How to cancel or dissolve a regulated society or branch, including distributing assets.
Societies will have a number of factors to take into account.
If your society is dual-regulated, then you have to:
- apply to cancel your Part 4a permissions
- apply to dissolve your society’s registration
If your society is unregulated, then you have to:
- apply to cancel or
- apply to dissolve your society’s registration
How you dissolve your society depends on what type of society you are.
Cancel a society’s registration
Use this form to cancel your society’s registration.
See the notes to help you fill in your cancelation form.
Dissolve a society
Friendly society registered under the 1974 Act
Dissolve a society or branch
Friendly societies registered or incorporated under the 1992 Act
Dissolve a society or branch
- Dissolve a society or branch (dissolution)
- Notes to help you fill in the dissolution of a society or branch form
Registered societies (co-operative societies, community benefit societies and societies previously known as ‘industrial and provident societies’)
Dissolve your society (instrument of dissolution)
Section 126 certificate
- Certificate to show that all property has been conveyed or transferred to the people entitled to it (fill in this certificate if you dissolve your society, to confirm that all property has been properly conveyed or transferred).
When your society is cancelled or dissolved
When you cancel or dissolve your society, it ceases to be registered with us. This means:
- it no longer appears on the Mutuals Public Register
- for societies with legal personality (eg, co-operatives and community benefit societies), you cease to be a body corporate
- members lose their limited liability and could be personally liable if things go wrong
If your society is insolvent
If your society is insolvent, you must follow the process set out in the Insolvency Act 1986 with minor alterations.
Find out more about insolvency.
Distribute assets
When a society dissolves, the instrument of dissolution set out how to distribute assets, and this must be in accordance with the society's rules – you may want to get legal advice.
If you’re unable to distribute assets
If you’re unable to distribute remaining assets, you may want to get legal advice.
What liquidators or receivers need to do
If you’ve been appointed as a liquidator or receiver of a society you should notify the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
For co-operatives and/or community benefit societies, you need to send a section 126 certificate after the dissolution or liquidation.
When the FCA cancels society registrations
The FCA can cancel a society’s registration if:
- for co-operatives and/or community benefit societies, it has fewer than three members (two for registered societies)
- it was registered by fraud or mistake
- the society ceases to exist
- there’s proof that the society exists for an illegal purpose
- the society has, after notice by the FCA, willfully violated the provisions of the Act
- the society is not meeting its condition for registration e.g. it is no longer a co-operative society
Re-registering a society
Where we have cancelled the registration of a society there is no process in legislation allowing ‘re-registration’ or restoration to the register. Societies can apply to register a new society under a different name.