What Happens If Companies House Strikes Off Your Company?
Over 500,000 UK companies were dissolved in a single recent financial year, and the overwhelming majority were struck off by Companies House itself — not closed deliberately by their directors. This guide from Filing Accounts UK explains exactly what happens when your company is struck off, what it means for its assets and contracts, and how to restore it, using only verified facts from official Companies House guidance.
At Filing Accounts, we help UK companies stay compliant so strike-off never becomes a risk, and support directors through the restoration process where needed. Official guidance is available at GOV.UK: Apply for administrative restoration (RT01).
Why Companies Get Struck Off
There are two routes to strike-off, and the distinction matters enormously for what happens next:
- Compulsory (registrar) strike-off: Companies House removes the company itself, almost always triggered by a missed filing — an overdue Confirmation Statement, unfiled Annual Accounts, or official post repeatedly going unanswered at the registered office.
- Voluntary strike-off: The directors themselves apply to close the company using Form DS01, typically because the business has genuinely stopped trading.
Both routes involve a notice published in The Gazette and a two-month objection window before the strike-off is finalised — but as you’ll see below, which route was used determines whether restoration can go through the simpler administrative process, or requires a court order.
What Happens Once a Company Is Struck Off
Once dissolution takes effect, the consequences are immediate and significant:
- The company legally ceases to exist. It can no longer trade, enter contracts, or be sued or sue in its own name.
- All assets become “bona vacantia.” Anything the company owned — bank balances, property, equipment, intellectual property — automatically passes to the Crown. This is the single most consequential effect for most directors, particularly where a company held property or a meaningful cash balance.
- Bank accounts are typically frozen. Banks are notified of the dissolution and will generally freeze any remaining balance, since the account holder (the company) no longer legally exists.
- The company name becomes available to others. While your company is struck off, another business can register the same or a very similar name — a real risk if restoration is delayed.
Common Reasons Directors Want to Restore a Struck-Off Company
- An asset was discovered after dissolution — for example, a property or bank balance the directors need to reclaim
- A legal matter needs to be pursued for or against the company
- The company was actually still trading, and the strike-off resulted from an administrative oversight — a missed Confirmation Statement or accounts filing, or post going unanswered at an outdated registered office
Restoration effectively “rewinds the clock” — a successfully restored company is treated as though it had continuously existed throughout the period it was struck off, as if the dissolution had never happened.
Route 1: Administrative Restoration
This is the faster, cheaper route — but it’s only available if all of the following apply:
- The company was struck off by the registrar (compulsory strike-off) — not through a director-filed DS01 voluntary dissolution
- The company was trading or carrying on business at the time it was struck off
- The application is made within 6 years of the dissolution date
- The applicant is a former director or shareholder of the company
Steps to Administrative Restoration
- Obtain a Bona Vacantia waiver letter from the Crown Representative (the Government Legal Department, for most English and Welsh companies), confirming the Crown has no objection to restoration. This currently costs £64.
- Complete Form RT01 — the official application for administrative restoration.
- Pay the Companies House restoration fee of £341, separate from the waiver letter fee.
- Bring all filings up to date — every outstanding Confirmation Statement and set of Annual Accounts for the period the company was dissolved must be filed, each with its own filing fee, alongside any outstanding late filing penalties (which double if accounts were also late in previous years).
- Post the full application to the Companies House main office — this cannot currently be submitted online or discussed by phone.
Once accepted, successful applications are typically restored to the register within 2 to 3 weeks. Given the cost of catching up on multiple years of overdue filings and penalties, this route can become expensive the longer a company has been dissolved — another reason to act quickly rather than let a strike-off sit unresolved.
Route 2: Court Restoration
Where administrative restoration isn’t available, a company can instead be restored by court order. This route is used, for example, where:
- The company was voluntarily dissolved via DS01
- The applicant is a creditor, rather than a former director or shareholder
- The company doesn’t otherwise meet the administrative restoration eligibility criteria
A court order is then delivered to the registrar to complete the restoration. This route is generally slower and more expensive than the administrative process, and typically requires legal advice given the court application involved.
Administrative Restoration vs Court Restoration
| Administrative Restoration | Court Restoration | |
|---|---|---|
| Available if strike-off was | Compulsory (by registrar) | Voluntary (DS01), or admin criteria not met |
| Who can apply | Former director or shareholder only | Director, shareholder, or creditor |
| Time limit | Within 6 years of dissolution | Varies by circumstance |
| Companies House fee | £341 | No fixed CH fee — court costs apply |
| Typical speed | 2–3 weeks once accepted | Considerably slower |
Strike-Off and Restoration at a Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What happens to assets | Pass to the Crown as bona vacantia |
| Restoration form | RT01 (administrative route) |
| Bona vacantia waiver letter fee | £64 |
| Companies House restoration fee | £341 |
| Time limit to apply (admin route) | 6 years from dissolution |
| Typical restoration time | 2–3 weeks once accepted |
| Outstanding filings required? | Yes — all missed accounts/Confirmation Statements, plus penalties |
How to Avoid Being Struck Off in the First Place
Given the cost and disruption of restoration, prevention is by far the better strategy:
- File your Confirmation Statement every 12 months, without fail
- File Annual Accounts on time, even for a dormant company
- Keep your registered office address current, so official Companies House post doesn’t go unanswered
- Respond promptly to any compliance notices from Companies House rather than assuming they can be dealt with later
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Assuming Any Strike-Off Can Be Administratively Restored
If the company was voluntarily dissolved via DS01, administrative restoration isn’t available — a court order is required instead.
Delaying Restoration
The longer a company stays dissolved, the more outstanding filings and penalties accumulate, and the greater the risk someone else registers the same company name.
Forgetting the Bona Vacantia Waiver Letter
Without this separate £64 letter confirming the Crown has no objection, the RT01 application will be rejected.
Underestimating the Cost of Catching Up on Filings
Every missed Confirmation Statement and set of accounts during the dissolved period must be filed and paid for as part of restoration — this can add up considerably for a company dissolved for several years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to a company’s bank account when it’s struck off?
It’s typically frozen, and any remaining balance becomes bona vacantia, passing to the Crown, since the company legally no longer exists.
How long do I have to restore a struck-off company?
6 years from the dissolution date, for the administrative restoration route.
Can I restore a company I closed voluntarily with DS01?
Not through administrative restoration — you would need to apply for court restoration instead.
How much does it cost to restore a company?
The Companies House administrative restoration fee is £341, plus a £64 bona vacantia waiver letter, plus filing fees and any penalties for outstanding accounts and Confirmation Statements.
How long does restoration take?
Successful administrative restoration applications are typically completed within 2 to 3 weeks once accepted.
Will my company keep its original name after restoration?
Not necessarily. If another company registered the same or a similar name while yours was struck off, you may need to restore under a different name.
Need Help Staying Compliant or Restoring Your Company? Talk to Filing Accounts UK
Whether you want to make sure your company never faces strike-off, or need help getting a dissolved company back on the register, timing matters. At Filing Accounts, we help UK small businesses stay current with Confirmation Statements and Annual Accounts, so strike-off never becomes a risk in the first place.
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