AnswersWhen a client goes under
How do I find out who the liquidator or administrator is?
The short answer
Two free searches. Look the company up in The Gazette's insolvency notices1 and on Companies House2, because the person in charge has to announce themselves. A liquidator the company or its creditors appoint has 14 days4 to publish a notice and file it, and an administrator must write to each creditor they know of7.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £4,100 invoice, 70 days late when the liquidation began
Say you invoiced another business £4,100, due on 30 June 2026. It went into liquidation on 8 September 2026: 70 days late. The rate for an invoice that went late between 1 July and 31 December 2026 is 11.75% a year11, which is 8% plus Bank Rate10. If a voluntary liquidator was appointed on 8 September, the Gazette notice is due by 22 September 2026.
That is the figure to have ready for the proof of debt. Finding the name costs £0 and about ten minutes.
The road ahead
Six steps. All free.
Step 1: Open the Insolvency tab on Companies House
Search the company's name or number on Companies House2 and open its Insolvency tab. It shows the type of case and the practitioner's name and address3. After a court winding-up order, that is the Official Receiver first8.
No Insolvency tab, or a status still showing Active, can just mean the register is behind.
Step 2: Search The Gazette
Put the company's name or number into the insolvency notices1. A notice of appointment names the practitioner and the firm, with an address. It can appear before Companies House updates, so check both.
Step 3: Read the company's own paperwork
Step 4: Check the name is real
If the notice names an insolvency practitioner, look them up on GOV.UK's find an insolvency practitioner search9. If Companies House has not caught up, go by the notice. Write only to its address, and send no bank details yet.
Step 5: Send the first message tonight
Email the note below to the address in the notice, not to the old company or the number on the old invoice. It asks for the last date for proofs, and a proof of debt follows. Put day 7 in your diary.
Step 6: Nothing found? Ask, then look again
A voluntary liquidator has 14 days4 to publish, so a new case may not show yet. Email the company and ask in writing who the liquidator or administrator is, then search both places again on day 7.
A letter you can copy
First message to the liquidator or administrator
Send it once a Gazette notice names the office-holder and gives their address, even if Companies House has not caught up.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Send it by email to the address in the notice, so it is dated. Keep a copy with the invoice. Put a reminder in your diary for 7 days later. If nothing has come back, ring the firm's main number and ask who handles the case.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- The status is only "proposal to strike off", or the company is dissolved. There is no liquidator or administrator to find; the dissolved-company page covers what you can still do.
- It is a company voluntary arrangement. The person to find is called the supervisor, not a liquidator, and Companies House shows them as the practitioner on the company's Insolvency tab3, so start there.
- You were about to ask them to pay the invoice. An office-holder takes a proof of debt, and a payment demand goes nowhere.
- The company is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The officials and forms differ there; this page covers England and Wales.
The Wolf's note
The name on your invoice is no longer the one that matters. Match the office-holder's name to the official notice, send one short message, and diary day seven. Then you are waiting for one reply, and it has a date in it.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
How do I claim money from a company in liquidation?
Send the liquidator a proof of debt before their last date: a letter or form with the amount owed including VAT, how it arose and your invoices.
7 min read · Letter included
A company that owes me money has gone into liquidation. What happens to my invoice?
Your invoice joins a queue behind lenders, the costs, wages and some HMRC debts, so suppliers usually get little.
7 min read · Letter included
A company that owes me money is in administration. What now?
You can't sue a company in administration without the administrator's consent or the court's permission.
7 min read · Letter included
Don't want to do this yourself?
The Wolf does every step for you. He works out the sums, writes the letters and keeps track of every date. Nothing goes without your yes.