How long to keep interview recordings: legal minimums, platform defaults and consent wording (2026)
On this page
- How long do you have to keep interview recordings?
- Do you have to keep the recording if you keep the transcript?
- Do Zoom, Teams and Google Meet delete recordings automatically?
- How long can you keep interview recordings outside the US?
- What should you tell candidates about retention when you ask for consent?
- How do you set a retention period for interview recordings?
- Questions people ask
In the US, if you record interviews, keep the recordings at least one year from the hiring decision. Under 29 CFR 1602.14, employers covered by Title VII, the ADA and GINA must preserve "any personnel or employment record made or kept" for one year from the date it was made or the personnel action, whichever is later, and nothing in the rule excludes recordings. Keep them longer where another rule applies: two years for larger federal contractors under the VEVRAA and Section 503 rules, four years in California, five in Colorado, and until final disposition once a charge is filed. No law requires you to record in the first place, and deciding not to keep audio is a cleaner way to shorten the obligation than deleting recordings early.
This page is about recordings and the transcripts made from them: the minimums, what Zoom, Teams and Meet do by default, what to tell candidates when you ask for consent, and how deletion works. Notes and scorecards follow the same rules, covered in how long to keep interview notes.
This is not legal advice. The rules below were checked on eCFR, the Federal Register, state legislature sites and the agencies' own pages as of November 2026. Your periods depend on your size, your contracts, the states and countries you hire in, your industry and whether a claim is pending. Set the schedule with counsel.
How long do you have to keep interview recordings?
| Rule | Who it covers | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title VII, ADA and GINA recordkeeping | Covered private employers (generally 15 or more employees) | One year from making the record or the personnel action, whichever is later | 29 CFR 1602.14 |
| Once a charge or EEOC or Justice Department action is filed | The respondent employer | All relevant records, including other candidates' records for the same position, until final disposition | 29 CFR 1602.14 |
| VEVRAA (protected veterans) | Federal contractors with 150 or more employees and a contract of at least $200,000 | Two years; one year below either threshold. The rule names "interview notes" expressly | 41 CFR 60-300.80 |
| Section 503 (individuals with disabilities) | Federal contractors with 150 or more employees and a contract of at least $150,000 | Two years; one year below either threshold | 41 CFR 60-741.80 |
| California Fair Employment and Housing Act | California employers | Four years for applications and personnel records | Gov. Code § 12946 |
| Colorado POWR Act | Colorado employers | Five years for personnel and employment records | SB 23-172 |
One rule that older guides still list no longer exists. The two-year retention rule for federal contractors at 41 CFR 60-1.12 belonged to the Executive Order 11246 regulations, which the Labor Department removed effective October 26, 2026 (91 FR 54444); eCFR now shows part 60-1 as reserved. The VEVRAA and Section 503 rules above remain, with their own two-year periods.
Why a margin matters: a candidate generally has 180 calendar days to file an EEOC charge, extended to 300 days where a state or local agency enforces a similar law (EEOC), and the charge can reach you weeks later. A recording deleted at month 12 can be one you needed at month 13.
Do you have to keep the recording if you keep the transcript?
In the US, the cautious answer is yes. The federal rule covers records "made or kept", and a recording is a record you made. Deleting the audio at 30 days while keeping the transcript for a year is a common plan, and it is exactly the kind of gap that looks selective if a charge follows and the audio would have settled what was said.
The better way to hold less is to decide before the interview. Options, from most to least retained:
- Record audio or video, and keep it with the transcript for the full period.
- Transcribe without storing audio, keeping only the transcript, notes and scorecard. Interview Signal, which we make, works this way: audio goes to a speech-to-text provider in short chunks during the call and is not retained, and the transcript and scorecard stay on the recruiter's computer, where they still need to be kept and deleted on schedule like any other record.
- Take notes by hand or in a scorecard, with no recording or transcript at all.
Whichever you choose, apply it to every candidate for the role. Recording some interviews and not others invites the question of why.
Do Zoom, Teams and Google Meet delete recordings automatically?
The defaults run in opposite directions, and neither matches a recruiting retention schedule on its own.
| Platform | Default, as of November 2026 | What to change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | Meeting recordings and transcripts expire after 120 days by default and move to the recycle bin; the maximum default for A1 users is 30 days | An admin can set a longer expiration, but changes affect only new recordings; move interview recordings you must keep to a records location | Microsoft Learn |
| Zoom | No fixed deletion: cloud recordings are "retained for as long as the end user has an active account" unless an admin turns on auto-delete, which keeps deleted recordings in trash for 30 days | Set auto-delete to your retention period, not shorter (step by step in Zoom retention settings) | Zoom data retention standard; cloud recording settings |
| Google Meet | Recordings save to the organizer's Google Drive in a "Google Meet" folder; Google's help page describes no automatic deletion | Apply your Workspace retention rules, or recordings stay until someone deletes them | Google Meet Help |
Teams is the trap: its default deletes interview recordings eight months before the federal minimum runs out. Zoom and Meet fail the other way, keeping everything forever unless someone acts. AI note takers each have their own settings, and they change when a recruiter leaves; see interview recordings when a recruiter leaves.
How long can you keep interview recordings outside the US?
The UK and EU GDPR set no fixed period. Personal data may be kept "no longer than is necessary" for its purpose (GDPR Article 5(1)(e)), and your privacy notice must state the period or the criteria for it (Article 13(2)(a)). National regulators fill in the number. France's CNIL, in its human resources retention reference published April 2, 2026 and updated May 20, 2026, lists for an unsuccessful candidate's file: the recruitment procedure itself in active use, then five years from the date the position was filled as evidence for possible discrimination claims, under Article L.1134-5 of the Labour Code, and up to two years from the last contact for a talent pool (CNIL référentiel, in French; summary in our translation). For the UK and Germany, see recording interviews under UK GDPR and recording job interviews in Germany.
What should you tell candidates about retention when you ask for consent?
Consent to record and retention are one conversation, and the candidate should hear both. The notice needs the period, who can access the recording, and how to ask for deletion:
- GDPR: the storage period or the criteria used to set it, at the time you collect the data (Article 13(2)(a)).
- California: a notice at collection must say how long you intend to keep each category of personal information, or the criteria (Civil Code § 1798.100); job applicants have been covered since January 1, 2023.
- Illinois, AI-analyzed video interviews: on the applicant's request, delete the videos within 30 days and tell anyone you shared them with to delete theirs, including backups (820 ILCS 42/15).
- Illinois, voiceprints: if a tool creates a voiceprint to recognize speakers, BIPA requires a public retention schedule and destruction once the purpose is met or within three years of the person's last interaction, whichever comes first (740 ILCS 14/15).
Example wording to adapt: "I'd like to record and transcribe this interview so the hiring team works from what you actually said. We keep the recording and transcript for [one year] after the hiring decision, then delete them. Only the people hiring for this role can access them. Is that OK?" Full scripts, including what to do when a candidate says no, are in the interview recording consent script.
A deletion request does not always override a retention duty. The GDPR's right to erasure does not apply where the data is needed for legal claims (Article 17(3)(e)), and a US employer under a legal hold must keep relevant records whatever the candidate asks. Tell the candidate which applies.
How do you set a retention period for interview recordings?
- Find the longest minimum that applies to you from the tables above: federal, contractor, every state you hire in, and any country.
- Add a margin for charges filed late in their window. An example policy: the minimum plus three months.
- Set every tool to match, including Teams' expiration, Zoom's auto-delete and each note taker's retention, so recordings neither vanish early nor stay forever.
- Put the period in your consent line and privacy notice.
- Suspend deletion under a legal hold for the roles and candidates it names, in every system, until counsel lifts it in writing.
- Delete on schedule and log it: what, when, by whom, and the copies in downloads, email and shared drives.
A full policy with a schedule for every record type is in the candidate data retention policy template.
Questions people ask
How long do employers have to keep interview recordings?
In the US, at least one year from the date the recording was made or the hiring decision, whichever is later, for employers covered by Title VII, the ADA or GINA, because 29 CFR 1602.14 covers any personnel or employment record made or kept and does not exclude recordings. Federal contractors above the size thresholds keep records two years under the VEVRAA and Section 503 rules, California requires four years, Colorado five, and once a discrimination charge is filed, relevant records must be kept until it is finally resolved.
Can I delete an interview recording once I have the transcript?
It is risky in the US. The recording is itself a record you made, and the federal one-year rule applies to records made or kept, so deleting it early while keeping the transcript can look like selective destruction if a charge follows. If you do not want to hold audio, decide that before the interview and use a capture method that never stores it, then keep the transcript and scorecard for the full period.
Does Microsoft Teams delete interview recordings automatically?
Yes, by default. Microsoft's documentation says Teams meeting recordings and transcripts have a default expiration time of 120 days, after which they move to the recycle bin, and the maximum default for A1 users is 30 days. That is shorter than the one-year federal minimum, so recruiting teams that keep Teams recordings should have an admin change the expiration for new recordings or move interview recordings to a records location.
How long can you keep interview recordings under the GDPR?
No longer than necessary for the purpose, with the period stated in your privacy notice. The GDPR sets no fixed number. France's data protection authority, the CNIL, lists five years from the date the position was filled as the period for keeping an unsuccessful candidate's file as evidence against discrimination claims, and up to two years from the last contact for a talent pool, so national guidance can be specific.
What should a consent request say about how long the recording is kept?
State the period or the rule that sets it, who can access the recording, and how to ask questions or request deletion. GDPR Article 13 requires the storage period or the criteria for it, and the CCPA requires a notice at collection to say how long each category of personal information is kept. A plain example: we keep the recording and transcript for one year after the hiring decision, then delete them; only the hiring team can access them.