How long must we keep records for a Verra carbon project?

At least two years after the end of the total project crediting period, kept secure and retrievable, under VCS Standard v5.0. For an energy project renewed to the full 45 years, that means records from the first month kept for about 47 years. Your VVB must keep its project records for the same period.

The rule

Section 3.24.1 says all documents and records are kept secure and retrievable for at least two years after the end of the total project crediting period. "Total" means every renewal included. Section 4.1.26 puts the same duty on the VVB for its own files.

What you hand over, and when

• At validation: the project description, evidence of your right to operate, and any data the VVB asks for to support them.
• At each verification: the project description, the validation report, the monitoring report for the period, and the data behind every figure in it.
• Assume documents are public. Verra presumes all information in project documents is public; only information you show to be commercially sensitive can be protected, and the VVB checks that claim.

How the end date moves

• If you renew, the total period grows and so does the retention date.
• If you miss a renewal deadline, the total crediting period ends then, and the two years run from that date.
• Forestry projects with a 100-year crediting period keep records for at least 102 years.

Make it survive staff and software changes

Store original bills, meter logs and lab reports in plain formats, with a register that ties each file to the monitoring period it supports. Keep a copy outside any single vendor's system, because a 47-year duty outlasts most contracts and most hard drives.

Example: an energy project starting on 1 January 2027

• Renewed eight times: total crediting period ends 31 December 2071
• Keep records until at least 31 December 2073
• Not renewed after the first period: crediting ends 31 December 2031, keep records until at least 31 December 2033

Dates are an example.

What Senseible does here

Senseible fingerprints every uploaded file with SHA-256, so a bill can be matched to the figure it supports years later and a duplicate is never counted twice. Keep your own archive as well for the full retention period.

• How long to keep CBAM records
• Verra verification materiality
• What goes in a verifier pack
• Carbon credits

Sources: Verra, VCS Standard v5.0 (16 December 2025): Sections 3.4.7, 3.8, 3.24 and 4.1.26

Last reviewed 2026-11-03. Check section 3.24 of the current VCS Standard when Verra issues a new version.