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Strike Off a Limited Company: How to Close and Dissolve It

Voluntary strike off lets directors close a company that is no longer needed. The assistant explains eligibility, notification duties and what happens after dissolution.

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Answers are written by a language model solely from this base's documents, with numbered sources. They can be wrong and aren't legal, medical or financial advice: check the sources before any important decision.

Who can apply and the 3 month rule

The majority of directors must apply; if there are only 2 directors, both must apply. You cannot apply if, in the last 3 months, the company has traded, changed its name or sold property held for gain, or if it faces insolvency proceedings.

Strike off is not an alternative to formal insolvency. Settle matters such as refunds with HMRC first, as HMRC cannot issue refunds to a dissolved company.

Notifying others and dissolution

Within 7 days of applying, send a copy to members, existing and likely creditors, managers or trustees of any employee pension fund and any director who did not sign. Failing to do so is an offence.

After a Gazette notice, the company is struck off no less than 2 months later. Its bank account is then frozen and its assets pass to the Crown as 'bona vacantia'.

Frequently asked questions

Can I withdraw a strike off application?

Yes, online or by post. You must withdraw it immediately if the company no longer meets the criteria.

Can Companies House strike off a company itself?

Yes, for example if the confirmation statement or accounts are missing, there are no directors, or the company stayed at a default registered office for over 28 days.

Can a dissolved company come back?

Yes. Creditors and others can apply to restore it to the register. When restoring a company, you file a paper confirmation statement (form CS01) showing the confirmation date that was due before it was struck off.

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This base's MCP server URL (tools ask_base and search_base):

MCP URL
https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house
Claude Code, Cursor and other clients
Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http kopik-uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house" --header "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…"
JSON config (mcpServers)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kopik-uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house": {
      "url": "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer kpk_…"
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API for your apps

mode is "answer" (written answer + sources) or "passages" (raw passages only). Add an optional maxPriceCents to cap the price: if the base costs more, the call is refused and nothing is charged.

curl
curl -X POST https://kopik.io/api/v1/bases/uk-limited-company-directors-companies-house/query \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"question": "Your question here", "mode": "answer"}'

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