> ## 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.

# Retention

> How Symmetry delivers completed Form I-9 data to your postback URL and the M-274 retention rules: keep each form 3 years after hire or 1 year after termination.

Symmetry returns all completed Form I-9 metadata and PDF data as JSON to the postback URL that's configured for the relevant employer. You are responsible for storing completed I-9 metadata and forms based on your platform's requirements. Symmetry does not and will not act as the source of truth for completed I-9 data.

## M-274 guidance

Employers must retain Form I-9 for three years after the employee's hire date or one year after their termination date, whichever is later. Forms must be stored in a way that allows them to be retrieved promptly for inspection upon request by authorized government officials.

Per section 10.0 of the [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Handbook for Employers M-274](https://www.uscis.gov/book/export/html/59502):

*To calculate how long to keep a former employee’s Form I-9:*

* *If they worked for less than two years, retain their form for three years after the date you entered in the First Day of Employment field.*
* *If they worked for more than two years, retain their form for one year after the date they stop working for you.*

*You can retain Form I-9 on paper, microfilm or microfiche, or electronically. You only need to retain pages that you and your employee wrote information on: You do not need to keep the Lists of Acceptable Documents on page 2, the instructions or blank supplement pages.*

## Deletion

Should you want to delete an employer, administrator, or employee from Symmetry, the following endpoints are available:

| Action               | Endpoint                                                   | What it removes                                                                                                                                                               |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Delete employee      | `DELETE /v1/employers/{employerId}/employees/{employeeId}` | The employee associated with the employer.                                                                                                                                    |
| Delete administrator | `DELETE /v1/employers/{employerId}/admins/{adminId}`       | Administrator access only. If the administrator was [promoted from an employee](/i9/embedded-experiences/promote-employee-to-administrator), the employee record is retained. |
| Delete employer      | `DELETE /v1/employers/{employerId}`                        | Requests deletion of the employer and all associated data—employees, submissions, and administrators.                                                                         |