Records retention & internal controls (SOX)
A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 5 details that are specific to your organisation.
- Length
- 35 min
- Lessons
- 7 lessons
- Frequency
- At hire + annually
- Last reviewed
- 8 Oct 2026
Staff accountant asked by controller to defer an expense accrual
Try it: this is one of 11 interactive activities in the course.
What's included
Three pieces that work together
Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.
Self-paced course
Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.
- 7 lessons, about 35 minutes
- 2 video slots (you add the videos)
- Scenario, tabs, flashcards, sorting activity and quizzes
- 12-question final check, 80% to pass
Live session deck
An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.
- 9 slides
- Quiz, poll, word cloud, open-ended slides
- A closing slide for your contacts
Two surveys
Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.
- Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
- 30-day check-in
- Anonymous by default
- Results feed your next refresher
Learning objectives
At the end of this course, learners can
Built to the law Each objective names the requirement it comes from and the lesson that covers it.
| ID | Objective | Required by | Where it's covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| TO 1.0 | Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment | - | Whole course |
| LO 64.1.1 | Explain why SOX exists and what 302 and 404 require | SOX 302, 404 | Lesson 1: Why the rule exists |
| LO 64.2.1 | Describe key controls and the control owner's role + your info | SOX 404; COSO 2013 | Lesson 2: What's covered |
| LO 64.3.1 | Apply the records retention schedule and legal holds + your info | SOX 802 | Lesson 3: Allowed vs not allowed |
| LO 64.4.1 | Recognise control failures and red flags of manipulation | SOX 302, 404 | Lesson 4: Red flags & duties |
| LO 64.5.1 | Escalate concerns and know whistleblower protections + your info | SOX 806 | Lesson 5: Case practice |
Your part: what a template can't do for you
- Your workplace details: fill in the 5 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
- Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.
Course outline
7 lessons, about 35 minutes
Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.
1Why the rule exists
2 pages
5 min
Why the rule exists
2 pages
2What's covered
3 pages
8 min
What's covered
3 pages
3Allowed vs not allowed
2 pages
5 min
Allowed vs not allowed
2 pages
4Red flags & duties
2 pages
5 min
Red flags & duties
2 pages
5Case practice
2 pages
5 min
Case practice
2 pages
6Escalate correctly
1 page
2 min
Escalate correctly
1 page
7Final assessment
Assessment
5 min
Final assessment
Assessment
Live deck and surveys
9 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop
Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
- Overall rating 5 stars
- Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
- What was most useful? multi-select
- Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
- A record is past its retention period but under a legal hold. What do you do? multiple choice
- How clear are these to you? grid
- How confident are you pushing back on a request to override a control? 1-5 scale
- At quarter-end, accuracy matters more than hitting the number. 1-5 scale
- One thing we should change or add open text
- Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
- Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
- How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
- Do you know where to find our records retention schedule and legal hold contact? yes / no / not sure
- A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
- Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking
Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.
Make it yours
5 fields to fill in, and you're ready
Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.
- My key controls
{{MY_KEY_CONTROLS}} - Retention schedule summary
{{RETENTION_SCHEDULE_SUMMARY}} - Legal hold contact
{{LEGAL_HOLD_CONTACT}} - Audit committee hotline
{{AUDIT_COMMITTEE_HOTLINE}} - LMS or record system
{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
FAQ
Common questions
Can I run records retention & internal controls (SOX) training online?
The course itself is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session. Whether online delivery meets your local rules depends on the law that applies to you, so check Sarbanes-Oxley Act ss.302 or ask your own counsel.
How often is this training needed?
At hire + annually; legal-hold notices as issued.
Who needs this training?
Finance, accounting, FP&A, IT controls owners, and any employee who creates or approves financial records at a US public company; variant: control owners.
What records should I keep?
Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when. Check the retention period that applies to you in Sarbanes-Oxley Act ss.302.
Can I edit the content?
Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply. Keep anything your own law requires you to cover.
Related templates
Often taught together
Identity theft Red Flags Rule
Staff · Finance & Corporate Ethics
Consumer protection & UDAAP
Customer-facing staff · Finance & Corporate Ethics
Code of conduct
All employees · Finance & Corporate Ethics
Conflicts of interest
All employees; variant: procurement · Finance & Corporate Ethics
Ready to run it?
Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.