A Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation moves fastest when we have the full picture early.
None of this needs to be perfect — just complete.
Below is everything we typically ask for to get a CVL underway. Some of it you'll likely have to hand already; the rest is usually straightforward to pull together. If anything on this list isn't available, tell us — we'll work around it.
The more complete this is early on, the faster things move.
WHAT WE'LL NEED TO GET STARTED
A short written summary is genuinely enough to start with — a paragraph or two covering how long the Company has traded, what it does, and what's led to the current difficulty.
There's no need to overthink this. A plain, honest account of what happened is exactly what's useful at this stage.
A paragraph or two is enough to begin with.
A list of everyone the Company owes money to, with amounts owed and, where possible, contact details for each creditor.
Alongside that, copies of anything that shows what's owed — invoices, statements of account, demand letters, loan agreements or HMRC correspondence.
Gather what you have — it doesn't need to be exhaustive.
Where the Company has employees, we need their names, when their employment started, and details of anything owed to them — wages, holiday pay, notice pay.
If the Company has no employees, this is simple: just confirm that, and this section can be skipped entirely.
No employees? This section is skipped entirely.
Three years of full statutory accounts, including the profit and loss account and notes — not the abbreviated or filleted accounts filed at Companies House.
Alongside these, supporting bookkeeping records for the same period — an export from Xero or whichever accounting software the Company uses, where available.
Full accounts, not the abbreviated version.
Corporation Tax, VAT and PAYE returns and calculations for the last three years — particularly the Director's own PAYE.
Where the Company works within the Construction Industry Scheme, CIS returns and calculations for the same period too.
Three years, across every tax the Company deals in.
Complete PDF bank statements for every account the Company holds, covering the last three years with no gaps.
Credit card statements for the same period too, where the Company holds a card.
Three years, every account, no gaps.
Where the Company holds assets — property, vehicles, equipment, stock, or money owed to it by its own customers — a description of what's held and a rough idea of value.
Where the Company holds no assets, a description of what happened to them: how they were disposed of, or how the Company traded without them.
Either way, we just need the story behind it.
A copy of the original BBL application, if it's still available.
Full accounts for 2020 and 2021, covering the period the loan was taken out and used.
Only relevant if the Company took out a Bounce Back Loan.
NOTHING ON THIS LIST NEEDS TO BE PERFECT.
If something's missing, incomplete, or you're not sure where to find it, tell us — most of this is completely normal, and we'll help you work through it.
A confidential discussion today could help protect you tomorrow.
Tell us the basics and we'll call you back — free, confidential, no obligation.
THIS WEBSITE PROVIDES GENERAL INFORMATION AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL OR INSOLVENCY ADVICE. Your position depends on the individual circumstances of each Company and Director. You should obtain advice from an appropriately qualified professional, including a licensed insolvency practitioner where appropriate.
