How to dissolve a UK company

How to dissolve a company in the UK!

Companies are closed or ‘dissolved’ for many reasons. If you no longer need your limited company you can voluntarily close the company. The process is referred to as dissolution.

Dissolving a company is quite straightforward if the company is no longer trading. If your company meets the criteria, you simply need to file a document at Companies House to dissolve a company. In order for a company to be dissolved, Companies House DS01 form (Application for sticking off) has to be filed with the correct payment.

Company Dissolution

£4800
  • Filing form DS01

When can a company be dissolved?

As shown on the DS01 form, there are certain requirements that a company must adhere to before it is eligible for dissolution. These requirements to dissolve a company are as follows:

  • The company must not have traded, carried on business or changed its name in the past three months previous to filing the DS01 form.
  • The company must not have disposed of for value any property or rights that it would have disposed of for value in the normal course of trading or carrying on business. Value coming into the business in this way is deemed as trading and so, this will invalidate the above point.
  • The company must not have engaged in any other activity except for the purpose of making the strike off application, settling its affairs or meeting a statutory requirement.
  • The company must have filed accounts with the Inland Revenue.

When the above points can be met, the DS01 form is filed with Companies House along with payment of GBP10.00 and they will duly begin processing the strike off application. After the form is filed with Companies House it will usually take approximately 2-3 months before the strike off is complete.

Alternative Option - Keep the Company Dormant

If you are unsure whether you will need the company again, you can choose to keep the company dormant. If you are no longer trading with the company, it has no business activity and it is receiving no income, then you can keep it dormant. The company can remain dormant for many years until you need to conduct business again. Every year, you will need to file dormant accounts, a confirmation statement and inform HMRC the company is dormant.

Help filing your documents!

Filing documents at Companies House can be confusing and frustrating. We speak to many customers that have had documents rejected by Companies House. If you need assistance dissolving a company or filing dormant accounts, we are happy to help. 

Simple, Quick, Document Filing! Let us take care of Companies House.