Short answer: Once a customer's company has been dissolved, it no longer exists, so you cannot chase it or sue it for an unpaid invoice. To recover the debt, the company must first be restored to the register. As a creditor you can only do that by applying to court under section 1029 of the Companies Act 2006, and usually within six years of dissolution. It costs money and only makes sense if the company had assets, insurance or a guarantor worth pursuing.
You check Companies House to see why a customer has gone quiet and find one word next to its name: dissolved. Perhaps the directors applied to strike it off, perhaps Companies House struck it off for not filing, or perhaps a liquidation ended. Either way, the business you invoiced is gone, and your invoice is still unpaid.
This guide is general information for UK businesses, not legal advice. It covers companies in England and Wales. Sources were checked on 30 October 2026: sections 1012, 1024, 1029, 1030, 1031 and 1032 of the Companies Act 2006.
What dissolution means for your invoice
A dissolved company has stopped existing as a legal person. Any claim, letter before action or court claim against it goes nowhere. Under section 1012, anything the company still owned when it was dissolved, such as money in its bank account, passes to the Crown as bona vacantia. The debt itself is not paid off, but there is nobody left to pay it until the company is brought back.
Before thinking about restoration, check whether someone else is liable. A director who signed a personal guarantee stays liable under it. If the same people now trade through a new company with a similar name, read our guide to phoenix companies.
Two ways back onto the register
| Administrative restoration | Restoration by the court | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Section 1024 | Section 1029 |
| Who can apply | Former directors or former members only | Includes a creditor at the time of dissolution and anyone with a potential legal claim against the company |
| Which companies | Struck off by Companies House (s.1000, s.1001 or s.1002A) | Struck off by Companies House, voluntarily struck off (s.1003), or dissolved after liquidation or administration |
| Time limit | Six years from dissolution | Six years from dissolution for debt claims |
So a supplier cannot use the simpler Companies House route. If you are owed money, you need the court route, unless a former director agrees to restore the company themselves.
Restoration through the court
Section 1029(2) lists who can apply. It includes anyone who was a creditor of the company when it was struck off or dissolved, and anyone with a potential legal claim against it. Under section 1030(4), the application must be made within six years of the date of dissolution, except for personal injury claims.
Under section 1031 the court can order restoration where, for example, a company struck off by Companies House was still trading at the time, where the rules for voluntary strike-off were not followed, or in any case where it considers it just. Restoration takes effect when a copy of the court order is delivered to Companies House, and notice of the restoration is published in The Gazette.
Under section 1032 the company is then treated as having continued in existence as if it had never been dissolved. The court can give directions to put everyone back in the same position, as nearly as possible, and can deal with the costs of Companies House and of the Crown representative in handling any bona vacantia property. Companies House also publishes restoration guidance.
Is it worth it?
Restoration is a means, not a result. A restored company with no money still cannot pay you. It is usually only worth pursuing where:
- the company had money or property when it was dissolved, which may now sit with the Crown;
- it was owed money by its own customers, or has an insurance policy that could respond to your claim;
- the directors struck it off to dodge creditors, and a liquidator could investigate and recover value; or
- the debt is large enough to justify court fees, legal costs and a possible order to pay the registrar's and Crown's costs.
Once restored, the company can be chased like any other business debtor, starting with a letter before action. If it still cannot pay, a creditor can consider asking for it to be wound up so a liquidator takes control. Take legal advice before starting either step.
What to do now
- Check the register. Search the company on the Companies House register. Note the dissolution date, how it was dissolved, and its last accounts.
- Diary the deadline. Count six years from the dissolution date. Keep the limitation period for the debt itself in mind too.
- Look for a guarantor or a new company that ordered from you directly. These are often cheaper routes.
- Gather your evidence: contract, purchase orders, delivery notes, invoices and chasers. See proof of debt documents.
- Reclaim the VAT if you can. VAT bad debt relief may apply to an invoice that is more than six months overdue and written off.
- Watch your other customers. Next time a strike-off notice appears in The Gazette, object before dissolution. It is far quicker and cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still recover an invoice from a company that has been dissolved? Not while it stays dissolved. A dissolved company no longer exists as a legal person, so it cannot be sued or pay you. To claim against it, the company first has to be restored to the register. Anyone who personally guaranteed the debt can still be pursued under the guarantee.
Can a creditor apply to restore a company to the register? Yes, but only through the court. Section 1029 of the Companies Act 2006 lets a person who was a creditor when the company was struck off or dissolved, or anyone with a potential legal claim against it, apply to court. The quicker administrative restoration through Companies House under section 1024 is only open to former directors and former members.
How long do I have to apply for restoration? For a debt claim, an application to court must normally be made within six years of the date the company was dissolved (section 1030(4)). The only route that has no time limit is for personal injury claims.
What happens to the company's money and assets when it is dissolved? Under section 1012, property the company still held when it was dissolved passes to the Crown as bona vacantia, meaning ownerless goods. If the company is restored, the court can give directions about getting that property back, and about paying the costs of the Crown representative.
Is the company treated as if it never closed? Broadly, yes. Under section 1032 the restored company is deemed to have continued in existence as if it had not been dissolved or struck off, and the court can give directions to put everyone in the same position, as nearly as possible, as if it had never been dissolved.
Is restoring a company worth it for one unpaid invoice? Often not, unless the company had assets, money owed to it, insurance, or a claim worth pursuing. You will normally pay court fees and legal costs, and may have to cover the registrar's and Crown representative's costs. A restored company with no assets still cannot pay you. Check first whether a personal guarantee or another route is cheaper.
How can I stop a customer being struck off in the first place? If Companies House publishes a notice of proposed strike-off in The Gazette, you can object before the company is dissolved. That is far quicker and cheaper than restoring it later. See our guide to objecting to a company strike-off.
Can your partner recover a debt from a dissolved company? We are an introducer, not solicitors, insolvency practitioners or an FCA-authorised firm. A dissolved company has to be restored before anyone can recover from it, which usually needs a solicitor. Where a solvent Ltd, LLP or PLC owes you an undisputed invoice and our partner accepts it, the fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.
If a trading Ltd, LLP or PLC owes you an undisputed invoice, upload the invoice via business debt collection or read how no collection, no fee works. The fee is 15% of what is recovered, payable only when you have been paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.