Fax archiving: keeping faxes and their proof

Why the archive is your job

An online fax service transmits; it does not archive. At FaxTelecom, the uploaded file is used only for sending and is then deleted automatically. Only the PDF receipts, if you took the option, remain available from the tracking page. If a fax is ever disputed, your own records are what will count.

The goal is simple: anyone who was not there when the fax went out should be able to rebuild what happened without outside help. A colleague, a bookkeeper or a lawyer opening the folder should see what was sent, to whom, when, and with what result.

PDF/A: the format built to last

An ordinary PDF can rely on fonts missing from the computer, external content or a password. PDF/A, defined by the ISO 19005 standard, rules those dependencies out: embedded fonts, no encryption, no links to outside resources. The file will display the same way fifteen years from now.

Most office suites offer a PDF/A export in their save options. For the fax itself, archive exactly the file you transmitted; if you convert it later, keep the original beside the PDF/A version so no one can claim the document was changed.

For sensitive files, compute a SHA-256 hash of each document when you file it and note it in a text file inside the folder. Any later change, even a single byte, would produce a different hash.

Naming and filing without thinking

A file name should sort itself. Start with the date as YYYY-MM-DD, then the recipient, the subject and the type of record, for example “2026-11-06_service-canada_ei-reconsideration_sent.pdf” followed by “…_transmission-receipt.pdf”. Avoid spaces, accents and special characters, which cause trouble when files move between systems.

Group the records of one fax in a folder with the same root name and add the reference printed on the receipts. Filing by year, then by correspondent, is enough for most small businesses; beyond that, a document management system takes over.

Retention periods for faxes in Canada

There is no retention period specific to fax: you keep it as long as the document it carries. An invoice or purchase order follows tax record rules, a notice follows the period during which it can be challenged, a patient file follows the rules of the health sector in your province.

As a guide, the Canada Revenue Agency generally asks businesses to keep books and records for six years from the end of the last tax year they relate to. Limitation periods for civil claims are set by each province; in Ontario and British Columbia, the basic period is two years from discovery of the claim, with longer outer limits.

These rules change and have exceptions. Check what applies to you on canada.ca and on your provincial government’s site, or ask your accountant or lawyer.

Personal information: keep what you need, no more

A fax folder almost always holds personal information: names, numbers, sometimes health or financial details. In the private sector, PIPEDA and comparable provincial laws expect you to keep personal information only as long as needed for its purpose and to protect it. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada publishes practical guidance on retention.

In practice: limit the folder to the people who need it, set a destruction date when you file it, and actually delete when that date comes, backups included. Do not archive drafts or duplicates “just in case”: every extra copy is one more copy to secure.

Backing up so nothing is lost

An archive on a single drive is not an archive. The 3-2-1 rule is a sound starting point: three copies of every file, on at least two storage technologies, and one of the three stored away from the office. An encrypted cloud store plus an external drive kept elsewhere covers most needs.

Test a restore once or twice a year by reopening a few folders at random. It is the only way to know the files are readable, complete and easy to find on the day you need them.