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Retention Policies

DocSign allows you to assign a retention category to each document, which determines how long the completed, signed PDF is stored in the system. This feature helps your organization comply with industry-specific regulations and internal data management policies.

Why Retention Matters​

Signed documents often contain sensitive information --- employment agreements, financial disclosures, healthcare authorizations, and more. Different industries have different legal requirements for how long these records must be preserved. DocSign's retention categories let you align document storage with the regulations that apply to your organization.

When a document's retention period expires, it is automatically removed from the system. This ensures that you are not storing sensitive records longer than necessary while still meeting your legal obligations.

Retention Categories​

DocSign offers four retention categories. You select a category when creating the document.

Demo​

The Demo category is designed for testing and trial purposes. Documents in this category have a short retention period, making it easy to experiment with DocSign without accumulating test data in your workspace.

  • Use case: Testing the DocSign workflow, training new team members, internal demos.
  • Retention period: Short-term (days).

General​

The General category is the default for most business documents that do not fall under a specific regulatory requirement. It provides a balanced retention period suitable for standard contracts, agreements, and internal sign-offs.

  • Use case: Employment contracts, vendor agreements, NDAs, internal approvals.
  • Retention period: Standard business retention.

Healthcare (HIPAA)​

The Healthcare category is configured to meet the document retention requirements outlined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Organizations in the healthcare industry should use this category for any document that contains protected health information (PHI) or is related to healthcare compliance.

  • Use case: Patient consent forms, provider agreements, HIPAA authorization forms, clinical trial consent.
  • Retention period: Extended retention aligned with HIPAA requirements (typically 6 years from the date of creation or the date when the document was last in effect, whichever is later).

Financial (IRS)​

The Financial category is designed for documents that must be retained in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines and other financial regulations. Use this category for tax-related documents, financial agreements, and audit records.

  • Use case: Tax authorization forms, financial disclosures, audit confirmations, loan agreements, investment documents.
  • Retention period: Extended retention aligned with IRS requirements (typically 7 years).

Choosing a Category​

Document TypeRecommended Category
Test or demo documentsDemo
Standard business contractsGeneral
Patient consent or healthcare formsHealthcare (HIPAA)
Tax forms or financial agreementsFinancial (IRS)

If you are unsure which category to use, General is a safe default for most business documents. Consult your legal or compliance team if your documents may be subject to specific regulatory requirements.

What Happens When Retention Expires​

When a document's retention period ends:

  1. The signed PDF is permanently deleted from Copera's storage.
  2. The document record is removed from your DocSign dashboard.
  3. Participants can no longer download the completed document from their signing links.

Make sure to download and archive important documents before their retention period expires if you need to keep them beyond the configured timeframe.

Next Steps​