Check strike-off is the right route
Staff and payroll
Tax
Assets and money
Apply and tell people
Strike off or liquidate
Companies House says striking off is usually the cheapest way to close a solvent company. A members' voluntary liquidation is the other solvent route; an insolvent company may go into administration or creditors' voluntary liquidation instead. If the company doesn't meet the strike-off conditions, it has to be liquidated.
After you apply
If the DS01 is correct, Companies House publishes a notice in The Gazette. If nobody objects, the company is removed from the register after the two months stated in the notice, and a second notice confirms it no longer exists. You lose access to the company's bank accounts once it's struck off, and recovering anything left behind means restoring the company.
Final accounts and the final Company Tax Return go to HMRC, not Companies House.
Related
What else will you need?
- DS01DS01 strike offDS01 is the application to strike a limited company off the Companies House register, which dissolves it.
- VAT7VAT7 cancel VAT registrationVAT7 is HMRC's paper form to cancel a VAT registration.
- CT600CT600 Company Tax ReturnThe CT600 is HMRC's Company Tax Return.
- TemplateDirector's loan account registerA director's loan account records money a director takes from or puts into their company that isn't salary, dividends or expense repayments.Excel
- ChecklistLimited company year-end checklistAt a limited company's year end, reconcile every bank and loan account, list unpaid invoices and bills, count stock, record asset purchases, review the director's loan account and check dividends were minuted.
Rather we did it?
Countify can handle this for you, for a fixed fee agreed upfront.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
Can I strike off a company that still has money in the bank?
Distribute it first. Anything the company still owns when it's struck off passes to the Crown, and the bank account can't be used afterwards.
Who has to be told about the strike-off application?
Within 7 days, send a copy to anyone who could be affected: shareholders, creditors, employees, pension fund managers or trustees, and any directors who didn't sign the form.
Do I file final accounts with Companies House?
Companies House's guidance is to file the final accounts and Company Tax Return with HMRC, stating they're the final trading accounts and that the company will soon be struck off.
How long does strike-off take?
If nobody objects, the company is struck off after the two-month period in the first Gazette notice.
Checked against GOV.UK on · Reviewed by Kamran Ishaq FCCA, Founder & CEO, on .
Sources: Close a limited company (opens in a new tab) (Companies House); Strike off your limited company from the Companies Register (opens in a new tab) (GOV.UK); Strike off your company: close down your company (opens in a new tab) (Companies House); Strike off your company: apply to strike off (opens in a new tab) (Companies House); Register for VAT: cancel your VAT registration (VAT7) (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs); Director's loans: if you owe your company money (opens in a new tab) (HM Revenue & Customs).