Practical guide
Company strike-off risks
This guide explains the facts that make a company look clean for strike-off versus the facts that make strike-off riskier or inappropriate.
Why strike-off risk needs more than one fact
A clean strike-off position usually depends on more than inactivity. Filings, liabilities, payroll status, and the real trading position all matter.
That means a quick strike-off risk screen is often more useful than an instinctive 'the company is dormant now' assumption.
Rule summary
What tends to increase strike-off risk
Strike-off risk is higher where filings are overdue, liabilities remain unsettled, or the company is still trading or operating payroll obligations.
A clean strike-off path usually depends on filings being in order and the company genuinely having reached the right end-state for dissolution.
Worked examples
How the rule behaves in practice
- Inactive and clean position: The company has stopped trading, has no live payroll or liabilities, and filings are already up to date. The checker keeps the verdict in a lower risk band because the facts look closer to an orderly clean-up.
- Overdue and still active: The company is still carrying liabilities, active obligations, and overdue filings at the same time. The checker pushes the result into a high-risk verdict because the facts are inconsistent with a simple strike-off route.
Practical consequences
- Where filings are overdue or liabilities remain unsettled, strike-off can become part of a wider recovery workflow rather than a simple closure process.
- The risk is not just rejection or objection. It is the operational confusion that follows when the end-state has not actually been prepared properly.
Important limits
- This tool does not replace detailed professional review where the facts are unusual or contested.
- If the underlying rule depends on reliefs, appeals, or special handling, the real outcome may differ.
Turn the result into an action plan
- Check the strike-off risk before starting a voluntary dissolution process.
- If the company is messy, move into the dissolution timeline and overdue-filing tools instead of jumping straight to closure.
- Use the calendar and timeline tools to make the clean-up sequence visible.
Use the tool
Companies House Strike-Off Risk Checker
Assess whether the company facts point to a low, moderate, or high strike-off risk based on filing position, liabilities, and trading status.
Related tools
Useful next checks
Related guides
Read nearby rule topics
Companies House
Companies House late filing penalties
Understand how Companies House annual accounts late filing penalties are banded and why repeat late filing changes the amount.
Companies House
Accounts filing deadlines
Use this guide to understand the standard Companies House filing windows for first and later annual accounts.