What to do when an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money (2024)

What to do when an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money (1)

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claim-money-back-from-a-bankrupt-person-or-company-in-compulsory-liquidation-guidance-for-creditors/if-an-insolvent-company-or-bankrupt-person-owes-you-money

1. If an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money

If you’re owed money, you’re a creditor of the person or company that is in debt to you.

A person or company is ‘insolvent’ if they can’t pay their debts.

In some cases they might be formally insolvent. For example, this might be where a:

  • bankruptcy or debt relief order is made against an individual
  • company has gone into compulsory liquidation

In some cases, they’ll be referred to us. If they owe you money, we might be able to help.

You can find out more about your options if you’re owed money by an individual or company that is not formally insolvent.

2. What you need to do

You can find which individuals or companies are in formal insolvency proceedings, and who is dealing with the case, by searching:

  • the Individual Insolvency Register if the individual is bankrupt or has a debt relief order
  • the Companies House service if it’s a company liquidation or administration

If we know you’re a creditor in a bankruptcy or compulsory liquidation, we’ll send you a report. If there are assets, we might ask you to complete a ‘proof of debt’.

If we have not contacted you, but you know an individual is bankrupt or a company is in compulsory liquidation, contact the official receiver (who works for the Insolvency Service). We’ll add you to the list of creditors and send you a report.

Contact the insolvency practitioner if you have not been contacted and an insolvency practitioner is dealing with the bankruptcy, or the company in:

  • administration
  • voluntary liquidation
  • compulsory liquidation

3. What to expect

We’ll usually send out a report to creditors after we’ve finished our initial enquiries. This can take up to 12 weeks.

This report tells you:

  • when the bankruptcy or insolvency order was made
  • what assets we know the person or company has
  • what liabilities (or debts) the person or company has
  • the circ*mstances that led to the insolvency, if known
  • if we think there will be any money that can be paid to creditors

If the person or company in formal insolvency does not have many or any assets, you will not get your money back.

You’ll get some of your money back if there are more than enough assets that can be sold to pay the:

  • costs and expenses of the insolvency
  • secured creditors

You can find out how assets are distributed to creditors and if you will be paid by reading our guidance for creditors.

It often takes a long time to deal with assets, in some cases, a number of years. So you might not hear back from us, or the appointed insolvency practitioner, for some time after we’ve sent you the report to creditors.

If there are not many assets, or no assets at all, the official receiver will probably not contact you again.

4. Customers of an insolvent company or person

4.1 If you owe money

If a company or person becomes insolvent (also called ‘going bust’) when you owe them money, you still have to pay it. The official receiver or the insolvency practitioner will contact you.

4.2 If you bought something from them

In some cases, you might have paid for something, but the insolvent person or company has not delivered it.

If you paid for the item by credit card, contact your credit card company who might be able to help. If you get all your money back from the credit card company, you stop being a creditor of the insolvent. This means you cannot use our process to claim your money again.

If you paid for the item another way, you’ll need to be added to the list of creditors. Contact the official receiver or insolvency practitioner dealing with the case if you need to do this.

What to do when an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money (2024)

FAQs

What to do when an insolvent company or bankrupt person owes you money? ›

File a Proof of Claim

Can you get money from a bankrupt person? ›

If the person or company in formal insolvency does not have many or any assets, you will not get your money back. You'll get some of your money back if there are more than enough assets that can be sold to pay the: costs and expenses of the insolvency. secured creditors.

What is it called when a company owes you money? ›

A debtor is a company or individual who owes money.

What happens to creditors when a company is insolvent? ›

If the insolvency is severe and there is no viable plan for recovery, the business may file for bankruptcy. In bankruptcy, the business's assets are liquidated, and the proceeds are used to pay off creditors in a specific order of priority established by the law (this often starts with HMRC).

Who gets paid first if a company goes bankrupt? ›

Secured creditors are those who have security interest over some or all of the company assets, they are usually the first to get paid. Fixed charge holders include banks and other asset-based lenders holding title over a company asset.

What happens when a company goes out of business and you owe them money? ›

When a company goes bankrupt, it likely owes others money — and they don't want to be left unpaid. Your debt is one of the company's assets, and during the bankruptcy, a trustee may try to collect your debt to help settle the company's accounts. The trustee, or a collection agency hired by the trustee, may contact you.

How much debt is considered bankrupt? ›

There is no minimum debt to file bankruptcy, so the amount does not matter.

What is the legal term for someone who owes you money? ›

The judgment may include an amount the magistrate or judge says is owed by the debtor. A judgment may also be called an entry. Judgment Creditor – The party that is owed money by a judgment of the court. Judgment Debtor – The party that owes money by a judgment of the court.

What to do when debtors don't pay? ›

Legal action: Creditors may take legal action to collect unpaid loans. This can include filing a lawsuit or seeking a court order to enforce payment. Foreclosure sale: In the event of default, the creditor cannot automatically appropriate any collateral used to secure the loan.

What is a creditor legally required to do if you dispute a debt? ›

If you choose to dispute the debt, you must do so in writing within 30 days of receiving the debt validation letter. Once the debt collector receives your written dispute, they must cease all collection activities until they provide verification of the debt.

What is the absolute priority rule? ›

The "absolute priority rule" generally applicable in chapter 11 requires that each class of impaired and unaccepting creditors be paid in full before any junior class of claims or interests may receive distributions under the plan.

Who is liable for the debts of an insolvent company? ›

While a company's debts are not the directors' debts, if the company continues incurring debts at a time when it cannot afford to pay its debts as and when they fall due,then the directors can be liable for these debts.

What is the priority of payments in insolvency? ›

In general, secured creditors have the highest priority followed by priority unsecured creditors. The remaining creditors are often paid prior to equity shareholders.

When a company goes bankrupt and owes you money? ›

When the company files for bankruptcy, the court sends a notice to the listed creditors. At this point, you must file what is called a proof of claim. It's a formal written statement that tells the court why the debtor business owes you money.

Who pays the debt if a company goes bankrupt? ›

When a company is liquidated, a licensed insolvency practitioner (IP) takes control of the company, realises its assets, and distributes the funds to creditors. Because the company is a separate legal entity from its directors, you are protected from personal liability unless certain circ*mstances arise.

Who gets paid first during insolvency? ›

Secured creditors are paid first as they are usually those who have security over some or all of the company assets.

Can you get money back from bankrupt? ›

Unclaimed funds may be claimed at any time by an owner, successor, or other claimant who proves a right to the funds. Search the U. S. Bankruptcy Unclaimed Funds Locator to see if you are owed any funds.

What happens if you are bankrupt and have no assets? ›

What Will Happen in a No-Asset Bankruptcy? The court will send out a notice to your creditors letting them know that they won't receive anything through the bankruptcy and don't need to file a proof of claim documenting how much they're owed.

How do creditors get paid after bankruptcies? ›

Generally speaking, the debtor's creditors are paid from nonexempt property of the estate. The primary role of a chapter 7 trustee in an asset case is to liquidate the debtor's nonexempt assets in a manner that maximizes the return to the debtor's unsecured creditors.

Can a bank take your money if they go bankrupt? ›

If your bank fails, up to $250,000 of deposited money (per person, per account ownership type) is protected by the FDIC. When banks fail, the most common outcome is that another bank takes over the assets and your accounts are simply transferred over. If not, the FDIC will pay you out.

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