Insolvency Service enforcement outcomes 2025-26
Updated 20 November 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/insolvency-service-enforcement-outcomes-management-information/insolvency-service-enforcement-outcomes-2025-26
These tables show numbers of director disqualifications, bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions achieved by the Insolvency Service as well as on-going and concluded civil and criminal investigations. They are sourced from live Insolvency Service administrative systems and therefore some figures may be revised in future updates.
1. Director disqualifications
Table 1 shows numbers of director disqualifications in Great Britain resulting from enforcement activity of the Insolvency Service under Sections 2, 6 and 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act (CDDA) 1986. For Section 2, only those cases resulting from a referral or significant input from the Insolvency Service are included. The total number of director disqualifications is published annually by Companies House.
Table 1: Number and mean length of director disqualifications, Great Britain, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Number | Mean length (years) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 633 | 8.0 |
| Apr 25 | 100 | 8.0 |
| May 25 | 96 [r] | 8.4 [r] |
| Jun 25 | 83 [r] | 8.0 |
| Jul 25 | 93 [r] | 7.9 [r] |
| Aug 25 | 83 [r] | 7.9 |
| Sep 25 | 82 [r] | 8.2 [r] |
| Oct 25 | 96 | 7.7 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
1.1 Section 6 director disqualifications
Table 2 contains numbers of disqualifications under Section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act (CDDA) 1986. Section 6 relates to unfit conduct in relation to an insolvent or dissolved company. The number of allegations relating to COVID-19 financial support scheme abuse are also shown. Numbers of allegations are derived from information recorded on the Insolvency Service administrative systems. In some cases multiple allegations were recorded. The numbers below include all cases for which at least one allegation related to COVID-19 financial support schemes was recorded.
Since December 2021, the Insolvency Service has had the power to investigate directors of dissolved companies as well as insolvent companies. The numbers of Section 6 disqualifications relating to dissolved companies are shown in the table below.
Table 2: Director disqualifications under Section 6 of the CDDA, Great Britain, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Section 6 disqualifications in period | Of which relate to dissolved companies | Of which relate to unfair treatment of the crown allegations | Of which relate to COVID-19 financial support scheme abuse allegations | Mean length (years) for COVID-19 allegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 576 | 2 | 69 | 428 | 9.3 |
| Apr 25 | 88 | 0 | 7 | 65 | 9.3 |
| May 25 | 90 [r] | 0 | 7 | 72 [r] | 9.2 [r] |
| Jun 25 | 77 [r] | 1 | 12 | 53 [r] | 9.2 [r] |
| Jul 25 | 86 | 0 | 10 | 65 | 9.1 |
| Aug 25 | 78 [r] | 0 | 10 | 57 [r] | 9.3 |
| Sep 25 | 73 [r] | 0 | 9 | 53 [r] | 9.7 [r] |
| Oct 25 | 84 | 1 | 14 | 63 | 9.4 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
2. Bankruptcy restrictions
Table 3 contains information on bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions, imposed under the Insolvency Act 1986. It is derived from information recorded on Insolvency Service administrative systems. The number of debt relief restrictions is small and therefore only the combined numbers of bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions are shown.
Table 3: Bankruptcy and debt relief restrictions, England and Wales, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Number | Mean length (Years) | Of which relate to COVID-19 financial support scheme abuse allegations | Mean length (years) for COVID-19 allegations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 61 | 7.9 | 38 | 9.0 |
| Apr 25 | 10 | 7.5 | 5 | 9.0 |
| May 25 | 9 | 7.3 | 6 | 8.5 |
| Jun 25 | 6 | 6.5 | 3 | 8.7 |
| Jul 25 | 11 | 8.5 | 8 | 9.1 |
| Aug 25 | 8 [r] | 8.5 [r] | 5 | 8.8 |
| Sep 25 | 12 | 8.3 | 8 | 9.2 |
| Oct 25 | 5 | 7.6 | 3 | 9.3 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
3. Criminal investigation outcomes
Table 4 contains information on the number of defendants convicted following a criminal investigation and charges brought by the Insolvency Service. Convicted defendants may receive more than one sentence.
Table 4: Criminal investigation outcomes, Great Britain, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Defendants convicted | Of which relate to COVID-19 financial support scheme abuse |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 41 | 20 |
| Apr 25 | 11 | 6 |
| May 25 | 8 | 3 |
| Jun 25 | 6 | 3 |
| Jul 25 | 4 [r] | 2 |
| Aug 25 | 2 | 1 |
| Sep 25 | 4 [r] | 3 [r] |
| Oct 25 | 6 | 2 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
3.1 Criminal sentencing
Table 5 contains information on the types and lengths of criminal sentences resulting from investigations concluded by the Insolvency Service
Table 5: Criminal investigation sentencing, Great Britain, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Criminal sentence: unpaid work (hours) | Criminal sentence: confiscation orders value (£) | Criminal sentence: number of rehabilitation orders | Criminal sentence: imprisonment (incl.suspended) (months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 3,725 | 59,204 | 0 | 744 |
| Apr 25 | 1,400 | 0 | 0 | 194 |
| May 25 | 420 | 0 | 0 | 154 |
| Jun 25 | 925 | 0 | 0 | 70 |
| Jul 25 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 110 [r] |
| Aug 25 | 400 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| Sep 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 131 [r] |
| Oct 25 | 400 | 59,204 | 0 | 63 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
4. Civil investigation outcomes
Table 6 contains information on compensation order outcomes granted either by the courts following an application by the Insolvency Service on behalf of the Secretary of State or settled by way of undertaking.
Table 6: Civil investigation outcomes, Great Britain, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Civil compensation order and undertakings | Civil compensation order and undertakings value (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 66 | 3,317,771 |
| Apr 25 | 15 | 579,899 |
| May 25 | 11 | 969,664 |
| Jun 25 | 7 | 377,821 |
| Jul 25 | 10 | 414,929 [r] |
| Aug 25 | 9 [r] | 508,787 [r] |
| Sep 25 | 9 [r] | 302,125 [r] |
| Oct 25 | 5 | 164,545 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table. Values for compensation orders and undertakings may be revised upwards in future months due to the time taken for information to be recorded in the relevant administrative system.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
4.1 Companies wound up in the public interest
Table 7 contains information on companies wound up in the public interest following investigations by the Insolvency Service under s447(3) of the Companies Act 1985 .
Table 7: Companies wound up in the public interest, United Kingdom, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Winding up orders as a result of live company investigation |
|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 32 |
| Apr 25 | 2 |
| May 25 | 10 |
| Jun 25 | 0 |
| Jul 25 | 6 |
| Aug 25 | 8 [r] |
| Sep 25 | 3 |
| Oct 25 | 3 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
5. Enforcement work in progress
5.1 Targeted for investigation
Table 8 contains information on the volume of criminal and director disqualifications in Great Britain, live companies under s447(3) of the Companies Act 1985 in the United Kingdom and bankruptcy restriction cases targeted for investigation in England and Wales by the Insolvency Service.
Table 8: Enforcement work in progress, targeted for investigation, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Cases targeted for criminal investigation | Companies targeted for civil investigation | Companies targeted for live investigation | Bankruptcy restrictions targeted for investigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 103 | 1241 | 174 | 68 |
| Apr 25 | 24 | 165 | 11 | 15 |
| May 25 | 7 [r] | 192 | 21 | 9 |
| Jun 25 | 13 | 194 | 30 | 7 |
| Jul 25 | 16 [r] | 160 | 42 | 12 [r] |
| Aug 25 | 13 [r] | 158 | 33 | 7 |
| Sep 25 | 19 | 200 | 9 | 9 |
| Oct 25 | [x] | 172 | 28 | 9 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
[x] indicates that the number is unavailable at the time of publication and will be included in a future version of this table.
The numbers of cases targeted for criminal investigation are provisional and the latest month is likely to be revised upwards in future publications.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
5.2 Under investigation
Table 9 contains information on the volume of investigations commenced but not yet concluded by the Insolvency Service for criminal, director disqualifications in Great Britain, live companies under s447(3) of the Companies Act 1985 in the United Kingdom and bankruptcy restriction cases in England and Wales.
Table 9: Enforcement work in progress, totals as at the end of each month, 2025/26
| Period | Cases under criminal investigation | Company cases under civil disqualification investigation | Live companies under criminal investigation | Bankruptcy restriction defendants under investigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As at 31 April 2025 | 167 | 1,044 | 73 | 124 |
| As at 30 May 2025 | 173 | 1,027 | 68 | 118 |
| As at 31 June 2025 | 173 | 1,031 | 70 | 107 |
| As at 30 July 2025 | 169 | 1,003 | 75 | 85 |
| As at 31 August 2025 | 177 | 1,004 | 77 | 47 |
| As at 30 September 2025 | 183 | 1,026 | 64 | 38 |
| As at 31 October 2025 | 180 | 1,036 | 71 | 34 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems
6. Enforcement work concluded
Table 10 contains information on the volume of investigations concluded by the Insolvency Service for criminal, director disqualification in Great Britain, live companies under s447(3) of the Companies Act 1985 in the United Kingdom and bankruptcy restriction cases in England and Wales.
Table 10: Enforcement work investigation concluded, 2025/26 year to date
| Period | Criminal case investigations concluded | Company case investigations for civil director disqualifications concluded | Live company investigations under companies act 1985 concluded | Bankruptcy restriction investigations concluded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 YTD | 63 | 699 | 110 | 100 |
| Apr 25 | 5 | 153 | 10 | 8 |
| May 25 | 10 | 83 | 19 | 9 |
| Jun 25 | 7 | 104 | 8 | 9 |
| Jul 25 | 13 | 87 | 11 | 38 |
| Aug 25 | 5 | 105 | 17 | 21 |
| Sep 25 | 15 [r] | 80 | 31 | 8 |
| Oct 25 | 8 | 87 | 14 | 7 |
[r] indicates that the number has been revised from the previously published version of this table.
Source: Insolvency Service administrative systems