Procedure guide

Company voluntary arrangement (CVA) explained

How company voluntary arrangement works in the UK, what usually happens next, how long it lasts, and what it means if you are owed money, work for the company, bought from it or run it.

Last reviewed 21 October 2026

Procedure guide

Company voluntary arrangement (CVA): how it works

A company voluntary arrangement is a legally binding deal between a company and its unsecured creditors to repay an agreed proportion of its debts over time, usually from future trading. The directors stay in control while a licensed insolvency practitioner supervises the arrangement. It needs approval from at least 75% by value of the creditors who vote, and then binds all unsecured creditors who were entitled to vote.

What happens next

The directors, with an insolvency practitioner acting as nominee, put a proposal to creditors setting out what will be paid, over what period, and from which sources.
Creditors vote by value, and the CVA is approved if at least 75% of those voting agree, unless more than half of the votes cast by unconnected creditors (those not linked to the company, unlike its directors or group companies) are against it.
Once approved, the nominee becomes the supervisor, collects the agreed contributions, and reports to creditors at least once a year.
Creditors and shareholders can challenge the approval in court within 28 days on the grounds that it unfairly harms their interests or that the decision process was materially flawed.
The CVA ends when its terms are completed; if the company defaults, the supervisor may petition for the company to be wound up.

Typical duration

Often 3–5 years of contributions, as set out in the approved proposal; a CVA can end earlier if the terms are met ahead of schedule or the company defaults.

Creditors and suppliers

An approved CVA binds all unsecured creditors who were entitled to vote, including those who voted against it or did not vote at all.
Secured and preferential creditors cannot have their rights or priority reduced without their consent.
For insolvencies starting since December 2020, HMRC ranks as a secondary preferential creditor for taxes it collected on the company's behalf, such as VAT, PAYE and employees' National Insurance, ahead of lenders with a floating charge (security over changing assets such as stock) and unsecured creditors.
Creditors can claim by submitting details of their debt to the nominee or supervisor, and dividends (payouts to creditors) are paid from contributions as set out in the terms, provided the company keeps to them.
A CVA usually covers only debts that existed when it was approved, so new supplies fall outside it and are owed on the supplier's ordinary terms.
Landlords are often affected in retail and hospitality CVAs, where rent reductions or lease terminations may be proposed for particular sites.

Employees

Employment usually continues during a CVA because the business keeps trading, though restructuring plans may include some redundancies.
Preferential claims for unpaid wages and holiday pay cannot be reduced by a CVA without the consent of the employees concerned.
Staff made redundant during a CVA may be able to claim statutory amounts from the Redundancy Payments Service, subject to a statutory weekly cap.
A CVA does not by itself change employment contracts, although the company may separately consult on changes to terms.
In Northern Ireland, equivalent claims are made to the NI Redundancy Payments Service, which is part of the Department for the Economy.

Customers

The company continues trading, so orders, guarantees and services are generally expected to continue during a CVA, unless its terms or later events change that.
Refunds or deposits owed to customers when the CVA was approved may be treated as unsecured claims under its terms.
Gift cards are often honoured to protect the business, but this depends on the specific terms of the arrangement.
Credit card purchases of a single item priced over £100 and up to £30,000 may be claimed from the card provider under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act if the goods or services are not supplied.

Directors and shareholders

Directors keep running the company, which must keep to the approved terms and make the agreed contributions to the supervisor on time.
Shareholders vote separately by simple majority, but if their decision differs from the creditors', the creditors' decision prevails unless a court orders otherwise.
A standalone moratorium, introduced in 2020, can give a company breathing space from creditor action while a CVA or other rescue is prepared.
Unlike an insolvent liquidation or administration, a CVA does not trigger a director conduct report to the Insolvency Service, though concerns about conduct can still be reported.
If the CVA fails, the company may enter liquidation or administration, where the office-holder would then review and report on how the directors acted.
These are general rules that apply in every case of this type. They do not suggest that any director of this company has acted improperly.

Official guidance

General information about how this type of procedure usually works, not legal or financial advice about this company or your own situation.

See the companies

Every company that has entered this procedure, newest first, with the date it took effect and the appointed insolvency practitioner.

Companies in a CVA