Strike-off objection timeline and Gazette notice guide
Striking a company off the register runs to fixed periods. The first Gazette notice opens a 2-month window, whether the registrar started it because the company seems to have stopped operating or the directors applied on form DS01. A false-registration case gets only 28 days. Anyone with an interest, most often a creditor, can object once that first notice is out. Online objections must be in before the strike off, and objections by email or post must arrive at least 2 weeks before it. The date printed beside each company in a Gazette strike-off list is the day the notice was published, not the strike-off date, so add the notice period to it. Once the final notice appears the company is dissolved, but the directors' liabilities carry on. Companies Act 2006, Part 31; Companies House guidance on gov.uk
Data as of: the Companies Act 2006 as published on legislation.gov.uk and Companies House guidance on gov.uk, checked 23 September 2026 · Notice wording from The London Gazette, 22 September 2026 · Applies across the UK; the disqualification row describes Great Britain. For the process in plain terms, see the strike-off objection process guide.
The five routes off the register
Every strike off starts with a first notice in The Gazette and ends with a second one. What differs is who starts it and how long the window is. The first thing to establish when you find a notice is which route it is, because that sets both the deadline and what happens if the company is later restored.
| Route | Who starts it | First Gazette notice cites | Notice period | Final notice cites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory: company not carrying on business | The registrar, usually after missed accounts or confirmation statements | s1000(3) | 2 months from the date of the notice | s1000(5) |
| Voluntary: directors apply on form DS01 | A majority of the directors | s1003(3) | Not before 2 months after publication | s1003(4) |
| Registered on a false basis | The registrar, where registration or restoration information was false, misleading or deceptive | s1002A(3)(a) | 28 days beginning with the date of the notice | s1002A(4) |
| Company already being wound up, where no liquidator is acting or the affairs are fully wound up, and the liquidator's returns are 6 consecutive months overdue | The registrar, who must act once those conditions are met | s1001(1) | 2 months from the date of the notice | s1001(3) |
| Registered office left at the Companies House default address | The registrar, if the company has not moved off the default address within 28 days | Companies House guidance | Not less than 2 months after publication | A further Gazette notice |
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Compulsory strike off: every time limit, in order
This is the route that catches directors unaware. It usually starts because accounts or a confirmation statement are overdue, and the registrar's letters go to the registered office. If that address is out of date, the first the directors hear of it can be a bank query after the Gazette notice appears.
| Stage | Time limit | Rule | What it means for the company |
|---|---|---|---|
| First enquiry from the registrar | Sent when the registrar has reasonable cause to believe the company is not carrying on business | CA 2006 s1000(1) | Usually triggered by overdue accounts or a missing confirmation statement, or by the company having no directors |
| No reply to the first enquiry | 14 days from sending | CA 2006 s1000(2) | The registrar must then send a second communication within the next 14 days, warning that a Gazette notice will follow |
| No reply to the second communication | 14 days from its date | CA 2006 s1000(2)(b), (3)(b) | The registrar may now publish the first Gazette notice. A reply saying the company is not trading has the same effect |
| First Gazette notice | Day 0 of the objection window | CA 2006 s1000(3) | States that at the end of 2 months the company will be struck off and dissolved unless cause is shown to the contrary. A copy goes on the company's public record |
| Objection window | 2 months from the date of the notice | CA 2006 s1000(3), (4) | The company, a creditor or anyone with an interest can show cause. Filing the overdue documents is the usual way a company stops its own strike off |
| Strike off | At the end of the notice period, if no cause shown | CA 2006 s1000(4) | The registrar may strike the name off. It is a power, not a duty, so it can happen later than the earliest date |
| Final Gazette notice and dissolution | On publication | CA 2006 s1000(5), (6) | The company is dissolved when the second notice is published. Directors' and members' liabilities continue, and the court can still wind the company up (s1000(7)) |
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Voluntary strike off (DS01): every time limit, in order
Directors control the start of this route, but the Act puts conditions on who can use it and what must happen in the first 7 days. The filing steps themselves are covered in our DS01 walkthrough.
| Stage | Time limit | Rule | What it means for the company |
|---|---|---|---|
| Look-back before applying | No trading, name change, disposal of stock or other non-closure activity in the previous 3 months | CA 2006 s1004 | Applying in breach is an offence. Paying off debts incurred while trading does not count as trading (s1004(2)) |
| Barred while other proceedings are live | Any time a CVA, scheme, administration, liquidation, unresolved winding-up petition or receivership is in place or pending | CA 2006 s1005 | A company facing a winding-up petition cannot use strike off to get out of it |
| DS01 filed | Day the application is made | CA 2006 s1003(1), (2) | Made by the directors or a majority of them |
| Copy to members, employees, creditors, non-signing directors and pension trustees | Within 7 days of the application | CA 2006 s1006 | "Creditor" includes contingent and prospective creditors (s1011). Failing to send a copy with intent to conceal the application is an aggravated offence carrying up to 7 years |
| Copy to anyone who becomes a member, employee, creditor, director or trustee later | Within 7 days of them doing so | CA 2006 s1007 | The duty runs until the application is dealt with or withdrawn |
| First Gazette notice | Published once Companies House accepts the application | CA 2006 s1003(3) | Invites anyone to show cause why the company should not be struck off |
| Objection window | Strike off cannot happen until 2 months after publication | CA 2006 s1003(3) | Creditors, HMRC and anyone with an interest can object in this period |
| Company must withdraw the application | Forthwith (without delay), if it trades, changes name, becomes subject to insolvency proceedings or a petition, or otherwise stops qualifying | CA 2006 s1009; CA 2006 s1010 | Withdrawal is by notice to the registrar (form DS02). Not withdrawing when required is an offence |
| Final Gazette notice and dissolution | On publication | CA 2006 s1003(4), (5) | Liabilities of directors and members continue, and the court can still wind the company up (s1003(6)) |
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Objecting, and what happens after dissolution
The objection deadlines below come from Companies House's published process rather than the Act, which only says a company can be struck off "unless cause is shown". The restoration and disqualification limits are statutory. Taken together, they show why being struck off is rarely final for a company that still owed money.
| Stage | Time limit | Source | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest point to object | After the first Gazette notice is published | gov.uk: object to a strike off | Companies House will not take an objection before the notice |
| Online objection | Before the company is struck off | gov.uk: make an objection | Needs a Companies House account, the company number and supporting documents |
| Objection by email or post | Must arrive at least 2 weeks before the strike-off date | gov.uk: make an objection | Only where you cannot object online or need support |
| Supporting documents | Less than 6 months old, under 4MB each | gov.uk: make an objection | Must show the company's full name with the correct ending (for example Limited or Ltd) and support the reason, such as unpaid invoices |
| After a successful objection | Company not struck off for another 6 months | gov.uk: after you object | Companies House practice, not a statutory period. Ask for more time before it runs out, with evidence of progress such as legal action started. Another invoice is unlikely to be enough |
| Administrative restoration (compulsory or false-basis strike off only) | Within 6 years of dissolution | CA 2006 s1024; CA 2006 s1025 | Only a former director or member can apply. After a compulsory strike off, the company must in fact have been carrying on business or in operation when it was struck off; after a false-basis strike off, the registrar must not in fact have had reasonable cause. Late-filing penalties and Companies Act fines must be paid first |
| Court restoration (any strike off, including DS01) | Within 6 years of dissolution; at any time for a personal injury claim | CA 2006 s1029; CA 2006 s1030 | A creditor at the time of dissolution, a former director or member, or anyone with an interest can apply. After a refused administrative restoration, 28 days to go to court even if the 6 years have passed |
| Director disqualification after dissolution | Application within 3 years of the dissolution date | CDDA 1986 s7(2)(b) | Since February 2022 the Insolvency Service can pursue directors of companies dissolved without a formal insolvency |
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How to read a Gazette strike-off notice
Strike-off notices do not look like the individual insolvency notices elsewhere in The Gazette. Companies House publishes them as long alphabetical lists in a supplement, each list under a single paragraph of legal wording. This is the paragraph that sat above the compulsory list in The London Gazette of 22 September 2026, reproduced as printed:
COMPANIES ACT 2006
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, PURSUANT TO SECTION 1000(3) OF THE COMPANIES ACT 2006, THAT AT THE END OF TWO MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THE PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE, THE NAMES OF THE COMPANIES LISTED BELOW WILL, UNLESS CAUSE IS SHOWN TO THE CONTRARY, BE STRUCK OFF THE REGISTER AND THE COMPANIES WILL BE DISSOLVED.
[COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY NUMBER] 22/09/2026
We have replaced the company names and numbers with placeholders. The voluntary list in the same issue (page 4943) uses identical wording but cites section 1003(3). The false-basis list (page 4942) cites section 1002A(3)(a) and says 28 days instead of two months. Each part tells you something:
| Part of the notice | What it says | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Heading | COMPANIES ACT 2006 | Strike-off notices sit in bulk lists, not individual notices. Companies incorporated in England and Wales appear in The London Gazette, Scottish companies in The Edinburgh Gazette and Northern Irish companies in The Belfast Gazette |
| Statutory basis | "Pursuant to section 1000(3)", "section 1003(3)" or "section 1002A(3)(a)" | This tells you the route. 1000(3) is compulsory (the registrar thinks the company has stopped operating), 1003(3) is a voluntary DS01 application, 1002A(3)(a) is a false-registration case with a shorter window. A short list under 1001(1) covers companies already in liquidation |
| Notice period | "At the end of two months from the date of the publication of this notice" or "at the end of 28 days" | This is the objection window. It is counted from the publication date, not from when you happened to see the notice |
| Warning | "Unless cause is shown to the contrary, be struck off the register and the companies will be dissolved" | Showing cause is what an objection does. Nothing happens automatically in the company's favour |
| Company name | In capitals, as registered | Match the full name including the ending. Similar names are common, so never rely on the name alone |
| Company number | Eight characters | The number is the reliable identifier. Scottish numbers start SC and Northern Irish numbers start NI. Check it against the Companies House register before you act |
| Date column | For example 22/09/2026 | The date the notice was published, which starts the clock. It is not the strike-off date. Add 2 months (or 28 days) to find the earliest strike-off date |
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The final notice
The second notice uses different wording. In the same issue (page 5065) the compulsory final list reads: "Notice is hereby given, pursuant to section 1000(5) of the Companies Act 2006, that the names of the undermentioned companies have been struck off the register. Such companies are accordingly dissolved as from the date of publication of this notice. The first notice of intended dissolution of these companies was published at least 68 days ago." The voluntary final list (page 5178) cites section 1003(4) with the same 68-day line, and the false-basis final list cites section 1002A(4) with "at least 28 days ago". If a company appears in a list worded like this, it no longer exists. You cannot object any more. The only way back is restoration.
The same events on the Companies House register
Each company's filing history on the Companies House register records the same stages with standard labels. These are the ones to look for: "First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off" or "First Gazette notice for voluntary strike-off"; "Compulsory strike-off action has been suspended" or "Voluntary strike-off action has been suspended", which usually means an objection was accepted; "Compulsory strike-off action has been discontinued", which usually means the overdue filings arrived; and "Final Gazette dissolved via compulsory strike-off" or "Final Gazette dissolved via voluntary strike-off". Checking the filing history is quicker than searching The Gazette and uses the company number, so there is no risk of mixing up two similar names.
A worked example
The publication date below is real: it is the date of the notices quoted above. What follows from it is our own arithmetic, applying the periods in the Act and the Companies House guidance. It does not describe any particular company. The registrar's power to strike off is discretionary, so the actual strike-off date can be later than the earliest date shown.
| Step | Date | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| First Gazette notice (s1000(3) or s1003(3)) | Tuesday 22 September 2026 | Publication date shown in the notice's date column |
| Postal or email objection must have arrived | By Sunday 8 November 2026 at the latest, so in practice Friday 6 November | At least 2 weeks before the earliest strike-off date (gov.uk guidance) |
| End of the 2-month window | Sunday 22 November 2026 | Two calendar months from 22 September. Online objections must be in before the company is actually struck off |
| Earliest final notice on the pattern the Gazette states | Not before Sunday 29 November 2026 | Final notices on 22 September 2026 said the first notice was published "at least 68 days ago". 22 September plus 68 days. Our arithmetic, not a statutory date |
| If the objection is accepted | Company stays on the register for a further 6 months | gov.uk guidance. The objector must report progress, or withdraw the objection, before that runs out |
| Same date, false-basis notice (s1002A(3)(a)) | Window ends at the end of Monday 19 October 2026 | Section 1002A counts 28 days "beginning with" the notice date, so 22 September is day 1 |
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For a creditor, the dates show why objecting online is safer than posting. A postal objection aimed at the end of the window has to beat a deadline two weeks earlier, and here that deadline falls on a weekend. For a director, the useful fact is the other way round. If the notice is compulsory and the company is still trading, filing the overdue accounts or confirmation statement well inside the window is usually what gets the action discontinued.
Rule changes, oldest first
This log is append-only: when the law changes, a new row goes at the bottom and the earlier rows stay as they were, so you can see which periods applied at any date. The biggest practical change was in 2015, when the notice periods were shortened from 3 months to 2.
| From | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October 2009 | Voluntary strike-off sections of the Companies Act 2006 (ss1003 to 1011) fully in force. As enacted: the registrar's first letter allowed one month for a reply, the second letter one month, and the compulsory Gazette notice ran 3 months. A voluntary application could not be struck off until 3 months after its Gazette notice | s1000 as enacted; s1003 as enacted |
| 11 July 2014 | The registrar's letters become "communications", so enquiries can be sent electronically rather than only by post | SI 2014/1602 |
| 10 October 2015 | Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, s103: the registrar's reply periods cut from one month to 14 days, and both the compulsory and voluntary Gazette notice periods cut from 3 months to 2 months | SBEEA 2015 s103 |
| 15 February 2022 | Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Act 2021: directors of companies dissolved without becoming insolvent, including by strike off, can be investigated and disqualified, with 3 years from dissolution to apply | 2021 Act s2; s4(5) |
| 4 March 2024 | Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023: administrative restoration now also requires outstanding late-filing penalties and Companies Act fines to be paid. Companies moved to the Companies House default address can be struck off if they do not move within 28 days | CA 2006 s1025; SI 2024/233 |
| 18 March 2025 | New section 1002A: the registrar can strike off a company registered on a false basis after a 28-day Gazette notice. Such companies can be restored administratively only if the registrar did not in fact have reasonable cause for that belief | CA 2006 s1002A; SI 2025/349 |
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If you find a first Gazette notice against your company, the 2-month window is the time to act, not the date on the notice. A compulsory strike off is usually stopped by filing whatever is overdue. If you are thinking of striking off a company that still owes money, remember that creditors can object, the company can be restored for up to 6 years, and your conduct as a director can still be examined after it is dissolved.
General information, not advice about your company.
Methodology and source
Every statutory time limit on this page was read directly from the current text of the Companies Act 2006 on legislation.gov.uk on 23 September 2026, and each row links to the section it comes from. The 2009 periods come from legislation.gov.uk's enacted versions of sections 1000 and 1003, and each later change is dated from the commencement information shown on legislation.gov.uk. The objection process (timing, documents, the 6-month hold) is taken from the Companies House guidance published on gov.uk, and we say where a period is Companies House practice rather than law. The notice wording is quoted from The London Gazette, issue 901118, published 22 September 2026, and the filing history labels are the standard descriptions Companies House publishes for its register. We have not named any company that appeared in those notices. The worked example is our own calculation, labelled as such. This page covers companies registered under the Companies Act 2006. Limited liability partnerships follow a modified version of the same rules and are not covered separately. This page is general information, not legal or insolvency advice.
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