Company strike-off and dissolution

Managing the strike-off application to completion is £59 plus the £13 Companies House fee for the DS01. The £349 package adds the final accounts and CT600 for the last period. The £29 pre-closure check reviews whether the company qualifies and what must be done first, and is credited against the strike-off fee if you proceed.

When in the previous three months it has not traded, sold stock in the normal course of business, changed its name or engaged in any activity other than winding up its affairs. It must also have no outstanding liabilities, no legal proceedings and not be subject to insolvency. Directors apply on form DS01 with a majority signing.

All trading stopped for three months; final accounts and CT600 filed and Corporation Tax paid; VAT deregistered and PAYE closed with final submissions; all creditors paid, including HMRC in full; assets distributed to shareholders; bank account closed. Anything left in the company at dissolution becomes Crown property.

HMRC is notified of every strike-off application and objects where returns are outstanding or tax is unpaid. An objection suspends the process until resolved and can repeat. The way to avoid it is to file everything and pay everything before applying, and to tell HMRC the company has ceased. We do this as standard.

Within seven days of filing the DS01, a copy must be sent to every shareholder, creditor, employee, director who did not sign, and any manager or trustee of an employee pension fund. Failure is an offence. We prepare and send the notices and keep proof.

Companies House publishes a notice in the Gazette, and if no objection is received within two months the company is struck off and a second notice confirms dissolution. From filing to dissolution is typically three to four months, longer if HMRC or a creditor objects. We monitor the Gazette and confirm the date to you.

Distributions on dissolution are treated as capital, taxed under Capital Gains Tax with the £3,000 annual exemption and possibly business asset disposal relief, provided the total is £25,000 or less. Above £25,000 the whole amount is taxed as a dividend unless a formal members' voluntary liquidation is used. We explain the threshold before you distribute.

Then voluntary strike-off is not available; a creditor would object and directors who strike off an insolvent company face personal consequences. The company needs a creditors' voluntary liquidation through a licensed insolvency practitioner. We tell you this honestly at the pre-closure check and can introduce you to one.

Yes, by filing form DS02 at any time before dissolution, which you must do if the company starts trading again, becomes subject to insolvency or any other disqualifying condition arises after the application. We file the withdrawal if circumstances change.

They must be kept for seven years after dissolution for HMRC purposes and six for Companies Act purposes, by the former directors. Bank statements, accounts, tax returns, payroll records and VAT records all need to be retained. We provide a closing records pack for you to keep.

Companies House starts compulsory strike-off for persistent failure to file. You can let it proceed, which leaves unfiled accounts on the record and may attract HMRC's attention, or object and regularise the filings, or file your own DS01 after bringing the company up to date. The pre-closure check sets out the options.

Yes, within six years by court order or administrative restoration if it was struck off compulsorily, usually because an asset was overlooked or a claim arises. It is expensive and slow. Making sure every asset is distributed and every liability settled before dissolution is the way to avoid needing it.