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Types of Liquidation

CVL, MVL & Compulsory Liquidation – it can seem complicated… 

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What are you Options?

If you’re running a limited company that’s facing closure, it’s important to understand the different types of liquidation. The right route will depend on whether your company is insolvent or still solvent.

Here’s a clear, plain English guide to the three main options:

Quick Comparison Table

Type of LiquidationWhen It’s UsedWho Starts ItSolvent or Insolvent?Who’s Involved
Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL)Company can’t pay its debtsCompany directors/shareholdersInsolventLicensed IP (chosen by company)
Members’ Voluntary Liquidation (MVL)Company can pay all debts, but wants to closeCompany shareholdersSolventLicensed IP
Compulsory LiquidationForced by a creditor through courtCreditors via court petitionInsolventCourt + Official Receiver/IP
 

1. Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL)

Used when your company is insolvent and can’t pay its debts. Directors choose to close the business in an orderly way.

  • Most common form of liquidation

  • Assets sold to repay creditors

  • Directors appoint a licensed insolvency practitioner

  • Can reduce the risk of wrongful trading

  • You may be eligible for director redundancy

Best for: Insolvent companies with no future that want to close properly and avoid court.

2. Members’ Voluntary Liquidation (MVL)

Used when your company is solvent and can pay all debts – but you want to close it down, usually for tax efficiency.

  • Often used for retirement or restructuring

  • Tax benefits possible via Business Asset Disposal Relief

  • Directors make a statutory declaration of solvency

  • A licensed insolvency practitioner must manage the process

Best for: Solvent companies planning a clean, cost-effective closure.

3. Compulsory Liquidation

Used when your company is insolvent and a creditor forces closure through court action.

  • Begins with a winding-up petition from a creditor

  • Court appoints the Official Receiver or IP

  • You lose control of the company immediately

  • Directors must cooperate fully

  • Likely to involve more scrutiny and publicity

Best for: Situations where legal action has already begun or is unavoidable.

Unsure Which Route to Take?

It depends on:

  • Whether your business can pay its debts

  • Whether you’re acting voluntarily or under pressure

  • How quickly you need to act

Speak to a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner

The right advice at the right time can save stress, cost, and even protect your personal position.

Free, confidential advice from Anderson Brookes
📞 Call 0800 1804 933 or 📧 email advice@andersonbrookes.co.uk

Why Directors Choose Anderson Brookes

With more than 25 years’ experience and thousands of directors helped, we’re trusted by business owners across the UK. You can speak directly with an expert insolvency practitioner and we’ll help you understand your options clearly and quickly. We specialise in working with small and medium businesses and we understand your perspective and priorities. 

Ready to
Move On?

If you’re ready to close your company, stop creditor pressure, or just want to understand your next steps, we’re here to talk. 

Call us now on 0800 1804 933 or request a call back - we’re here to help.

Can you liquidate your limited company?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Have a company in England or Wales? These are your limited company business debt, liquidation and insolvency questions answered.

No. Only a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner can place a company into liquidation. 

Placing the company into liquidation will stop debt enforcement, including bailiff action. The directors are usually in control of the process and can choose the liquidator. In most cases, it can be completed within two weeks without needing to attend any formal meetings. Company debts are usually written off unless they are personally guaranteed. Directors who act responsibly can show they handled the company’s financial affairs properly.

No. Only a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner can liquidate a company. A director can apply to dissolve a company through Companies House, but only if certain conditions are met. If the company is insolvent, it may be a criminal offence to apply for strike-off. Always take professional advice before doing this. If you think you might qualify for dissolution, call us and we’ll explain the process. See our Licensed vs Unregulated page. 

This happens when a creditor applies to court to wind up a company due to non-payment of a debt over £750. If the court agrees, the company is placed into compulsory liquidation. This often leads to more problems for directors, who may find it harder to defend against accusations such as wrongful trading. It is usually better to start the process voluntarily. See Strike Off vs Voluntary Liquidation for more details. 

It depends on your situation. In most cases, the directors do not pay the costs personally. The liquidation is paid for using company assets. We are a small practice based in Bolton with low overheads, so we offer some of the most competitive fees in the UK. All costs will be confirmed in writing before we proceed. You may also be interested in CVL Costs. 

 

This is a new limited company that starts after an old one has gone into liquidation. It allows the business to carry on with the profitable parts of the original company. There are strict rules about reusing a company name, so it’s important to get advice before going ahead. For further detail and more simple explanations of insolvency and liquidation terms see our Glossary. 

An MVL is used when a company is still solvent and can repay all its debts. It may be the right option if directors want to retire or step away from the business. MVLs can offer tax benefits, but they must be handled by a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner. See all types of liquidations. 

If a company is insolvent and directors carry on trading, they may be accused of wrongful trading. A director could be held personally liable if they knew, or should have known, that the company couldn’t avoid liquidation and did not act to reduce losses. Acting early helps reduce this risk.

No. Many businesses contact us who do not need formal insolvency procedures. We help explore all the options, including self-help and informal solutions. If formal action is needed, our Licensed Insolvency Practitioner can act for you directly.

CVL Process - Most Common Route

Testimonials

Our clients praise our professionalism, reliability, and the exceptional support we provide during challenging times, helping thousands of company directors through insolvency, liquidation, and business debt solutions.

"We had the unpleasant, highly stressful experience of being the Directors of a business that was beyond help, despite our best efforts. Jon was absolutely brilliant, going way above and beyond. Not only was Jon a professional, knowledgeable person helping us go through the process of a liquidation, but he was also a safe pair of hands, and an empathetic voice to discuss even the tiniest detail with. He never rushed us, he used language that we understood and he was an excellent communicator. Jon made a very stressful, upsetting time feel manageable and in control."
Madeleine Cole
"It has become very unfortunate that the company has had to go into administration. Anderson Brookes have bee efficient, reactive to our needs and totally communicate every step of the way. The experience whilst personally been painful to have to make such a decision, the company dealing with these affairs have acted professionally and been responsive to our questions."
Derek Clarke
"Fantastic service and company from start to finish. Isabel Cross looked after my case she was very informative, professional, reassuring and reliable. I cannot thank you enough!"
Marianne YatesCEO
"From the first call I received from Anderson Brookes I was very impressed with how friendly and professional they were. I agreed to take them on to liquidate my company and very pleased with my decision. All done and dusted in very quick order."
Lynne BullCEO
"First Class Company, Friendly, Knowledgeable, Caring, Most Helpful And Give Great Peace Of Mind. They Took All The Worry And Weight Off My Shoulders And Gave Me Great Peace Of Mind To Let GoOf My Problem. Thank You Ever So Much Rebecca Marsden And Her Team.
Ray Gowrie
"Amazing company who conducted our liquidation very thoroughly and professionally, I was fortunate enough to have Jon Rudd as my case manager who helped me every step of the way. Highly recommended and a big thank you to you Jon!"
Lewis Beaumont
"With the help of Anderson Brookes I now have a massive weight of my shoulders. They were very helpful from start to finish."
Andrew Colley
"Great service. I wish I got in touch earlier. I'm finally getting some proper sleep. Thank you to Emmie and the team 🙏"
Vie Sidibe
"I used Anderson Brookes when I got into bother with my ltd company. After getting other prices and talking with different companies I felt happiest with these. Great service helped throughout and any questions I had (I had a lot) they were more than happy to answer and put my worries at ease. Top marks thank you to everyone that has helped"
Luke Singleton
"I was assisted every step of the way by Rebecca and her team. Eddy was very helpful through the entire process. I would highly recommend Anderson Brookes to anyone going through a similar situation to me."
James Cockney

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Steven Kendall-Torry
Steven Kendall-Torry
Having to shut down your business is a very emotional and scary journey and although you think you’ve done everything correctly there’s always something you get wrong , small print , and rules one is unaware of which can surprise bite you on the bum and ruin your day ! We were fortunate to have Laura , Katie and the background Riki who considering they have a fairly thankless job to do they were always polite , very patient , and as helpful as they could be considering they generally were giving bad news which was rarely expected or welcome. Altogether they were good listeners and helpful we had to understand they still had to follow rules and a job to do and they managed the balancing act extremely well. Many thanks
Madeleine Cole
Madeleine Cole
We had the unpleasant, highly stressful experience of being the Directors of a business that was beyond help, despite our best efforts. Jon was absolutely brilliant, going way above and beyond. Not only was Jon a professional, knowledgeable person helping us go through the process of a liquidation, but he was also a safe pair of hands, and an empathetic voice to discuss even the tiniest detail with. He never rushed us, he used language that we understood and he was an excellent communicator. Jon made a very stressful, upsetting time feel manageable and in control.
Harvey J
Harvey J
Efficient and Professional Experience Two words to describe the experience: efficient and professional. No doubt you can appreciate that it’s a very stressful time for directors, but from my initial telephone conversation with Mike, and the decision to enter into a CVL, the process from start to finish was completed within two weeks. In addition to Mike, I would also like to mention the professionalism of the two other members of the AB team, Steve and Emmy. Worth mentioning as well that, where it was possible, the lines of communication were via WhatsApp which again massively improved and streamlined the whole process.
Derek Clarke
Derek Clarke
It has become very unfortunate that the company has had to go into administration. Anderson Brookes have bee efficient, reactive to our needs and totally communicate every step of the way. The experience whilst personally been painful to have to make such a decision, the company dealing with these affairs have acted professionally and been responsive to our questions.
Vie Sidibe
Vie Sidibe
Great service. I wish I got in touch earlier. I'm finally getting some proper sleep. Thank you to Emmie and the team 🙏
Andrew Colley
Andrew Colley
With the help of Anderson Brookes I now have a massive weight of my shoulders. They were very helpful from start to finish.
Lynne Bull
Lynne Bull
From the first call I received from Anderson Brookes I was very impressed with how friendly and professional they were. I agreed to take them on to liquidate my company and very pleased with my decision. All done and dusted in very quick order.
Ray Gowrie
Ray Gowrie
First Class Company,Friendly, Knowledgeable, Caring, Most Helpful And Give Great Peace Of Mind. They Took All The Worry And Weight Off My Shoulders And Gave Me Great Peace Of Mind To Let GoOf My Problem. thank You Ever So Much Rebecca Marsden And Her Team.
Andrew P
Andrew P
They are amazing in what they do, affordable fees compairing to other brookers, helped me with a LTD insolvency, i am over the moon with their services, would highly recommend. They are really knowledgable and straight forward.
Lewis Beaumont
Lewis Beaumont
Amazing company who conducted our liquidation very thoroughly and professionally, I was fortunate enough to have Jon Rudd as my case manager who helped me every step of the way. Highly recommended and a big thank you to you Jon!
Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh
Mr Rikki Burton and team are very professional, efficient and patient. The work conducted was very smooth and the transition Was without any hiccups. They gave time to put evidences upfront to support the liquidation. Great communication and highly recommended.
Luke Singleton
Luke Singleton
I used Anderson Brookes when I got into bother with my ltd company. After getting other prices and talking with different companies I felt happiest with these. Great service helped throughout and any questions I had (I had a lot) they were more than happy to answer and put my worries at ease. Top marks thank you to everyone that has helped
James Cockney
James Cockney
I was assisted every step of the way by Rebecca and her team. Eddy was very helpful through the entire process. I would highly recommend Anderson Brookes to anyone going through a similar situation to me.

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As licensed insolvency practitioners, we provide regulated business debt advice and support for company directors.