The documented permission (generally requiring the Chief Archivist's authority) that sets out what can be destroyed, when, and what must be transferred or kept. The backbone of defensible disposal, and a core object in IAR.
A disposal authority is the documented permission that makes disposal defensible: what can be destroyed, when, what must be transferred, and what must be kept. Organisations usually hold authorities for different business areas; where none exists, you generally keep the records until one is obtained. In IAR, the disposal schedule is a core object that every class and asset maps to.
They are used closely. The disposal authority is the approved instrument granting permission to dispose; the schedule is the structured list of classes and their retention and disposal rules under it. IAR holds them as the layer between an entity and its classes.
If no authority applies, you generally must keep the records until guidance or an authority is obtained. Disposing of public records without authority is unauthorised disposal.
IAR turns terms like this into working practice: assets classified against your disposal authority, stewarded by position, and ready to evidence.