Company Insolvencies Rise in April 2026

The number of registered company insolvencies in England and Wales was 2,085 in April 2026, 2% higher than in March 2026 (2,037), and 3% higher than the same month in the previous year (2,028 in April 2025).

Company insolvencies in April 2026 consisted of 371 compulsory liquidations, 1,510 creditors’ voluntary liquidations (CVLs), 183 administrations, 20 company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) and one receivership appointment.

Compulsory liquidations in April 2026 were higher than the monthly average in 2025. The number of CVLs in April 2026 was slightly higher than March 2026 and similar to the average of the past 12 months.

April 2026 High

Administrations were 21% lower than in March 2026 but 78% higher than in April 2025. Numbers in March and April 2026 were affected by approximately 200 connected companies in the Real Estate sector entering administration in these months property and asset management firm, The Seventy Ninth Group).

Relative Numbers

One in 193 companies on the Companies House effective register (at a rate of 51.8 per 10,000 companies) entered insolvency between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026. This was a decrease from the 52.5 per 10,000 companies that entered insolvency in the 12 months ending 30 April 2025.

Insolvency rates are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis as a proportion of the total number of companies on the effective register. The 12-month rolling rates show longer term trends and reduce the volatility associated with estimates based on single months.

While the insolvency rate has increased since the lows seen in 2020 and 2021, it remains much lower than the peak of 113.1 per 10,000 companies seen during the 2008-09 recession. This is because the number of companies on the effective register has more than doubled over this period.

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