Voluntary Strike-off and Dissolution
We offer a Voluntary Strike Off service in the UK where the officers choose to officially close the company down.
We apply to the registrar for your company to be struck off the register and dissolved. We can do this if your company is no longer required.
Voluntary Strike Off is the option generally chosen by companies which have ceased trade and have no assets or liabilities.
We are experienced in assisting with the preparation and filing of all documents relating to the Voluntary Strike Off process.
Struck off the Register
If you have decided that you no longer want to retain your company and wish to have it struck off, the registrar will not normally pursue any outstanding late filing penalties unless you restore the company to the register at a later stage.
If the Registrar has already started dissolution action under section 1000, Companies House will not accept the Strike off application.
Your company may be struck off the company register and dissolved if:
- It has applied to the Registrar to be struck off or
- The Registrar concludes that it is not carrying on business
Voluntary Striking off
A limited company can request to be closed under Section 1003 of the Companies Act 2006.
A private company can apply to be struck off if, in the previous three months, it has not:
- Traded or otherwise carried on business
- Changed its name
- For value, disposed of property or rights that, immediately before it ceased to be in business or trade, it held for disposal or gain in the normal course of its business or trade
- Engaged in any other activity except one necessary or expedient for making a striking-off application, settling the company’s affairs or meeting a statutory requirement
A company cannot apply to be struck off if it is the subject, or proposed subject, of any insolvency proceedings or a Section 895 scheme.
Companies House
Companies House receives the application and if it is acceptable they will register the information and put it on your company’s public record. If the Registrar has already started dissolution action under section 1000 (power to strike off company not carrying on business or in operation) they will not accept the application.
However, if the application is acceptable they will send an acknowledgement.
The registrar will publish notice of the proposed striking off in the Gazette to allow interested parties the opportunity to object.
A copy of this notice will be placed on your company’s public record. If there is no reason to delay the registrar will strike the company off the register not less than 3 months after the date of the notice. The company will be dissolved on publication of a further notice stating this in the relevant Gazette.
Gazette
The registrar publishes a notice to strike off your company, the notice will appear in the Gazette for the part of the
United Kingdom in which your company was formed.
Assets of a Dissolved company
From the date of dissolution any assets held by a dissolved company will be bona vacantia. This means they belong to the Crown. The company’s bank account will be frozen and any credit balance in the account will be passed to the Crown.
When the registrar publishes a notice to Strike off a company, the notice will appear in the Gazette for the part of the United Kingdom in which the company was formed.