Company wind-down

Closing a company isn’t a single button — it’s making sure both HMRC and Companies House are properly squared away before the company comes off the register. In plain English, we’ll:

1. Work out the company’s final tax position and file its final accounts and Corporation Tax with HMRC — and pay anything owed. Even if the company never really traded, we tell HMRC properly so they close the file.
2. Tidy up any registrations — VAT, payroll — if you ever set them up.
3. Get any leftover money out to you in the most tax-efficient way. We’ll work out the cheapest route once we know how much is sitting in the company.
4. File the formal strike-off with Companies House to remove the company from the register.

One thing on a “clean” strike-off: it’s the right route when there’s relatively little left in the company to pay out — broadly, under £25,000 to distribute. Above that, getting the money out tax-efficiently usually means a members’ voluntary liquidation (MVL) instead. We assume a straightforward strike-off for now; once we’ve seen the bank statements we’ll confirm which one actually applies.

This mostly comes down to when the company stopped — or stops — trading. There’s a quiet period before we can file the strike-off, then Companies House runs a public notice for about two months. As a rough guide, expect anywhere from a couple of months up to around five — five being the worst case, not the norm.

Once we have your dates, we’ll give you a firm estimate. Either way, most of it is just waiting, not work for you.