Not every project succeeds, and that’s okay. What matters is closing your company correctly: an abandoned Ltd continues to generate obligations, reminders, and penalties. For companies with no debts and no activity, the standard route is voluntary dissolution or «strike off».
Requirements to apply
- No recent activity: the company must not have traded or sold assets in the last 3 months
- No debts: you cannot dissolve a company with outstanding debts (to HMRC, suppliers, or anyone else) — that requires other procedures
- No open proceedings: there must be no insolvencies or ongoing agreements
The process step by step
- Get everything in order: file pending accounts and declarations, pay what you owe to HMRC, and distribute remaining funds among shareholders before dissolving
- Submit the DS01 form to Companies House (online, with a fee of approximately £33)
- Notify interested parties: you must inform shareholders, creditors, and employees within 7 days
- Publication in The Gazette: Companies House publishes a notice; if no one objects within about 2 months, the company is officially dissolved
Mistakes that cost you
- Leaving money in the account: assets of a dissolved company pass to the Crown («bona vacantia»). Empty and distribute the account before dissolving
- «I’m not using it, I’ll just let it die»: if you simply stop filing the Confirmation Statement and Annual Accounts, you’ll accumulate penalties and directors can be flagged before Companies House dissolves it of its own accord
- Forgetting to notify HMRC: report the cessation of activity to also close your Corporation Tax file
💡 Tip: before closing, download all company documents from your dashboard (certificates, letters, accounts). Once dissolved, retrieving documents becomes much more difficult.
Not sure whether closing or keeping your company on hold is right for you? Contact support from startup.aiden.es and we’ll review your situation.
⚖️ This guide is for information only and does not substitute for professional tax or legal advice. For your specific circumstances, consult with an adviser.