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How to close a company in Great Britain
Methods of closing the company
Closing a company means removing it from official registration at Companies House.

You can close the company in several ways:
- Voluntary liquidation of members: This is a solvent liquidation, meaning your company has enough assets to pay off its debts. You, the participants, control the process.
- Liquidation: This is the simplest option, suitable for companies with no outstanding debts or assets.
- Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation: Initiated by your creditors if the company is unable to pay its debts. They control the process.
- Compulsory Liquidation: Compulsory closure by court order due to insolvency or other legal problems.
- Company hibernation: Not quite a shutdown, but a way to temporarily suspend a company’s operations if you plan to resume it later.
UK company closing time
After you submit an application for the liquidation of the company, the Registration Chamber will contact you directly.
First, they will confirm receipt of the application, and then again when your company is officially closed (stripped from the register).
This process usually takes 2-3 months, but the actual time may vary depending on the workload of the Registry and the need for further investigations.
In rare cases, the Registration Chamber may reject your application for liquidation. This can happen if you have filed a duplicate application, your business name has recently changed, or your business is involved in ongoing litigation.
Even after the liquidation of the company, it can be restored within 20 years from the moment of closure. This can be done by a court decision, but only if there are good reasons for it.
Stages of closing the company:
- Select the closing date:
Choose the date of termination of activity and inform all interested parties (directors, bank, shareholders) about it.
- Inform HMRC:
After closing, write to HMRC that you have ceased operations, have no more income and will be submitting your final returns shortly.
- Inform HMRC to close all staff matters
- Deregister from VAT (if necessary):
If you are registered as a VAT payer, deregister and submit a final VAT return.
- Tell HMRC that you will not be submitting any further tax returns after your last tax return.
- Prepare final accounts and tax returns:
Prepare the final accounts and corporation tax return and then submit them to HMRC and Companies House.
- Wait and apply for closure:
Wait three months after the closure, and then submit an application to remove the company from the register using a special form.
- Confirmation of closing:
The Registration Chamber will publish information about your closure in the Gazette. After three months (if there are no objections), your company will be officially liquidated.
The legal company “Prikhodko and Partners” can accompany you at all stages, fill out and submit all the necessary documentation for the proper closing of your company.
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