What "Active – proposal to strike off" means

Updated 30 September 2026. This guide describes what the public register shows; it is not legal, credit or tax advice.

What the status means

When a company's Companies House record shows Active – proposal to strike off, the registrar has started the process of removing it from the register. The company still exists, can still trade and can still be sued, but unless something stops the process it will be dissolved.

There are two routes to this status:

• Voluntary strike-off. The directors applied on form DS01 to close the company. This is normal for companies that have finished trading. The register shows an "Application to strike the company off the register" filing.
• Compulsory strike-off. Companies House has started the process itself, almost always because the company has not filed its accounts or confirmation statement and has ignored reminders. The register shows a "First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off" filing.

What happens next, and how long it takes

A notice is published in The Gazette. Anyone with a reason to object has at least two months from the date of that notice. If nobody objects and the company does not put its filings right, a second notice records that the company has been dissolved. In practice the whole process takes about two to three months from the first notice.

If the missing filings are made, or an objection is accepted, the action is discontinued and the status returns to Active. That is common: many companies file late and are rescued by a scramble after the first notice.

Why it matters if the company owes you money

Once a company is dissolved it no longer exists, so it cannot pay an invoice or be sued. Money owed to you is not written off in law, but recovering it means applying to restore the company to the register first, which costs more than most small debts are worth. The window between the first Gazette notice and dissolution is the time to act.

What a creditor can do

• Object to the strike-off. Companies House accepts objections from anyone with a legitimate interest, including creditors who are owed money, using its online service. Objections need evidence, such as an invoice and a statement that it is unpaid. An accepted objection suspends the strike-off for a period.
• Chase the debt now, while the company still exists and its directors still answer the phone.
• Check for other signs. Overdue accounts, resigned directors and a registered office moved to an agent's address often go together with a compulsory strike-off.

How to spot it early

The first Gazette notice appears as a filing on the company's record and the status detail changes on the same day or shortly after. Companies House's free Follow feature emails you about the filing; a monitoring service tells you what it means and, for a list of companies, which ones need attention.