Record Control refers to the systematic process of creating, naming, storing, protecting, retrieving, retaining, and legally disposing of all business records—both physical and digital—so that they stay accurate, traceable, and available when required by Indian laws and standards. In practical terms, this means: maintaining GST invoices for at least six years under the CGST Rules, preserving books of account prescribed by the Companies Act, 2013, and keeping payroll and TDS records ready for any Income‑tax or labour inspection. Good record control assigns clear responsibilities (who files what, and where), sets retention schedules aligned with statute‑of‑limitations periods, applies version control to prevent accidental edits, and uses secure backups to guard against fire, theft, or cyber‑loss.
For small businesses and start‑ups, strong record control cuts compliance costs—because documents for ROC filings, lender due‑diligence, or ISO audits can be produced instantly—while reducing late‑fee risks that arise when papers go missing. Cloud folders with restricted access, numbered hard‑copy files, and periodic destruction logs are all simple, budget‑friendly tools that satisfy auditors. If you plan to build or certify a management system, solutions that integrate record control requirements of ISO 9001 or ISO 27001 can further streamline day‑to‑day compliance; many MSMEs turn to FinTax24’s ISO solutions (https://services.fintax24.in/7-iso-certificate) for this very reason. In short, record control is the backbone of transparent, audit‑ready operations in the Indian regulatory landscape.