What is the role of Companies House when closing a company?

You may know Companies House as the government agency that you have to contact to incorporate your business. When you form a limited company you have to register the company name and other details with Companies House to be added to the official register.

Companies House also play an important role when closing a company, however, and this isn’t as widely known. When you close a company, part of the process involves informing Companies House as they’re the official registrar of companies and they act accordingly.

The agency is part of the Department for Business, Skills, and Innovation, so what do Companies House do when closing a company and why is their role so important?

Companies House plays a crucial role when you close down a company, whether that’s via voluntary dissolution or a form of liquidation. Voluntary dissolution is sometimes called voluntary strike-off, and this refers to the registrar striking the company name from the official register.

If an insolvency practitioner is appointed to close down a company, towards the end of the process they notify Companies House of the liquidation so it can be removed from the register. The Companies House register is publicly viewable so it needs to be kept updated to provide accurate information about companies to anyone searching.

Companies House and voluntary strike-off

In this instance, the director(s) of the company closes down their business themselves and carries out the required administration. A form DS01 is submitted to Companies House and the business is struck off from the register as long as there are no objections from creditors or other stakeholders of the company.

It should be noted that if a creditor isn’t informed about the closure and wishes to make a claim, they can make a formal objection to Companies House to have the debtor business reinstated to the register.

Companies House and liquidation

Whether the company in question has entered solvent or insolvent liquidation, Companies House’s role is integral to closing it down. Towards the end of the process, the liquidator submits a request to Companies House to remove the company name from the register so that it closes permanently.

If you would like more information on Companies House and how to close a limited company, please get in touch with Company Closure. Our team can arrange a free, same-day consultation and as we work from offices nationwide, you’re never far away from our independent professional advice.