You have 2 months. The clock is already running.
From the date the First Gazette Notice is published, Companies House will dissolve the company in 2 months unless someone objects. If you are owed money, you must act now. Filing an objection is free and takes 10 minutes.
What to do immediately (step by step)
Object to the strike-off (form GC100)
Go to the Companies House WebFiling service and file form GC100. State that the company owes you money and you are pursuing a claim. This is free and suspends the dissolution.
Do this FIRST, today. Everything else can wait. The objection buys you time.
Check if the company has any assets worth pursuing
Before you spend time on legal action, check whether the company actually has assets. A company being struck off for non-filing may be empty (no assets, no activity). A RecoupIQ check (£29) shows you charges, accounts data, and asset signals so you know whether it is worth the effort.
Check the directors' other companies
If the directors have already started a new company doing the same business, this may be a deliberate phoenix. They are letting the old company dissolve to escape your debt. Check their network for active companies that appeared recently.
Send a formal demand to the directors personally
If the directors have been trading while insolvent (wrongful trading, Companies Act 2006 s.214), or if you have personal guarantees, the directors may be personally liable. Your demand letter should reference both the company debt and any personal liability.
Consider issuing a winding-up petition instead
If the debt exceeds £750, you can petition the court to wind up the company (rather than letting it be struck off). This appoints a liquidator who investigates the directors' conduct and recovers assets on behalf of all creditors. This is the nuclear option but it stops phoenix behaviour.
Check the company now
Enter the company name or number. See if it has assets, charges, director network activity, or signs of phoenix behaviour.
The strike-off timeline
Company fails to file
Accounts or confirmation statement become overdue. Companies House sends a warning letter to the registered office.
First Gazette Notice published
The notice appears in The London Gazette. The 2-month countdown begins. This is where you are now if you found this page.
Company dissolved
The company is removed from the register. All assets become Crown property. Recovery now requires a court application to restore the company (£400+ in fees, months of delay).
Never miss a Gazette notice again
The 2-month window is only useful if you know it exists. Most creditors find out too late, after the company has already been dissolved. RecoupIQ monitoring solves this.
RecoupIQ Monitoring (from £19.99/mo)
Add any company to your watchlist. Get alerted within 24 hours of: gazette notices (strike-off, winding-up, administration), director changes, new charges, status changes, or late filing. Never miss a 2-month window again.
Available as a web dashboard or as the Microsoft 365 Trust Check app (per-seat, integrated into your team's workflow). RecoupIQ is a Microsoft partner.
See monitoring plansCheck the company before you decide your next move.
A Quick Check (£29) shows you whether the company has assets, whether the directors have started a new entity (phoenix signal), and whether there are other creditors circling. 72 risk models across 12 data sources, delivered in seconds. Know whether to chase or cut your losses.
Check the company nowRelated guides
- Confirmation statement overdue: what happens next
- Check if a company has a winding-up petition
- Phoenix companies and Section 216
- Company going into administration: creditor guide
Last reviewed: July 2026. General information for UK creditors. Not legal advice. RecoupIQ Ltd, Company No. 16947526, ICO ZC077511. Microsoft Partner.