http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/117Insolvency Act 1986An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to company insolvency and winding up (including the winding up of companies that are not insolvent, and of unregistered companies); enactments relating to the insolvency and bankruptcy of individuals; and other enactments bearing on those two subject matters, including the functions and qualification of insolvency practitioners, the public administration of insolvency, the penalisation and redress of malpractice and wrongdoing, and the avoidance of certain transactions at an undervalue1986-07-25texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-02-02Expert Participation2026-02-02 Part IV Winding Up of Companies Registered under the Companies ActsChapter VI Winding Up by the Court Jurisdiction (England and Wales) High Court and county court jurisdiction.1171The High Court has jurisdiction to wind up any company registered in England and Wales.2Where in the case of a company registered in England and Wales the amount of its share capital paid up or credited as paid up does not exceed £120,000, then (subject to this section) the county court ... has concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court to wind up the company.2ADespite subsection (2), proceedings for the exercise of the jurisdiction to wind up a company registered in England and Wales may be commenced only in the High Court if the place which has longest been the company’s registered office during the 6 months immediately preceding the presentation of the petition for winding up is in the district that is the London insolvency district for the purposes of the second Group of Parts of this Act.3The money sum for the time being specified in subsection (2) is subject to increase or reduction by order under section 416 in Part XV.4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Every court in England and Wales having winding-up jurisdiction has for the purposes of that jurisdiction all the powers of the High Court; and every prescribed officer of the court shall perform any duties which an officer of the High Court may discharge by order of a judge of that court or otherwise in relation to winding up.6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under this section.S. 117 applied (with modifications) (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 7(3), Sch. 3 Pt. II para. 6S. 117 applied (with modifications) (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 8(3)(9), Sch. 4 Pt. II para. 5S. 117 applied (with modifications) (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 10(1), Sch. 6 para. 1S. 117 applied (with modifications) (2.4.2001) by 2000 c. 39, s. 8, Sch. 4 Pt. I para. 5; S.I. 2001/766, art. 2(1)(a) (subject to art. 3)S. 117 modified (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 9(a), Sch. 5 para. 1S. 117(8) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15(1), 148, Sch. 4 para. 186(3); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1Pt. 4 (ss. 73-219) modified by Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (c. 46, SIF 27), ss. 21(2), 25Pt. 4 modified by Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1987 (c. 41, SIF 39:1), ss. 30(6), 35(4), 47(4)(a)Pt. 4 modified by Criminal Justice Act 1988 (c. 33, SIF 39:1), ss. 86(5), 123, Sch. 8 para. 16 Pt. 4 modified (1.2.1993) by Friendly Societies Act 1992 (c. 40), s. 23, Sch. 10 para. 1(a) (with ss. 7(5), 93(4)); S.I. 1993/16, art. 2, Sch.3 (as amended (13.3.2018) by S.I. 2018/208, regs. 1(3), 3) Pt. 4 modified (E.W.S.) (31.3.1996) by 1995 c. 20, s. 110(1), Sch. 4 para. 3(4); S.I. 1996/517, art. 3(2) (subject to transitional provisions and savings in arts. 4-6, Sch. 2) (which modifying Act was itself repealed (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 6(1), 7(2), Sch. 5 (with Sch. 3, paras. 3, 16))Pt. 4 modified (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 43, ss. 44, 50(2), Sch. 2 para. 3(4)Pt. 4 modified (24.3.2003) by 2002 c. 29, ss. 426(8), 458(1)(3); S.I. 2003/333, art. 2, Sch. (subject to arts. 3-13 (as amended by S.I. 2003/531, arts. 3, 4))Pt. 4 (ss. 73-219) extended (with modifications) by Building Societies Act 1986 (1986 c. 53), ss. 54(3)(a)(5)(a), 90, 126(3), Sch. 15 (as amended (13.3.2018) by S.I. 2018/208, regs. 1(3), 2(2))Pts. 1-7 (ss. 1-251) applied (with modifications) by S.I. 1989/1276, arts. 2, 3Pt. 4 (ss. 73-219) applied (with modifications) (1.2.1993) by Friendly Societies Act 1992 (c. 40), ss. 21(1), 22, 23, Sch. 10 para. 1(a) (with ss. 7(5), 93(4)); S.I. 1993/16, art. 2, Sch. 3Pt. 4 applied (with modifications) (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 8(4)(5)(8)(9) (as amended (1.7.2005) by S.I. 2005/1516, art. 4)Pt. 4 applied (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 10(2)(3)(6), Sch. 4 Pt. II, Sch. 7 (as amended (1.7.2005) by S.I. 2005/1516, art. 5)Pt. 4: power to apply or incorporate conferred (6.4.2001) by 2000 c. 12, s. 14(1); S.I. 2000/3316, art. 2Pt. 4: power to apply (with modifications) conferred (20.11.2003) by Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 (c. 43), ss. 25(6), 26Pt. 4: power to apply (with modifications) conferred (E.W.) (1.3.2007) by National Health Service Act 2006 (c. 41), ss. 54(8), 55, 277First Group of Parts (Pts. 1-7) applied (with modifications) (15.12.2006) by The Banks (Former Authorised Institutions) (Insolvency) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/3107), art. 3, Sch. (as amended (1.4.2013) by S.I. 2013/472, art. 1(1), Sch. 2 para. 117; and (13.3.2018) by S.I. 2018/208, regs. 1(3), 11Pt. 4 amended (1.12.2001) by 2000 c. 8, s. 371(2)(b); S.I. 2001/3538, art. 2(1)Pt. 4 (except s. 185) modified (S.) (prosp.) by Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 3), ss. 45(5), 227(3) (subject to s. 45(1) and with ss. 45(6), 223)S. 117(2A) inserted by S.I. 1991/724, Sch. Pt. 1 (as amended) (E.W.) (22.4.2014) by The High Court and County Court Jurisdiction (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/821), arts. 1, 2(10)(a)(ii) (with art. 3)S. 117(4) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 93(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)Words in s. 117(2) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 93(a)(i); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)Words in s. 117(2) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 93(a)(ii); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)S. 117(6) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 93(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)Pt. 4 applied (1.12.1994) by S.I. 1994/2421, art. 10(2)(3)(6), Sch. 4 Pt. II, Sch. 7 (as amended (1.7.2005) by S.I. 2005/1516, art. 5 and (1.1.2015) by S.I. 2014/3486, arts. 1(2), 14 (with art. 3))Pt. 4 applied (with modifications) (S.) by S.S.I. 2001/128, reg. 4, Schs. 2, 3) (as modified) (temp.) (retrospective to 27.4.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), Sch. 10 paras. 8(1)(2), 14 (with ss. 2(2), 5(2))Pt. 4 modified (26.6.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), ss. 12, 49(1) (with ss. 2(2), 5(2))Pts. 1-4 applied (with modifications) in part (E.W.) (2.1.2013) by The Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Insolvency and Dissolution) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/3013), reg. 1, Sch. para. 1 (as amended (26.6.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), s. 49(1), Sch. 3 para. 49(3) (with ss. 2(2), 5(2)); (7.7.2020) by S.I. 2020/710, regs. 1, 4 (with reg. 6) (which affecting legislation is revoked and this amendment reversed (13.8.2020) by S.I. 2020/856, regs. 1(2), 2); and (13.8.2020 immediately after the coming into force of S.I. 2020/856, reg. 2) by S.I. 2020/856, regs. 1(3), 5 (with reg. 7))S. 117(7) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Insolvency (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/146), reg. 1(3), Sch. para. 19 (with regs. 4, 5); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)Pts. 1-4, 6, 7 applied to limited liability partnerships (with modifications) (E.W.S.) (6.4.2001) by S.I. 2001/1090, reg. 5, Schs. 3, 4 (as amended (4.3.2004) by S.I. 2004/355, art. 10; (1.10.2005) by S.I. 2005/1989, reg. 3, Sch. 2 (with reg. 4); (8.12.2017) by S.I. 2017/1119, reg. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pts. 2, 3; (temp.) (retrospective to 27.4.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), Sch. 10 paras. 8(1)(2), 14, Sch. 12 para. 6 (with ss. 2(2), 5(2); (26.6.2020) by S.I. 2020/643, reg. 1(1), Sch. 1 (with reg. 2); (26.6.2020) by Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (c. 12), s. 49(1), Sch. 12 para. 6 (with ss. 2(2), 5(2), 14(4)); and (16.2.2021) by S.I. 2021/60, reg. 1(1), Sch. 1 (with reg. 3(2)))Pts. 1-4 applied (with modifications) (8.7.2021) by The Payment and Electronic Money Institution Insolvency Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/716), reg. 2, Sch. 1 para. 3 (with reg. 5) (as amended (4.1.2024) by S.I. 2023/1399, regs. 1(2), 4)