Can you close a company with an outstanding Bounce Back Loan?
By DormantFile · Updated 29 March 2026
In practice, no. Your BBL lender is a creditor, and creditors can object to a voluntary strike-off during the two-month Gazette notice period. Even if the company is dissolved without objection, the debt does not disappear — the lender can apply to have the company restored to the register to pursue what it is owed.
What this means
You need to keep the company on the Companies House register and continue meeting your annual filing obligations until the Bounce Back Loan is fully repaid. Letting the company lapse does not help — it just adds late filing penalties on top of the debt.
What you still need to file
While the company remains open, you must file each year:
- Annual dormant accounts with Companies House
- A nil CT600 with HMRC (if registered for Corporation Tax)
- A confirmation statement (CS01) with Companies House
The BBL itself does not affect your company's dormant status — provided repayments are not being made through the company's own bank account.
After repayment
Once the loan is cleared, you can apply to close the company using form DS01 if you no longer need it. Or keep it dormant for future use.
For a full breakdown of your obligations and how to keep costs down, see our guide on Bounce Back Loans and dormant companies.