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SimpleClosure Alternatives: 6 Ways to Close a Company
Last updated October 7, 2026
Starcycle provides operational support for shutdowns. We're not a substitute for legal, tax or financial advice.
Home / Alternatives
Last updated October 7, 2026
Starcycle provides operational support for shutdowns. We're not a substitute for legal, tax or financial advice.
If you're comparing SimpleClosure with other ways to close a company, the routes are Starcycle, filing with the state yourself, an attorney, a CPA, a full-service wind-down, or an ABC when the company can't pay its debts. We at Starcycle start at $399 plus state fees and typically take 8 to 10 weeks. Last updated October 6, 2026.
Your company may have investors, employees and registrations in several states, and each one adds filings. This page ranks the approaches by who does the work, with the costs we can source.
1
Our service
Best for: founders who want the filings, payroll tax closure and key dates handled for them in a turnkey, hands-off way, with partner CPAs and lawyers or their own
2
Best for: a single-state company with no investors, no employees and time to spare
3
best when the decisions are legal ones, such as investor rights, disputes or a company that owes more than it has.
4
best when the open questions are final returns, payroll tax accounts and the closing balance sheet.
5
Best for: funded companies that want one team to coordinate legal filings, tax paperwork, asset sales and investor distributions
6
the formal routes when the company can't pay its debts, led by an attorney.
We are a shutdown service for U.S. LLCs and corporations. Our service is built around the founder's experience of closing their company. You get a customized plan, and we handle the administrative paperwork, including dissolution articles, IRS Form 966, EIN cancellation and payroll tax account closure. We cover all 50 states, track key dates with good-standing checks, and take care of sales tax account closure through a partner. We also help you track contracts and subscriptions and key dates, so everything is shut down, and you take the cancellation actions. The experience is turnkey and hands-off: we do the heavy lifting and there is little for you to do. Pricing starts at $399, which is the service fee, so state government fees are extra and $399 is the floor. A shutdown typically takes 8 to 10 weeks.
There are two tiers, and the second one matters for the scenarios on this page. Our self-serve tier is written for a single-member LLC or a straightforward corporation with one state registration, no investors or cap table, and no active contracts. Our white-glove tier covers a Delaware C-corp or multi-state entity, a company with investors and a cap table, and one with active contracts, subscriptions or leases, with a dedicated team member. White-glove cases are quoted individually.
We have partner CPAs and lawyers for pretty much every situation. We arrange final federal and state returns through partner CPAs, or work with your own CPA. We also offer a complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners. We support the board resolutions and stockholder consents a closing needs, while your counsel or CPA calculates and makes any distributions to investors, and any asset sale agreement goes to counsel. We don't do bankruptcy work, and an attorney decides which route fits a company that can't pay its debts.
We can also make intros to lawyers and accountants, and our partner CPAs and lawyers are optional, since you can bring your own. For a side-by-side with the named service, see Starcycle vs SimpleClosure.
Filing yourself means you work from the state's forms and the IRS's closing checklist. It suits a company with one registration, no employees and no investors to notify, because the work grows with every added state or stakeholder.
State filing fees are public. Among the four states we checked, the dissolution filing runs from $0 to $224:
At the federal level, IRS Form 966 is due within 30 days after the resolution or plan is adopted, and the IRS closes an EIN by letter after final returns and taxes are paid.
An attorney is the right first call when the decisions are legal ones. That includes investor rights under a SAFE or preferred stock, a dispute with a vendor or former employee, and any question about whether the company can pay what it owes.
Attorneys bill their own way, by the hour or at a quoted flat fee, so we don't print a range here. We couldn't source one from a neutral publisher. Ask for a written scope that lists which filings the firm handles and which it leaves to you.
A CPA covers the tax side: final federal and state income tax returns, payroll tax filings, and the closing financials that support the final return. A CPA still prepares the returns, and we can arrange one through our partner CPAs.
On employees, SimpleClosure's own guide lists final wages, PTO, COBRA notices within 44 days of the qualifying event, W-2s by January 31, and the WARN Act at 100 or more employees as items to plan for. Your CPA and employment counsel confirm which of these apply to your company.
A full-service wind-down is an arrangement where one company coordinates the closing for you across legal filings, tax paperwork, vendors, employees, asset sales and investor distributions. These services are built for funded companies with many stakeholders, and many describe a six-phase or multi-step process under one team.
SimpleClosure publishes market ranges for the approaches on this page, and its guide puts what it calls a managed wind-down at $25,000 to $75,000 and 2 to 8 weeks when the company can cover its obligations. Those are SimpleClosure's published market ranges, and its footnote says a full-service wind-down can shorten the time and lower the cost. Pricing for individual services is quoted per company, so ask for the scope in writing, including whether final tax returns are included.
An assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) hands the company's assets to an assignee who sells them and pays creditors. Bankruptcy puts the process under a court. Both apply only when the company can't pay its debts, and an attorney decides which one fits. We don't do this work.
SimpleClosure's published ranges put an ABC at $75,000 to $150,000 over 3 to 6 months, and bankruptcy at $100,000 to $500,000 or more over 6 to 24 months. The same guide quotes bankruptcy court filing fees of $338 for Chapter 7 and $1,738 for Chapter 11. Its FAQ adds that a full-service wind-down isn't limited to solvent companies, but insolvency changes the risk profile.
The right mix depends on how many states, stakeholders and obligations the company carries. Three situations come up most.
A company that owes more than it has should start with an attorney, before choosing among the other approaches.
| Step | You | Starcycle | Lawyer or CPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board resolution and stockholder consent | Decide and sign | Supports the documents and key dates | Reviews the terms |
| State dissolution filing and EIN cancellation | Approve | Prepares and submits | Advises on prerequisites |
| Foreign-state withdrawals | Provide registrations | Covers all 50 states and tracks key dates | Advises on state taxes |
| Contracts, leases and subscriptions | Decide what to end and take the cancellation action | Helps you track contracts, subscriptions and key dates | Advises on disputes |
| Payroll tax accounts | Provide records | Closes the accounts | CPA if needed |
| Final tax returns | Provide the books | Arranged through partner CPAs, or yours | CPA prepares and files |
| Investor distributions | Approve | Not included | Counsel or CPA calculates |
| Assets | Decide | Complimentary asset recovery review, through a network of partners | Counsel reviews any asset sale agreement |
| Debts the company can't pay | Raise early | Not included | Attorney leads |
We compared approaches by who does the filing, who signs the legal and tax decisions, and what each one costs. State fees come from the Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (revised August 1, 2026), the California Secretary of State, the New York Department of State, the Texas Secretary of State and the IRS closing-a-business page. Ranges for a full-service wind-down, ABC and bankruptcy come from SimpleClosure's published guide and are labeled as such. State fees change, so confirm on the day you file.
The six approaches differ in who carries the work. Doing it yourself costs the least cash and the most of your time, an attorney or CPA covers the decisions that need a licensed professional, and a full-service wind-down folds the coordination into one scope. We sit between those, with a plan, the state filings, payroll tax account closure, EIN cancellation and coverage in all 50 states, and partner CPAs and lawyers, or your own, on the legal and tax calls. ABC and bankruptcy apply when the company can't pay its debts, and an attorney leads them.
If you have investors, employees or registrations in several states, count them first, since they decide which approach fits. We can build your plan from that list, and we can also make intros to lawyers and accountants.
You can close a company by filing with the state yourself, hiring an attorney or CPA, using us, using a full-service wind-down, or, if the company can't pay its debts, going through an ABC or bankruptcy. The right one depends on how many states, investors and employees are involved.
Among the four states we checked, the state filing fee runs from $0 in California to $224 in Delaware, with $60 in New York and $40 in Texas. Franchise or minimum taxes, a registered agent and tax preparation are extra.
The documents your company signed with investors set what happens at closing, so an attorney should review them. We support the board resolutions and consents and work alongside your lawyer.
We arrange final federal and state returns through partner CPAs, or work with your own CPA. A CPA still prepares them.
Talk to an attorney first. An assignment for the benefit of creditors and bankruptcy are the formal routes, and we don't do that work.
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