How do I search the Gazette for winding-up petitions?
The short answer
Filter by notice type. The Gazette's insolvency notices1 can be searched free of charge3, and a petition to wind up a company must appear there at least seven business days before the hearing4. The notice names the hearing, and anyone who wants to appear has until 4pm on the business day before it5. A search that finds nothing proves little, because a petition is presented before it is advertised.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
The notice you found, and what stands behind it
Say a packaging supplier is owed £11,400, due on 14 August 2026, and has a £6,300 order to deliver on 19 October. On 9 October a search finds a notice: petition presented on 15 September, hearing on 12 November, notice of intention to appear due by 4pm on 11 November. The petitioner had to put up this much to bring it:
Your search cost £0. £17,700 (£11,400 + £6,300) now sits behind a decision to make before 19 October.
The road ahead
Seven steps. The search is free.
Step 2: Pick the petition notice, then set dates
Under Corporate Insolvency, choose the notice type for petitions to wind up companies, not the one for partnerships. Then set a date range: the Gazette says a date range greatly increases your chance of success2.
Step 4: Read the notice
Step 5: Search for what came after
Run the same search for winding-up orders, dismissed petitions and liquidators appointed. A petition is a request and an order is the decision. If nothing later shows and the hearing is still ahead, the petition is waiting for it. If the hearing has passed, it may have been dismissed or adjourned, or an order may have been made and not yet gazetted7.
A search that finds nothing does not clear the company. A creditor's petition cannot be advertised before seven business days after the company is served4, so a new petition can exist and not yet show.
Step 6: If you find one, stop adding credit
Keep a copy of the notice. Payment up front does not make new work safe either. The next step says why.
Follow the company on Companies House11 for free email alerts, and search the Gazette again the day before the hearing.
Step 7: Ask before you take any payment from them
A winding up by the court is treated as starting when the petition is presented8, and a disposition of the company's property after that is void unless the court orders otherwise9.
That covers a rush payment on your old invoice and payment up front for new work. If an order follows, you may have to pay the money back, so ask a solicitor who does insolvency work before you take a payment or deliver more.
The letter
This page is about searching, so there is nothing to send. A notice of intention to appear at the hearing is a court step for a solicitor.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- They have already told you they are closing down. The search is for finding out. If you know, the question is your invoice, not the Gazette.
- The customer is a sole trader or a partnership. For a sole trader, search the Individual Insolvency Register12 by name or trading name instead; for a partnership, pick the partnerships notice type in step 2.
- The company is Scottish or Northern Irish. Scotland has different rules on winding up10, and the Gazette has separate editions2; this page covers England and Wales.
- You have found a petition or an order. The search has done its job. Keep the notice. For an order, claim from the liquidator; for a petition, ask a solicitor who does insolvency work before you take any payment.
The Wolf's note
A petition is only a request. The notice gives the two dates that matter: the day it was presented, which decides what a payment to you is worth, and the day the court will be asked. Decide what you will still send, then look once more the day before.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
How do I check if a company is insolvent or about to go under?
Three searches, ten minutes and £6: Companies House, The Gazette and the judgments register.
6 min read
What do "dormant", "dissolved", "in liquidation" and "proposal to strike off" mean on Companies House?
Only dissolved means a company has gone.
4 min read
If they go under
The company says it's closing down. What should I do right now?
Today. If a client says it is closing down or going out of business, check Companies House and the Gazette for which kind, then write with the sum worked out.
8 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.