Why a record will not delete
Retention is a clock the product enforces. It refuses an early delete and tells you the date it becomes eligible.
You set the retention period for your agency. The clock runs from the last activity on a record, not from the day it was created — a student file worked on for two years is kept for the full period after that work, not from the enquiry.
What you will see
Deleting a record still inside its window is refused, and the message names the date it becomes eligible. Nothing about that is hidden and nothing is deleted quietly in the background.
If this did not answer it, open a ticket from your workspace — it arrives with your account attached, so nobody has to ask you which agency you are. Support is included on every plan.