Should I stop counting the retention period when a “destruction hold” has been placed on my records and start up again after the “destruction hold” ends?

Not exactly. The retention clock keeps ticking through the “Destruction Hold”. If a retention period ends while the records are still on hold, do not destroy the records. The records should not be destroyed until both the “Destruction Hold” has been lifted and the retention period has ended. For best practices and guidance on how to organize digital records on a destruction hold, please refer to our Destruction Holds Resource.