Bankruptcy notice
Updated 2026-09-29
A bankruptcy notice is a formal legal demand issued after a court judgment, requiring a debtor to pay the debt within a set period or risk bankruptcy proceedings being started against them.
It is one possible enforcement route when a defendant has a judgment debt but has not paid voluntarily and other enforcement steps have not fully recovered the amount owed.
Failing to comply with a bankruptcy notice can lead to a bankruptcy petition, which, if successful, has serious consequences for the debtor, including restrictions on their finances and assets.
When it matters
A bankruptcy notice is generally considered when other enforcement steps have not worked and the defendant appears to have some means, since bankrupting someone with no assets rarely helps a creditor recover money.
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