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About insolvency practitioners

Insolvency practitioners (IPs) are usually solicitors or accountants who specialise in insolvency cases. For example, they can act as the:

• 'trustee' in a bankruptcy – where they take control of and sell a bankrupt’s assets
  
• 'supervisor' in an individual voluntary arrangement (an alternative to bankruptcy) – where they manage a debtor’s repayments
  
• 'liquidator' in a company liquidation – where they take control of a company in liquidation and sell the assets

They can also provide advice on specific debt problems, for example, whether or not bankruptcy is the best way to deal with your debts. They will charge for this service. This advice is freely available from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the National Debtline.

Authorising bodies license (authorise) insolvency practitioners. They are also responsible for maintaining professional standards and investigating complaints about an IPs.

How to use this service

The directory contains an IP's full contact details and those of their licensing (authorising) body.

You can search by county or an IP's known details, like name, company or authorisation number.

• Search the insolvency practitioner directory Opens new window

Do not use this service if ...

The directory does not contain information about the cases an insolvency practitioner is working on, for example, individual bankruptcies and debt relief orders. You can search the Individual Insolvency Register for this information.

You can search for information on disqualified directors and company insolvencies on the Companies House website. There may be a charge for this service.

• The Individual Insolvency Register

• Companies House - company record search Opens new window

More useful links

• Debt - where to get free help and advice (money, tax and benefits section)

• Complain about an insolvency practitioner (money, tax and benefits section)