When a business gets into trouble, clear information matters. Plain-English guides to insolvency, liquidation, voluntary administration, director duties, closing a business properly — and starting again.
General information only — not legal or financial advice. For your situation, speak to a qualified professional.
Step-by-step explanations of liquidation, voluntary administration, and receivership — who is appointed, what they do, and what it means for owners, employees, and creditors.
What directors are responsible for when a company struggles, including insolvent trading, director penalty notices, and the safe harbour protections — explained without the jargon.
Constructive guidance on closing a business properly, rebuilding your finances and credit, looking after your wellbeing, and starting again after a business failure.
Work through our 12-item warning-signs self-checklist, based on the indicators of insolvency that courts and ASIC commonly refer to. It runs entirely in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere, and it points you to the right kind of professional help — it never delivers a verdict.
Plain-English explainers on insolvency, director duties, and recovery.
When does a company's failure become a director's personal problem? A plain-English guide to insolvent trading, director penalty notices, personal guarantees, safe harbour protections, and how directors can protect themselves by acting early.
A constructive guide to life after a business failure in Australia: the crucial difference between company liquidation and personal bankruptcy, rebuilding your finances and credit, looking after your mental health, and starting your next chapter.
The three main formal insolvency processes for Australian companies explained side by side: who appoints whom, who they act for, what happens to the business, and how each process ends.
A step-by-step guide to winding down and closing a solvent Australian business the right way: employees, tax, contracts, final lodgements, ASIC voluntary deregistration, and when a members' voluntary liquidation is the better exit.
The recurring patterns behind small business failure in Australia — cash flow, concentration, control, and conditions — and the warning signs that give owners time to act before the options run out.
A plain-English, step-by-step guide to company liquidation in Australia: how it starts, what the liquidator does, what happens to directors, employees, and creditors, and how it ends.
If your business is in financial difficulty, you do not have to work it out alone. The Small Business Debt Helpline (1800 413 828) offers free, independent financial counselling for small business owners. If things feel overwhelming, Lifeline (13 11 14) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Check the Warning Signs