A customer has gone into liquidation: how do I claim?

Check the company’s identity and formal status through Companies House and the appointment notice. Use verified contact details for the office-holder. A familiar trading name may belong to a different legal entity from the one shown on your invoices.

Retain the company number, invoices, contract, delivery evidence, credit notes and correspondence about disputes. Explain any part-payment or credit insurance claim so the balance is accurate.

If your contract reserves ownership of unpaid goods, raise that claim promptly and provide the terms and identification evidence. Do not remove goods without agreement. Set-off, security and ownership claims require assessment rather than simply filing an ordinary invoice claim.

Before accepting further orders, establish who is ordering, on whose authority and under what payment terms. An old unpaid balance is not automatically covered by a new order.

Adjust the cash forecast to reflect a delayed or uncertain recovery. Review credit limits and exposure to connected customers. Keep chasing your other receivables, but avoid spending heavily on enforcement without understanding the insolvency restrictions and likely recovery.

Ask when progress information will be available. Complex asset recoveries can take considerable time, and a report may confirm that there are no funds for unsecured creditors.