MYOB Online Backups - Clarification Required: Duration & Retention of Backups

Thanks for the clarification, Earl_HD​ Earl, but unfortunately this still doesn’t resolve the core issue.

Accessing historical data only through the live file is not sufficient for real‑world accounting, audit, or compliance needs. A live file is constantly changing, and once historical data is overwritten, corrected, merged, or corrupted, there is no way to recover the original information without a proper historical backup.

To give a practical example: I recently had to access backups from a 2012 company file due to an ATO error that required detailed investigation. This was for a business that had not had an active MYOB subscription for over five years. The ability to open the original backup file was essential because:

• The required information was not contained in exported reports.
• I needed to view transaction notes, comments, and audit‑trail details that do not appear in reports.
• I needed to see the file exactly as it existed at that point in time, not the current live version.

This is a normal requirement in accounting, especially when dealing with ATO reviews, legal matters, historical payroll, asset records, or disputes.

Your current model, where MYOB deletes backups after 6 months and expects businesses to rely solely on the live file or exported reports,does not support these real‑world needs.

Exporting reports is not an adequate substitute for retaining full accounting records. Reports are snapshots; they do not contain the underlying data, audit trails, or transaction‑level detail required for compliance or investigation.

Removing downloadable backups has significantly reduced MYOB’s effectiveness and reliability as an accounting system. This change places businesses at risk and undermines MYOB’s long‑standing reputation as a product that supports proper record‑keeping.

I strongly recommend MYOB review this decision and either:

• provide a long‑term online retention period that aligns with ATO requirements, or
• reinstate the ability for users to download and store their own full company file backups.

Without one of these options, MYOB is not providing a practical solution for long‑term record retention.

Hi ntoumba,

Thanks for calling this out so clearly. 

To clarify the current position, the 6-month period applies to online backups used for recent recovery. It isn’t being presented as the sole way a business meets its record-keeping obligations. While your subscription is active and your AccountRight file is online, your historical records remain available in the live file back to file creation.
 

If a subscription is being cancelled, that’s when MYOB expects businesses to export and keep the records and reports they need for their own retention. For customers who need more detailed historical access after cancellation, the current guidance also points to read-only access or a one-off server export as the available options.
 

We understand that this is a significant concern for businesses that need confidence they can produce records later, and we appreciate you raising it.

Regards,
Earl

Hello Genreve_S​,

Thank you for the response, but I need to be very clear: a 6‑month backup retention period is not acceptable for accounting or ATO compliance.

The ATO requires businesses to retain complete and accurate accounting records for at least 5 years, and in many cases significantly longer (CGT, amended assessments, trust matters, legal disputes). These records must include source transactions, audit trails, payroll history, superannuation data, ledger entries, and supporting documentation.

Exported reports do not meet this requirement. Reports are only snapshots, they do not contain the underlying accounting data, audit trails, or transaction detail required for compliance or for defending an audit. If MYOB deletes older backups and I only have exported reports, I cannot meet my legal obligations.

Your statement that “historical data remains available in the live file” is also not sufficient. If the live file becomes corrupted, damaged, incorrectly edited, or requires forensic review of past periods, I must have access to a historical version of the file. This is standard practice in accounting and has always been possible in MYOB until recently.

The removal of local backups means MYOB now controls:

• when backups are created
• how long they are stored
• when they are deleted
• whether I can access historical data in future years

But MYOB does not guarantee long‑term retention and does not accept liability if historical data is lost. This places my business and others at compliance risk.

I need MYOB to explain how a 6‑month retention period can possibly satisfy ATO record‑keeping requirements, and what MYOB expects businesses to do when older backups are deleted but legally required records must still be produced.

At this stage, exporting reports is not an adequate or compliant substitute for retaining full accounting records.

I am asking again for clarification on how MYOB intends to support long‑term data retention now that local backups have been removed.

Hi ntoumba, 

I understand where your concern is coming from, especially if you’ve relied on backups for record-keeping.

To answer your questions directly:

1. Online backups are kept for 6 months from the date they’re created.
2. Yes, the same 6-month retention applies to both automatic and manual online backups.
3. Online backups are intended to help restore a recent version of the file, rather than act as a long-term archive.

If you already have older offline backups, those can still be accessed through Server Edition by restoring and opening them there.

While your subscription is active and your file stays online, your historical data remains available in the live file. So if you need to look back at older data, that access comes from the live online file rather than from keeping old backups indefinitely.

At the moment, the 6-month online backup retention period can’t be extended.

If you need to keep records longer term, the current option is to export the reports or data you’d like to retain for your own records. If you’re unsure what records you should retain for compliance, it’s best to check with your accountant or adviser.

I hope this helps clarify things a little.

Regards,
Genreve