How to Check If a Company Is Insolvent (Free UK Register Search)

Before you extend credit, sign a contract, take a deposit or start a job, it is worth checking whether a company is financially healthy or heading for insolvency. The good news: in the UK, most of this information is public and free. Here is how to check, using official sources.

First, what does "insolvent" mean?

A company is insolvent if it can't pay its debts as they fall due (cash-flow test) or its liabilities exceed its assets (balance-sheet test). Insolvency doesn't always mean the company has stopped — but formal procedures like liquidation, administration or a CVA are a matter of public record.

1. Search Companies House (company status)

Companies House holds a free record for every UK company. Search the name or number and check:

• Company status — look for flags like "Active", "Liquidation", "In Administration" or "Dissolved".
• Filing history — insolvency documents (appointment of a liquidator or administrator, resolutions) are filed here.
• Accounts — repeatedly late or overdue accounts can be an early warning sign.
• Charges — mortgages and debentures registered against the company show who has security over its assets.

2. Search The Gazette (statutory notices)

The Gazette is the UK's official public record. Insolvency practitioners are legally required to publish notices here when key events happen — appointment of liquidators, administration, and creditors' meetings. Searching the company name shows the formal insolvency timeline. See our guide to reading a Gazette notice.

3. Use Insolvency List (fast, filtered view)

Insolvency List pulls the same official data from Companies House and The Gazette into one searchable feed, so you don't have to cross-reference sources by hand. You can:

• search by company name or number;
• filter by industry and region;
• see the procedure and date at a glance;
• open a company page for its full distress timeline, directors and registered charges.

It's the quickest way to answer "has this company gone into liquidation or administration?"

4. The Individual Insolvency Register (for people, not companies)

If you need to check a person — a sole trader, or an individual's bankruptcy or IVA — that is a different source: the Insolvency Service's Individual Insolvency Register. It covers bankruptcies, Debt Relief Orders and Individual Voluntary Arrangements, not limited companies.

Warning signs short of formal insolvency

A company can be in trouble before any insolvency notice appears. Watch for:

• overdue accounts or a confirmation statement at Companies House;
• a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against the company;
• multiple charges registered in quick succession;
• a winding-up petition advertised in The Gazette — this is a serious red flag that a creditor is trying to force the company into compulsory liquidation.

A simple due-diligence checklist

1. Search Companies House — status, accounts, charges.
2. Search The Gazette — any insolvency or winding-up notices.
3. Check Insolvency List for the company's procedure history and timeline.
4. For an individual or sole trader, check the Individual Insolvency Register.
5. Consider a paid credit report if you need a forward-looking risk score.

Start your check now

Search any UK company on the Insolvency List live feed — it's free, and it reflects new notices the moment they're filed.

*This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Public registers show formal events; they are not a complete picture of a company's finances.*