposed 2026-06-23 · comments due 2026-07-23
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · final rule 2025-08-27 · effective 2025-10-01
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs ↗ · proposed 2025-06-12
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Controlled Unclassified Information ↗ · proposed 2025-01-15 · comments due 2025-03-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate-Related Financial Risk ↗ · proposed 2025-01-13
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Rerepresentation of Size and Socioeconomic Status ↗ · final rule 2025-01-03 · effective 2025-01-17
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Prohibition on Unmanned Aircraft Systems From Covered Foreign Entities ↗ · final rule 2024-12-30
- Federal Acquisition Regulation: Inflation Adjustment of Acquisition-Related Thresholds ↗ · proposed 2024-11-29 · comments due 2025-01-28
Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.