Why the files exist
Solar installer record keeping: the rules behind the files
Much of an installer's archive exists because a rule required it. Those rules also tell you which files carry workers' and homeowners' details that must come out first.
Ask about my solar records 9 of the 17 solar platforms we read keep a right over pooled customer data. Tell us where your designs and install records sit and we will write back about them.
The increased tax credit
A taxpayer claiming the increased credit under section 45 must maintain and preserve records sufficient to show it met the prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements, at a minimum payroll records for each laborer and mechanic on the job.
Source: 26 CFR 1.45-12, recordkeeping and reporting
The investment credit
Section 48 applies rules similar to section 45's apprenticeship rules to the energy credit. The IRS notes that its June 2024 final regulations did not finalize the proposed rules under sections 48 and 48E, so check the current guidance for a given year.
Source: 26 U.S.C. 48, energy credit
Federally funded work
Under the Davis-Bacon contract clauses, a contractor must preserve all certified payrolls during the work and for 3 years after all the work on the prime contract is completed.
Source: 29 CFR 5.5, contract provisions
Which files stay out
Payroll and apprenticeship files name individual workers, so they stay out of a licence; the design and install record they sit beside is what a buyer takes. Our table lists every rule we read.