Voluntarily deregistering a company

This is Information Sheet 25 (INFO 25).

If your company meets certain criteria, you can apply for voluntary deregistration. This closes your company and removes your obligations as a company officeholder.

• You must pay any outstanding fees before you can apply for deregistration
• Make sure you apply for your deregistration at least two weeks before your annual review fee due date
• How do I apply for voluntary deregistration?
• What happens once I've applied for voluntary deregistration?

You must pay any outstanding fees before you can apply for deregistration

You need to pay any outstanding fees and penalties before you apply for deregistration. Your application will not be approved if there is still an outstanding amount on your account.

If you're a company officeholder, you can use our online services to check your balance online.

Step 1 - Log into your account

Step 2 - Select 'View company details' from the menu on the left side

Step 3 - Select 'Debtor details'

This will show your current balance and if there are any outstanding fees. You can pay any company fees by BPAY or Postbill Pay.

Search for your company's BPAY or Postbill Pay details

Make sure you apply for deregistration at least two weeks before your annual review fee due date

When a company lodges an application to voluntarily deregister, we'll publish a notice of the intended deregistration. If the notice is published before the review fee is due, you won't have to pay the fee.  For example: if your company's annual review fee is due on 1 June and the notice is published on 30 May, the review fee does not need to be paid.

You should apply at least two weeks before the due date; this gives enough time for us to receive your application and publish the notice on our website.

If the notice isn't published before the review fee is due, you will need to pay the fee before you can deregister your company.

How do I apply for voluntary deregistration?

You can apply for voluntary deregistration by lodging an Application for voluntary deregistration of a company (Form 6010).

It costs $49 to apply for voluntary deregistration. You must include the application fee when you lodge your application.

Before we can accept your application, you need to ensure:

• all members of the company agree to deregister
• the company is not conducting business
• the company's assets are worth less than $1,000
• the company has no outstanding liabilities (e.g. unpaid employee entitlements)
• the company is not involved in any legal proceedings and
• the company has paid all fees and penalties payable to ASIC.

If you apply for deregistration and you do not meet all these requirements (e.g. there are unpaid company fees), we will reject your application. Your application fee will not be refunded.

We also recommend you complete the following steps before lodging an application:

• check any bank accounts in the company's name are closed, regardless of the balance
• review all company records/registers to ensure all company property is dealt with (e.g. vehicles, land, shares, trade marks, intellectual property, leases, permits)
• all transfers of company property are registered and no property is registered in the company's name
• if the company was a trustee, a new trustee has been appointed and no trust property remains registered in the company's name
• ensure all registered business names held by the company are cancelled or transferred
• ensure any licenses held by the company are cancelled or ceased

You should carefully consider the effects of deregistration before applying to deregister your company.

Lodging online

We recommend you apply for deregistration online, as this removes any potential delays by mail. You need to create an online account to apply online.

Once you've submitted your application, we'll send you an invoice within 14 days with the payment details. You must pay the fee within 28 days to continue with deregistration.

Lodging a paper form

If you're lodging a paper form, include a cheque and send to:

Australian Securities and Investments Commission
PO Box 4000
Gippsland Mail Centre VIC 3841

When lodging a paper form, the application must be signed by a director or member of the company. The application can also be signed by a liquidator of the company.

It is an offence to knowingly provide incorrect or misleading information to ASIC and penalties may apply.

What happens once I've lodged my application?

If your application is rejected, we'll write to you to advise why we have rejected it. If you have any further questions about your application, contact us.

If your application is approved, we'll write to you to confirm your company's impending deregistration and publish a notice on ASIC's Published notices website.

It can take up to two weeks (including postage) for us to process your application and publish a notice on our website.

Two months after the notice has been published, your company may be deregistered. We will send you a confirmation notice.

Related links

• Stopping deregistration
• Winding up a solvent company
• Winding up an insolvent company

Important notice

Please note that this information sheet is a summary giving you basic information about a particular topic. It does not cover the whole of the relevant law regarding that topic, and it is not a substitute for professional advice. We encourage you to seek your own professional advice to find out how the applicable laws apply to you, as it is your responsibility to determine your obligations.

You should also note that because this information sheet avoids legal language wherever possible, it might include some generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases, your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.