Why a company gets one
The usual trigger is persistent failure to file. Companies House starts compulsory strike-off when a company has not filed accounts or confirmation statements for a long period and is not responding to correspondence. The registrar concludes the company is no longer carrying on business and begins the removal process. Less commonly, a notice follows an application by the company's own directors for voluntary strike-off: that is a different notice type, but it appears in the same place.
What happens after the notice
The notice gives interested parties at least two months to object. Creditors, HMRC, or the company itself can stop the strike-off by notifying Companies House, usually because a debt is outstanding or the company is still trading. If no objection arrives, the company is struck off and dissolved, and its assets become property of the Crown.
What it tells you about risk
A compulsory strike-off notice on a company you deal with is a red flag of a specific kind. The company has stopped meeting its most basic public obligations. That habit rarely stops at Companies House. Combine the notice with the company's other signals: CCJs, overdue filings, charges and the trajectory of its accounts.
One caution: strike-off is not a debt collection process, and a creditor who lets a debtor be struck off loses their hold over the company. If the company owes you money, objecting to the strike-off keeps it alive and keeps your options open.
Check any England & Wales company free. R-Score, CCJs, winding-up petitions, charges and five years of accounts on every profile.