> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symmetry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Compliance & audit readiness overview

> How Symmetry I-9 keeps you audit-ready: who owns completed I-9 data, the M-274 retention rules, and the audit trail available for ICE and DHS inspections.

Form I-9 is only useful if you can produce it—correctly completed and on time—when a government agency asks. Symmetry I-9 gives you the data and records to stay audit-ready, but your platform remains the system of record for completed Forms I-9.

<Info>
  **You own the completed I-9 data.** Symmetry delivers each finished Form I-9 (metadata plus an encoded PDF) to your employer's postback URL. Symmetry does not act as the source of truth—you are responsible for storing and retaining it. See [Receive Completed I-9 Data](/i9/getting-started/retrieve-completed-data) for the delivery mechanics.
</Info>

## What this section covers

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Retention" icon="box-archive" href="/i9/compliance-and-audit-readiness/retention">
    The M-274 retention rules—keep each Form I-9 for three years after hire or one year after termination, whichever is later—and how to delete records.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit Trail" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/i9/compliance-and-audit-readiness/audit-events">
    What is captured for every Form I-9 and E-Verify case, and where administrators view it in the embedded experience.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit Log Reference" icon="list-ul" href="/i9/compliance-and-audit-readiness/audit-logs">
    Retrieve the `auditLogs` array from a submission and look up every `eventName` in the audit event catalog.
  </Card>

  <Card title="ICE Audits & Symmetry I-9" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/i9/compliance-and-audit-readiness/ice-audits">
    How to respond to a Notice of Inspection (NOI): locate and export Forms I-9, pull E-Verify case data, and use the audit trail.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The three pillars of audit readiness

* **Ownership & storage** — Symmetry posts completed I-9 data to your postback URL; you store it per your platform's requirements.
* **Retention** — Federal rules dictate how long you must keep each form and make it promptly retrievable for inspection.
* **Audit trail** — Every action on a Form I-9 and E-Verify case is captured with a timestamp and actor, so you can demonstrate exactly who did what and when.