Company Formation Specialists

It is possible to dissolve your company by filing the form DS01 and sending it to Companies House with the fee of £10. This method of dissolving your company is best suited where the company has remained dormant (non-trading) since incorporation. Provided the directors (and shareholders if they differ) are in agreement that the company should close, the company should complete the form DS01 and send it to Companies House. The DS01 is a statement to confirm that it meets the requirements set out in Sections 1004 and 1005 of the Companies Act 2006

The company may not make an application for voluntary strike off if, at any time in the last 3 months, it has:

• traded or otherwise carried on business;
• changed its name;
• made a disposal for value of property or rights that, immediately before ceasing to trade or otherwise carry on business, it held for the purpose of disposal for gain in the normal course of trading or otherwise carrying on business. For example, a company in business to sell apples could not continue selling apples during that 3 month period but it could sell the truck it once used to deliver the apples or the warehouse where they were stored:
• engaged in any other activity except one which is necessary or expedient for the purpose of:
• making an application for strike off or deciding whether to do so (for example, a company may seek professional advice on the application and pay the costs of submitting the form DS01;
• concluding the affairs of the company;
• complying with any statutory requirement.

Once the form has been received at Companies House, a copy will appear on the Public Record. Companies House will then publish the first ‘Notice’ in the Gazette, confirming the limited company’s intention to close. This provides third parties (e.g. the Inland Revenue) notice and gives them a period of 100 days to object (if relevant). If Companies House have not received an objection to the Striking Off request within 100 days, a second ‘Notice’ will be posted, confirming the company has been dissolved. If the company has not traded during its lifetime, it is unlikely to receive an objection from a third party.

f you wish to retract the request to close the company during the 100-day period, the company may file the form DS02 at Companies House. The company may then carry on as normal (e.g. dormant or trading).

If your company has traded at any time from incorporation, we recommend that you seek advice from your accountant. The DS01 procedure is not an alternative to formal insolvency proceedings where these are appropriate. Even if the company is struck off and dissolved, creditors and others could apply for the company to be restored to the register.

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