Minded keeps client files organized, retention-ready, and easy to defend when auditors ask.
Let AI Agent run your document retention
Apply Retention Policy
Apply the firm's records retention policy to the selected client in QuickBooks Online. Read the document catalog (bills, vendor invoices, payroll registers, contracts, board minutes, official ledgers) and assign each type a retention window from the firm's matrix: IRS default (3 years), IRS extended (6-7 years), SOX (7 years for public-company engagements), AICPA (5-year minimum), and applicable state-board schedule. If the client falls in a regulated industry with a longer window, ask me which sectoral rule applies before extending the matrix. Pause before changing any window already set. Ask me where I keep the master retention matrix if the file is not obvious. Send a Slack summary with the matrix by document type, legal basis, and exceptions, and archive a copy in Google Drive.
Archive Documents
Archive last month's documents for the selected client in NetSuite. Pull vendor bills, payroll registers, signed contracts, board minutes, and bank statements. Stamp each file with client, document type, original date, and the calculated retention window. Flag any document missing enough metadata to compute its window. If a vendor bill arrives without a clear counterparty, ask me whether to attach it to the parent client or create an exception. Pause before archiving any document marked provisional. Ask me for the firm's SharePoint folder convention if the client folder is missing. Send a Slack count by type and the queue of records waiting on review.
Monitor Expirations
Watch this client's documents approaching expiry in Sage Intacct. Identify every record entering its purge window in the next 90 days under the firm's policy. Cross-check with the IRS period of limitations, SOX 802 retention if the client is in scope, AICPA five-year minimum, and any applicable state-board schedule. If a document hits the data minimization window but is still inside the IRS or SOX window, do not propose purge. Ask me whether to apply pseudonymization for personal data instead of deletion. Ask me for the firm's threshold for what counts as a sensitive record (payroll detail, employment contract, healthcare data) that should require a second reviewer. Send a Slack list per client with type, expiry date, and proposed action.
Purge Records
Purge records past the retention window for the selected client in Xero. Read the approved matrix from last quarter, execute deletion or pseudonymization under the named legal basis, and log every action with date, reason, and approver. If a record meets the data minimization window but is tied to a vendor bill still inside the IRS extended window, do not delete: hold for human review. Pause before purging any payroll register or signed employment contract, even if the window has closed. Ask me to upload last quarter's purge log if you cannot find it. Save the purge manifest to Box and return a Slack summary with legal basis and counts by category.
Up to 80% Lower Cost to Serve
For accounting firms, the cost question on document retention is not the storage bill. It is the partner hours spent reconciling IRS, SOX, AICPA, and state windows during an inspection. Minded positions the AI bookkeeper for up to 80% lower cost to serve by moving repeat archive, watch, and purge work into supervised agent runs, without removing the legal-review gate.
One Policy Across Ledgers and Workspaces
Multi-client firms rarely live in one ledger. Bills sit in QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, and Zoho Books; contracts and payroll registers sit in Google Drive, SharePoint, or Box. The AI document agent should operate across both surfaces with a single matrix. Where retention plugs into the rest of the compliance stack is described in audit preparation with AI, compliance with AI, and month-end close with AI.
Retention That Learns Each Client's Window
Generic document retention templates break when one client is a public-company audit engagement (SOX 802 in scope), another is a healthcare practice (HIPAA-influenced state windows), and a third is a pass-through with only IRS rules. Retention that learns each client's window should remember the firm's prior decisions per client, not globally. The bookkeeper or partner reviewing the matrix should see the basis, not just the number.
How does Minded support document management across a large client portfolio?
Minded helps organize client documents by entity, period, document type, and source system. The AI bookkeeper can flag missing support, route files for review, and maintain consistent naming and folder structure across clients, reducing manual cleanup during close, tax preparation, audits, and advisory review.
Can Minded apply a records retention policy by client?
Yes. Minded can use client-level retention rules based on entity type, engagement scope, tax posture, and risk profile. It helps classify records, assign retention windows, track exceptions, and surface documents that need review before archival or purge actions are taken.
How does Minded handle IRS retention rules, state retention, and SOX retention?
Minded can map document categories to retention requirements such as IRS retention rules, state retention needs, SOX retention, and internal firm policy. Compliance leads can review the logic, approve exceptions, and maintain an audit log showing classification, retention status, and user actions.
Which accounting and storage tools can be included in the document archive workflow?
Minded can work across systems commonly used by accounting firms, including QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Sage Intacct, Zoho Books, Google Drive, SharePoint, and Box. It helps connect source transactions with supporting documents so archives remain searchable and tied to accounting context.
How does data minimization work without deleting records too early?
Minded can identify records past the approved retention window and route them for review before purge. The process separates eligible records from holds, exceptions, open audits, active litigation, and SOX-relevant documents. This supports data minimization while preserving defensible review and approval history.