A unit door on an industrial estate at 8am, frost on the step and a letterbox.

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How do I serve a statutory demand on a company?

The short answer

In person. Leave the demand (form SD 1)2 at the company's registered office, and hand it to a director, the company secretary or a manager if one is there; post or a letterbox is only for when you can't deliver in person1. The Act counts 3 weeks from the demand being left at the registered office4, so the day and time you leave it are the facts to write down.

Mara, WolfX research desk
Written with AI, checked by a person · 9 October 2026

England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.

The numbers

The numbers to write down.

Over £750The smallest debt a demand to a company can be for.4

21 daysFor the company to pay or agree a plan, counted from service.3 4

4 monthsTo apply to wind it up if the demand is ignored, counted from the day you serve it.1 12

£2,952The petition, if it comes to that: £352 fee plus £2,600 deposit.7

What you can add

A £7,350 invoice, served by hand

Say a company owes you £7,350 for a fit-out, due on Tuesday 28 July 2026, and has not disputed it. At 11:00am on Monday 19 October 2026 you leave the demand at its registered office and sign the note of service. The three weeks end on Monday 9 November 2026, 104 days after the due date. Interest runs at 11.75% a year10, which is 8% above Bank Rate for debts that went late in the second half of 2026.

£7,350.00The invoice

£246.07Interest: £7,350 × 11.75% ÷ 365 × 104 days8

£70.00Fixed sum (invoices from £1,000 to £9,999.99)9

£7,666.07Owed on 9 November 2026

Serving costs nothing in fees. If it is ignored, the petition is £352 plus a £2,600 deposit, £2,952, to be started by 19 February 2027, 4 months after serving. The demand states the debt on the day it is dated. The invoice alone is £7,350; if you add interest and the fixed sum, give each its own line with the rate and the reason, and count interest only to that date11: £196.39 to 19 October, not the £246.07 above.

The road ahead

Six steps. Free to serve yourself; £2,952 to petition.

Step 1: Check the debt is clear
A demand to a company needs a debt of more than £7504 that the company has not disputed. If they have argued it in writing, read when a demand fits first.
Cost: FreeTime: 5 minutes
Step 2: Download the current form
A company gets form SD 12. GOV.UK says you do not need to send a separate letter with it. Download a fresh copy; do not reuse an old one.
Cost: Free to downloadTime: 30 minutes
Step 3: Look up the registered office on the day
Search the company on Companies House and copy the registered office, not the trading address. Every company must keep one, at an appropriate address6, so serve it there even if it is an accountant's or agent's office.
Cost: FreeTime: 5 minutes
Step 4: Leave it there by hand
Leaving it at the registered office is service5, and the Act's three weeks run from a demand left there4. Hand it to a director, secretary or manager if one is there, or use a process server1; a solicitor can arrange one.
Registered post or the letterbox is for when you cannot deliver in person.
Cost: Free, or a process server's feeTime: 15 minutes
Step 5: Write the note of service
Sign it there and then, using the letter below. GOV.UK says to keep a copy and anything showing the time, date and receipt1, because you need it if the demand is ignored.
Cost: FreeTime: 5 minutes
Step 6: Count three weeks, then decide
The company has 21 days3 to pay or agree a plan. If it does not, GOV.UK gives you 4 months1 to apply to wind it up, and the rules count them from the day you served it12; a late applicant must explain why to the court.
The petition costs £352 plus a £2,600 deposit7. See winding-up petitions.
Cost: £352 fee, £2,600 depositTime: 21 days to pay; 4 months from serving

A letter you can copy

Note of service

Write it on the day you serve the demand, before you leave the door. It is your own record. Do not send it to the company.

New email

SubjectNote of service: statutory demand on

Note of service I, , of , served a statutory demand on , company number . The demand is on form SD 1, dated , for . I delivered it on at , at . Companies House showed this as the registered office when I checked on . It was delivered by . It was received by . Anything said when it was left: . I have kept a copy of the demand with this note. Signed: Date:

Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.

Keep it with your copy of the demand. If a process server delivers, they sign their own note and you keep their confirmation too. Fill every gap. If something did not happen, say so: 'Nobody answered; it went through the letterbox at 11:05am.'

When not to bother

When it isn't worth it

The debt is disputed. A demand is for a debt nobody argues about. If they have disputed it in writing, settle the undisputed part or read when a demand fits.
The company is in administration or liquidation. That is a different route: see claiming from a liquidator or administration.
A court claim fits better. For a modest sum it may cost less than the £2,952 a petition needs; weigh the two before you serve.
The company may have nothing left. A petition costs £2,952, and GOV.UK warns you might not get all or any of the money7. Check the company before you serve.
They are a sole trader or partnership, or in Scotland or Northern Ireland. Those use other forms or rules2, and bankruptcy needs £5,000 or more1.

The Wolf's note

The three weeks start at the door, not at the date on the form. Stand there, write down the time, and keep the note with the copy. Whatever they do next, you can show what you did.

Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX

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