Closing a company is not as simple as stopping operations. Directors have ongoing legal obligations until the company is formally dissolved — and abandoning a company without proper closure leaves those obligations running. CompanyVista manages compliant wind-down across 50+ countries — final accounts, tax clearance, dissolution filings and registry removal. For solvent companies only.
Company authorities will not accept a closure application while outstanding filings or unpaid obligations exist. These pre-requisites must be completed before CompanyVista can submit the closure application. If filings are outstanding, CompanyVista handles the catch-up work as part of the wind-down engagement.
When a UK company has accumulated profits to distribute on closure, the method of extraction matters enormously for the tax outcome. A voluntary strike-off distribution is treated as a dividend — taxed at up to 45% income tax for higher-rate taxpayers. A Members' Voluntary Liquidation (MVL) distribution is treated as a capital distribution — potentially taxed at 10% with Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR), or 20% without.
The MVL route requires a licensed insolvency practitioner as liquidator — CompanyVista coordinates with our trusted insolvency practitioner partners for UK MVLs. The additional cost of the MVL is typically recovered many times over in tax savings above GBP 25,000 of distributions. A UK tax advisor should confirm BADR eligibility for your specific situation before proceeding.
CompanyVista reviews the company's current compliance status — outstanding annual returns, accounts, tax filings — and its financial position (assets, liabilities, any outstanding creditors). We confirm the company qualifies for a voluntary strike-off or members' voluntary liquidation (solvent). If the company is insolvent, we refer immediately to a licensed insolvency practitioner. For UK companies with significant retained profits, we advise on the MVL vs strike-off tax comparison. Free initial assessment.
⏱ Free — typically 30 minutesBefore any closure application can be submitted, all outstanding compliance filings must be brought up to date — annual returns, confirmation statements, annual accounts, tax returns. CompanyVista identifies every outstanding obligation for the company's jurisdiction and prepares and files all catch-up returns. For Singapore and HK companies, outstanding audited accounts must be finalised. For UK companies, outstanding CT600 returns must be filed with HMRC. This stage can take 4–12 weeks depending on how far behind the filings are.
⏱ 4–12 weeks depending on backlogCompanyVista obtains tax clearance from the relevant tax authority — IRAS (Singapore), IRD (Hong Kong), HMRC (UK), FTA (UAE), CRA (Canada). The final corporate tax return for the cessation period is prepared and filed. Tax clearance letters or certificates are obtained and held before the closure application is submitted. Without tax clearance, the company authority (ACRA, Companies Registry, Companies House) will not process the closure.
⏱ 4–12 weeks — varies by tax authority's processing timeAll remaining company assets are distributed to shareholders (after settling all liabilities) and the company's bank accounts are closed. For UAE free zones: all employee visas cancelled first, then investor visa, then bank accounts. For UK MVL: the insolvency practitioner manages the asset realisation and distribution. Bank account closure confirmation is required as part of the closure application in most jurisdictions.
⏱ 1–4 weeks — depends on asset complexity and jurisdictionCompanyVista prepares and submits the closure application to the relevant authority — DS01 (UK Companies House), BizFile+ (ACRA Singapore), NDR1 (HK Companies Registry), Certificate of Dissolution (US Secretary of State), Trade Licence Cancellation (UAE free zone), Dissolution Notice (BVI/Cayman Registered Agent). All required supporting documents submitted with the application. Filing fees at exact cost.
⏱ Application submitted within 5 business days of all pre-requisites confirmedMost jurisdictions have a publication and objection period — 2 months (UK Gazette), 60 days (ACRA Singapore), 3 months (HK Companies Registry). CompanyVista monitors for any objections filed during this period. If no objections are received, the company is struck off or dissolved and confirmation is issued by the authority. CompanyVista obtains the dissolution certificate or struck-off confirmation and delivers it to the director. All company obligations formally end on the dissolution date.
⏱ 2–4 months objection period depending on jurisdictionMost companies seeking closure have some outstanding filings — a missed confirmation statement, an unfiled annual return, an outstanding tax return. CompanyVista handles the catch-up work as part of the wind-down engagement. You do not need to find a separate accountant to clear the backlog before CompanyVista can begin. One team, one engagement, from first filing to dissolution confirmed.
If you have companies in multiple jurisdictions — a Singapore Pte Ltd, a UK LTD and a BVI holding company — CompanyVista closes all three simultaneously through one team. Each jurisdiction's closure requirements handled correctly and sequentially where order matters (e.g. closing the operating company before the BVI holding company). One invoice, one account manager, zero gaps between providers.
For UK companies with significant retained profits, CompanyVista explains the MVL vs strike-off tax comparison and coordinates the MVL engagement with our trusted insolvency practitioner partners. The tax saving from MVL over strike-off on larger distributions is typically many times the additional cost. A UK tax advisor confirms BADR eligibility before we proceed.
The order of closure steps matters — UAE: visas before company. UK: HMRC clearance before DS01. Singapore: IRAS clearance before ACRA. BVI: formal dissolution, not simply fee non-payment. CompanyVista knows the correct sequence for every jurisdiction and manages it — preventing the most common mistake of applying to close before all pre-requisites are met, which results in rejected applications and wasted time.
Obtaining tax clearance letters from IRAS, IRD, HMRC and FTA requires knowledge of the process, correct final returns and follow-up with the tax authority. CompanyVista manages the full tax clearance process — final returns prepared, tax authority correspondence handled and clearance letters obtained before the closure application is submitted. Without tax clearance, most company authorities will not process the closure.
If a company is insolvent — cannot pay its debts as they fall due — CompanyVista identifies this at the assessment stage and refers the matter immediately to a licensed insolvency practitioner. Directors of insolvent companies must act quickly — continuing to trade while insolvent creates personal liability risk. CompanyVista does not attempt to handle insolvent liquidations — we make the immediate referral and support the transition.
CompanyVista manages the full wind-down for solvent companies across 50+ countries — catch-up filings, final accounts, tax clearance, dissolution application and registry removal. For insolvent companies, we refer immediately to qualified insolvency practitioners. Free initial assessment, written quote before any work begins.
CompanyVista manages the formal closure of solvent companies across 50+ countries. UK: Voluntary Strike-Off (DS01 to Companies House, 3–4 months, no outstanding filings permitted) or Members' Voluntary Liquidation (MVL — for companies with assets to distribute, capital gains treatment at 10% BADR or 20% CGT vs up to 45% income tax on strike-off distributions, licensed insolvency practitioner required). Singapore: ACRA strike-off via BizFile+ (3–6 months, requires final audited accounts — mandatory for all Pte Ltds — plus IRAS clearance letter and all annual returns up to date). Hong Kong: Deregistration via NDR1 to Companies Registry (4–6 months, requires final audited accounts — mandatory for all Ltd companies — plus IRD clearance and BRC surrender). USA: Certificate of Dissolution or Certificate of Cancellation filed with Secretary of State — final Form 1120 or 1065 with IRS, Form 966 for C-Corps, BOI report updated to dissolved status. UAE: Trade Licence Cancellation — must follow strict order: all employee visas cancelled first, then investor visa, then free zone fees settled, then FTA deregistration, then bank accounts closed, then licence cancellation application. BVI: formal voluntary dissolution — not fee non-payment (non-payment creates struck-off not dissolved status). Cayman: shareholder resolution + General Registry filing + all annual government fees paid. Canada: Articles of Dissolution (federal CBCA) or provincial dissolution, CRA clearance certificate (RC4616) required.
Company Wind-Down · 50+ Countries · UK · SG · HK · USA · UAE · BVI · Solvent companies · Free assessment
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