CORPORATE LIQUIDATION: Definition, Causes, & More

Certain companies may sometimes fold up due to certain situations such as failure, lack of good business performance, or corporate restructuring. In this case, the company sells assets to pay off debts and creditors. After the settlement, the owners or shareholders of the business share the remaining funds. We call this process corporate liquidation. This article explains corporate liquidation order, problems, and what happens to net operating loss (NOL). It also explains the corporate liquidation code section and tax.

What Is Corporate Liquidation?

Liquidation in business or finance is the process of winding up a business and sharing its assets with candidates. Liquidation is a planned decision, and it is usually taken to step out of a non-functioning business or asset. It is an incident that usually happens when a company is insolvent.

As a business stops working, you use the assets that are remaining to pay creditors and shareholders, depending on the priority of their claims. For liquidation to take place, a company hires a liquidator or an insolvency expert to handle the winding up professionally. The company will also allow the liquidator to sell its corporate assets in the open market to generate funds.

Generally, the liquidating corporation recognizes gain or loss on the distribution of property to its owners in a complete liquidation.

Causes of Corporate Liquidation

You may be aware that over 50% of companies fail in their first three years. The risks in the first years are the basic ongoing risks to companies.

Here are the reasons for this:

Lack of experts in commercial operations: You conduct business in a way to increase risk.
Lack of knowledge of business practices: Even the most basic business practices are important. For instance, entering into a contract without being aware of contractual duties is often a serious mistake.
Inadequate resources to cover the costs of making the business workable: Some companies need capital and time that many companies just don’t have.
Excessive expenses, usually while trying to build a business: Also, throwing money at business development can be harmful.
Failure of clients to pay money owing or to follow through on business projects: Another reason for corporate liquidation is that failing companies bring down your company.
Competition: Corporations liquidate because they made the mistake of underestimating their competitors.
Impractical business ventures: High-risk ventures always include costs to the business which put the business in debt.
Financial management: Bad financial management can also liquidate corporations.
Creditor’s situations: Borrowing money on the basis of future revenue is also a typical reason for business failure.

Types of Liquidation

Winding up is the end of the road; hence, it is either by force or voluntary. They are as follows:

#1. Compulsory liquidation

In this type of corporate liquidation, the creditors sue to the court to divide the firm. This is so because the creditors no longer believe the firm can pay them back.

#2. Members’ voluntary liquidation

When a company meets its purposes, the owners can decide to wind up. Alternatively, business owners can also decide to transfer, or the firm can undergo a restructuring.

#3. Creditors’ voluntary liquidation

In this type, the company becomes bankrupt and the owners initiate this process to avoid court intervention or required dissolution.

Corporate Liquidation Order

The order in which creditors receive priority during a corporate liquidation order process is as follows:

#1. Secured creditors with a fixed charge

Secured creditors in a corporate liquidation order are mostly banks and asset-based lenders with security in the form of a mortgage on a business area or land.

Assets that they use in this way are often important to a business and they cannot sell them in the normal course of events. Depending on the agreement, however, in liquidation, you can sell the asset as the charge holder to realize funds.

#2. Preferential creditors

In a corporate liquidation order, preferential creditors include employees to whom they owe arrears of wages and holiday pay up to certain limits and remaining pension contributions.

#3. Secured creditors with a floating charge

Assets subject to a floating charge often include stock, raw materials, work in progress, fixtures, and fittings—basically any other assets not subject to a fixed charge. Floating charge creditors also qualify to receive a distribution from the net property of the company (the amount remaining after the application of cost) subject to the dilution of the part that they prescribe.

The prescribed part is an amount set aside from the sale of assets with a floating charge that has been taken out after September 15th, 2003. This is for the benefit of unsecured creditors to boost their chances of getting a return from the liquidation.

#4. Unsecured creditors

Unsecured creditors in corporate liquidation orders include trade creditors, supplies, customers, and contractors. It also includes some staff claims, rental areas and lease dilapidation, and unsecured loans from banks and lenders.

#5. Connected unsecured creditors

In a corporate liquidation order, we also call these creditors associate creditors. They can include spouses and other members of a director’s family, or maybe a member of staff who has loaned money to the company on an unsecured basis.

What Happens to NOL in Corporate Liquidation?

The following is what happens to net operating loss (NOL) in corporate liquidation.

#1. Carryover Requirement

The first thing that happens to NOL in corporate liquidation is that section 381(c)(1) requires the receiving corporation to succeed, and take into account, the net operating loss carryovers of the distributor corporation. To determine the amount of these carryovers as of the close of the date of distribution or transfer, and to integrate them with any carryovers and carrybacks of acquiring corporation for purposes of deciding the taxable income for the acquiring corporation for taxable years ending after the date of the distribution, it is necessary to apply the provisions of section 172 in line with the conditions and limitations of section 381(c)(1) and this section.

Also, the next thing that happens to NOL in corporate liquidation is that carryovers and carry-backs of the receiving corporation, determined as of the close of the date of distribution shall be worked out without reference to any NOL of the distributor corporation. The NOL carryovers of a distributor as of the close of the date of distribution shall be determined without reference to any NOL of the acquiring corporation.

For purposes of the tax imposed under section 56, the acquiring corporation succeeding to and taking into account any NOL carryovers of the distributor corporation shall also succeed to and take into account, along with such NOL carry forward any deferred tax debt under section 56(b) and the regulations thereunder attributable to such NOL carryover.

#2. Carryback of Net Operating Losses.

A NOL of the receiving corporation for any taxable year ending after the date of distribution shall not be carried back in working out the taxable income of a distributor corporation. However, a NOL of the getting corporation for any such taxable year shall be carried back in line with section 172(b) in working out the taxable income of the getting corporation for a taxable year ending on or before the existence after the date of distribution, a NOL kept by it for any taxable year beginning after such date shall be carried back in line with section 172(b) in working out the taxable income of such corporation for a taxable year ending on or before that date, but can not be carried back or over in working out the taxable income of the getting corporation.

Corporate Liquidation Code Section

The corporate liquidation code section is below:

In the corporate liquidation code section, the gain or loss to an owner from a distribution in partial or complete liquidation is to be determined under section 1001 by comparing the amount of the distribution with the cost or other basis of the stock. In addition, in the corporate liquidation code section, losses will be recognized only to the extent provided in section 1002 and will be subject to the provisions of parts I, II, and III (section 1201).

Corporate Liquidation Problems

Below are corporate liquidation problems:

#1. Marka

One of the corporate liquidation problems is the UAE’s popular retail and leisure brand that was announced bankrupt by the Dubai court. The court ordered liquidation. Legal notices were sent to the parent firm and the company’s subsidiary as well. The court also assigned a bankruptcy trustee and asked the directors to hand over all the documents, assets, and funds.

The court also ordered the board of directors to pay 448 Dirhams to the creditors. Because of the company’s mismanagement and non-disclosure of accurate information, the penalty was levied.

#2. Design Studio Group

Another one of the corporate liquidation problems is the Design Studio Group (DSG). It is a Singapore-based global interior design company that decided to wind up voluntarily. The board of directors of DSG filed a dissolution application on October 27, 2021. This happened because the business was unable to generate enough cash flow to pay off corporate debt.

Conclusion

Companies do divide because of certain reasons that this article contains. Before starting up your company, make sure you know the causes of business failure to avoid being a victim. Also, when it comes to company division, know the procedures that you will use.

FAQs On Corporate Liquidation

What happen when a corporation liquidates?

Your corporation must release any and all employees, terminate existing contracts and notify vendors, suppliers, and customers. It must also sell or auction assets and use the proceeds to pay any of its outstanding debts and obligations

Can a company come back from liquidation?

The short answer to this is ‘no’ since the firm will no longer exist. It is possible, however, to buy back the assets of the company – whether they be stock, premises, client base, or even the business name.

Are liquidating distributions from a corporation taxable?

Payments in surplus of the entire investment are considered capital gains and are taxed accordingly. The investor may claim a capital loss, which lowers their tax burden if the amount received is less than their original cost basis invested in the stock.