UK Company Insolvencies in September 2026: The Month in Numbers

2,447 UK companies entered a formal insolvency procedure in September 2026 in the Insolvency List index: 2,303 liquidations, 123 administrations and 21 company voluntary arrangements. That is 8% more than in August (2,261), driven by liquidations, while administrations fell to their lowest monthly total since we began continuous coverage in May.

Every figure below is counted from individual Gazette insolvency notices matched to Companies House records, by the date each procedure took effect. You can open the companies behind each number from the liquidations, administrations and voluntary arrangements lists, and follow the running totals on our statistics page.

September at a glance

September had 22 working days, so roughly 111 companies entered a procedure on an average working day. The busiest single day was Friday 25 September, with 166 procedures taking effect, and Fridays and Tuesdays were the busiest days of the week overall. That pattern most likely reflects when decisions, appointments and court hearings are scheduled rather than anything about the businesses themselves.

Not every liquidation is a failure

Liquidations made up 94% of the month's procedures, but they are not all insolvencies. Of September's 2,303 liquidations:

• 1,474 were creditors' voluntary liquidations (CVLs) — directors and shareholders choosing to close an insolvent company. See what a CVL is and the CVL list.
• 316 were compulsory liquidations — winding-up orders made by a court, usually on a creditor's petition. See the guide to winding-up petitions and the list of winding-up orders.
• 513 were members' voluntary liquidations (MVLs) — solvent companies closed down by their owners, often on retirement or after a sale, with every creditor paid in full. See MVLs explained and the MVL list.

Taking MVLs out leaves 1,790 insolvent liquidations, alongside the 123 administrations and 21 CVAs. That distinction matters when reading the industry figures below.

Five months of continuous data

Monthly totals have stayed in a narrow band of roughly 2,250 to 2,550. August's dip coincided with the summer holiday period, and September recovered most of it. Administrations were the most volatile procedure: June's 215 was the high point, and September's 123 the lowest month in the series. Because administrations are used mainly by larger businesses with assets worth rescuing or selling, a handful of group filings — several companies in one corporate group entering administration on the same day — can move the monthly total noticeably.

Industries: retail and hospitality up, construction steady

Retail and wholesale overtook construction as the industry with the most procedures, rising 19% to 358. It also had the most administrations of any industry (25 of the 123), and 65 of its procedures were compulsory liquidations — almost as many as construction's 66, the highest of any sector. Our guide to why the high street keeps failing covers the pressures behind those numbers.

Hospitality rose 16% to 291 and had the most creditors' voluntary liquidations of any industry (240) — insolvent restaurants, cafés, pubs and takeaways closed at their directors' own initiative rather than being forced out by a creditor's petition.

Construction eased slightly to 332 but remains among the three largest industries every month. Its mix leans towards insolvency rather than solvent closure: 224 CVLs and 66 winding-up orders. Because construction firms sit in long chains of contractors and subcontractors, each failure can leave unpaid suppliers further down the line — if you are owed money, see how to make a claim as a creditor.

The steepest percentage rises came in financial services (+60%) and real estate (+37%), but these need care. In September, 78 of financial services' 123 procedures and 74 of real estate's 151 were MVLs — solvent companies being closed, often holding or investment companies whose job is done. Professional services showed the same pattern, with 98 MVLs. The headline rises in those sectors say more about owners tidying up company structures than about business failure.

Regions: London leads, as it always does

London accounted for 24% of all procedures and almost a third of administrations (39). Seven procedures could not be placed in a region because the registered office postcode was missing or invalid. Two things inflate London's share: it is home to a large proportion of all UK companies, and companies are placed by their registered office, which is often an accountant's or, once a procedure starts, the insolvency practitioner's address in the capital. Counting insolvent liquidations only, the North West (236) ranked second, ahead of the South East (204).

Within London, retail (82), professional services (72), construction (65) and financial services (60) were the largest industries.

What these figures are — and are not

• Our counts, not official statistics. The Insolvency Service publishes the government's monthly company insolvency statistics, based on registrations at Companies House. Those exclude MVLs, report England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland separately, and are revised over time, so totals will differ from ours.
• Counted by effective date. A procedure is counted on the date it took effect, which can be a few days before its Gazette notice appears. Late notices are added to the right month as they arrive, so figures for recent weeks rise slightly after publication.
• One procedure, one count. A company that moves from administration into liquidation is counted once for each procedure.

How to use the data

If a customer, supplier or employer has appeared in these numbers, the company's page shows the procedure, the date it took effect, the appointed insolvency practitioner and the details on its Companies House record. Start from the insolvency register, or read how to check if a company is insolvent. Employees affected by an insolvency can read what happens to employees in administration or liquidation.

For the latest month-to-date figures, see the statistics page, which updates every day.