How to check if a company is in liquidation
Search the company’s name or ACN on ASIC’s Published notices website, which is free to search and holds insolvency and external administration notices published since 1 July 2012. Then check the company’s record on ASIC’s companies register. If a liquidator has been appointed, deal with the liquidator: they control the company and handle creditors’ claims.
Step 1: search ASIC’s Published notices website
ASIC’s Published notices website is the central place for notices that must be published under the Corporations Act, including insolvency and external administration notices. You do not need to register to search it. It contains notices published from 1 July 2012. Notices you may find include a resolution to wind up a company, a call for creditors to lodge proofs of debt, and ASIC’s notice that it intends to deregister a company.
Step 2: check the company on ASIC’s companies register
Search the company by name, a business name it holds, or its ACN. Basic information is free, including the company’s name and type, ACN, registration date, next review date, the suburb, state and postcode of its registered office, and a list of documents lodged with ASIC. ASIC also offers a refreshed public beta search alongside ASIC Connect.
The document list is often the most useful part. An external administrator notifies ASIC of their appointment on Form 505. You can buy copies of lodged documents, such as a liquidator’s report to creditors, through the register for a fee.
Step 3: read what you find
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A liquidator or administrator appointment, or a winding-up resolution | The company is under external administration. See company liquidation or voluntary administration. |
| Status ‘strike off in progress’ or an ASIC notice of proposed deregistration | ASIC has started to deregister the company, most often for unpaid annual review fees. See strike-off action in progress. |
| Deregistered | The company no longer exists as a legal entity. A creditor may be able to apply to have it reinstated. |
| A receiver appointed | A secured creditor has appointed a receiver over some or all of the company’s assets. See receivership. |
Step 4: keep watching
ASIC’s company alert service is free and tells you when certain documents are lodged for a company you are tracking. If you supply goods on credit, you can also search the Personal Property Securities Register to see whether anyone holds a security interest over the company’s assets.
If the company you are owed money by is in liquidation
- You cannot start or continue legal action against the company without the court’s permission.
- The liquidator must send creditors information about their rights within 10 business days of appointment in a creditors’ voluntary liquidation, or 20 business days in a court liquidation, and a report within three months.
- Before any dividend is paid, the liquidator gives at least 14 days’ notice to lodge a formal proof of debt.
- If the company paid you in the six months before the liquidation began, the liquidator may claim the payment was an unfair preference. ASIC suggests asking the liquidator for details and evidence, and getting independent legal advice before repaying.
If it is your own company that is in trouble
Warning signs often appear before any appointment: a statutory demand, a director penalty notice, or ATO action to wind up the company. Directors have more options before a liquidator is appointed than after. See what to do if your company can’t pay its debts.
Common questions
How do I find out if a company is in liquidation?
Search the company name or ACN on ASIC’s Published notices website, then check the company’s record and lodged documents on ASIC’s companies register.
Is it free to check?
Searching ASIC’s Published notices website is free and does not require registration. Basic company information on ASIC’s register is also free. Copies of lodged documents can be bought for a fee.
How do I find out who the liquidator is?
The liquidator’s details appear in the published notices about the winding up and in the appointment documents lodged with ASIC.
Can I still sue a company that is in liquidation?
Unsecured creditors cannot start or continue legal action against a company in liquidation unless the court permits. Claims are made to the liquidator instead.
What does strike off in progress mean?
It means ASIC has started to deregister the company, most commonly because its annual review fee is at least 12 months overdue. ASIC may deregister the company two months after publishing its notice.
How far back do ASIC’s published notices go?
The Published notices website contains notices published from 1 July 2012.
Sources: ASIC, Published notices; ASIC, Company and organisation registers; ASIC, Liquidation: a guide for creditors (INFO 45); ASIC, When ASIC initiates a company’s deregistration. This page is general information, not advice about your circumstances. Last reviewed: 16 October 2026.
Written by John Chand, Principal and Registered Liquidator. John has more than 17 years’ insolvency experience. Meet the team.
