Closing your business requires as much accuracy as opening it. We help you prepare and submit your voluntary strike off (DS01), ensure all legal conditions are met, and avoid future complications with HMRC or Companies House.
A company strike off (also known as a voluntary dissolution) allows you to close your limited company officially with Companies House. But many directors underestimate the steps required beforehand because they crave the peace of mind of finally leaving the business behind. So let us assist you in the process to get you there as soon as possible!
Starting with your to-do-list, you must ensure that all outstanding debts, taxes, and accounts are settled before applying. Any mistake can delay the process, invalidate the strike off, or even lead to future HMRC investigations. Some directors forget to close VAT or PAYE schemes, miss final Corporation Tax filings, or fail to inform creditors only to find themselves liable months later. On this account, professional support makes a big difference and is much more effective than dealing with your stakeholders all on your own.
At BH1 Accounting, we help directors in London and across the UK prepare for a clean exit with our business closure services. These include a full pre-check of your closure readiness, communication with HMRC where needed, and the DS01 submission itself. We also assist with final accounts, tax clearances, and de-registrations – so you can move on without loose ends or regulatory comeback.
Before submitting a DS01 form, the company must stop trading completely and settle all outstanding matters:
Failure to complete these steps can cause HMRC or others to object, delaying or blocking the strike off. As we understand that prolonging the process is probably the last thing you want at the moment, we are here to guide you step by step through the checklist and take care of the filings so that everything is closed off correctly.
HMRC has the right to object to any strike-off application if they believe the company still owes tax, has unfiled returns, or is under investigation. If they object, Companies House will suspend the process and publish a notice. The strike-off will not continue until the objection is resolved.
And this situation is more common than you might think: While many directors believe their company is dormant or inactive, HMRC oftentimes still sees open obligations in the background that escaped one’s attention. Even a small unpaid amount or a missed filing can trigger an objection.
We help you anticipate and avoid this by checking for hidden flags, completing outstanding submissions, and contacting HMRC if needed. If an objection has already been made, we work to resolve it as quickly as possible and get your strike off back on track.
If the company owns anything of value at the time of dissolution such as money in the bank, stock, vehicles, or unpaid invoices, those assets are considered “bona vacantia” and pass to the Crown once the company is struck off.
This means that you may permanently lose access to that value unless you distribute or transfer it before applying. Many directors overlook this and only realise later that they left thousands of pounds behind in a company account. Painful, right?
But we help you identify and deal with remaining assets ahead of time, ensuring you retain what you are entitled to and that the company is legally cleared for closure.
Once your DS01 form is accepted, Companies House publishes a notice in the Gazette. If there are no objections, the company is usually dissolved around two months later.
However, the preparation (reviewing eligibility, settling accounts, closing tax registrations) often takes longer than directors expect. Depending on your company’s history, it may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to bring everything into order.
We help you plan the timeline realistically and make certain that each step happens at the right moment for the entire process to run smoothly.
Absolutely, we are very familiar with these cases. Many companies are registered with good intentions but never get off the ground. Even dormant companies may still need to file annual accounts and confirmation statements (and can accumulate penalties if ignored).
We help you check what filings are required, settle any outstanding documents, and bring the company to a clean and official close. You may be able to avoid some penalties through voluntary compliance and strike off.
Our service makes sure even inactive companies are properly shut down with no risk of unexpected letters from HMRC or Companies House months later.