National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII)
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The National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII) is a publicly available electronic record of some personal insolvency proceedings in Australia.
The NPII provides information about individuals who have been subject to proceedings under the Bankruptcy Act 1966 from August 1928.
It does not include any information on company liquidations or administrations. Information about corporate (company) insolvencies is available from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission’s website. You can also search to see if a business name is registered and, if so, to whom.
If an individual operated a sole trader business, there won’t be a record of a business insolvency. Instead, you may wish to search the NPII for any records for the individual.
If you'd like to search the NPII, see Bankruptcy Register Search for steps on how to do this.
What information is recorded on the NPII?
- The name, date of birth (if known), residential address and occupation as disclosed on documents accepted by the Official Receiver.
- Previous names and aliases (if known).
- The type of proceeding, the date it started and the administration number.
- The name and contact details of the trustee or administrator of the proceeding.
- The status of the person and/or the proceeding. For example, if a person is discharged from bankruptcy or if a creditor’s petition for a person’s bankruptcy is in progress.
See the following page for more information: Official Receiver Practice Statement 8 The National Personal Insolvency Index.
NPII glossary
Below is a glossary of terms found on the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII).
Note the Bankruptcy Act refers to the Bankruptcy Act 1966
This contains personal information for the debtor.
A debtor’s personal details are entered into the NPII from documents specified in sections 75, 76, 77 and 78 of the Bankruptcy Regulations 2021. These details are entered at the date of registration of that person on the NPII.
Details will not be changed after being entered onto the NPII unless it is incorrect at the time of registration.
Any changes to a debtor's address and occupation after the start of an administration are not updated on the NPII. Only the trustee or administrator of the administration is notified.
Name |
The name of the debtor. This name remains on the NPII as the name attached to the administration or proceeding. Any change of name or other name advised during an administration will be entered as an alias name. |
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Date of birth |
The date of birth of the debtor. |
Also known as |
Any other name by which the debtor is known, also called an alias. |
Address |
The residential address of the debtor at the date of registration. |
Occupation |
The occupation of the debtor at the date of registration. |
Type of administration or proceeding under the Bankruptcy Act.
Registration of a person on the NPII will always be connected to an administration or proceeding under the Bankruptcy Act. These currently appear on an NPII extract against the label ‘Administration Type’.
Bankruptcy |
A bankruptcy under Part IV of the Bankruptcy Act can be made in two ways:
Note: the bankruptcy is deemed to start at 12.01am on the date the application is accepted or the order is made. |
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Debt Agreement |
Debt Agreements are an option available for insolvent debtors to deal with debt under Part IX of the Bankruptcy Act. |
S188 Authority |
An authority given by a debtor to a Controlling Trustee under Section 188 (of Part X) of the Bankruptcy Act to enable a meeting of creditors to be called to consider the debtor’s proposal for a Personal Insolvency Agreement. |
Personal Insolvency Agreement |
An option available to insolvent debtors to deal with debt under Part X of the Bankruptcy Act. |
Arrangement, Assignment, Composition |
Types of agreements no longer available in Australia. They were between debtors and creditors under Part X of the Bankruptcy Act and ceased to be available in 2004. |
S50 Order |
A Court order for a Trustee to take control of the debtor’s property under Section 50 of the Bankruptcy Act after a bankruptcy notice has been served but before the debtor becomes bankrupt. |
Admin Order (Part XI) |
A Court order for the administration of a deceased person’s insolvent estate under Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act. |
Trustee |
To administer bankrupt estates, a private trustee must be registered. Applications are submitted to the Inspector-General (AFSA) and decided by a Committee. If accepted the trustee is registered on the NPII. The word ‘Trustee’ next to the label Administration Type refers only to the registration of a private trustee, not to a trustee’s appointment to a specific administration. Registered Debt Agreement Administrators are not currently displayed on the NPII. |
XII |
Deed of Arrangement under Part XII of the prior Bankruptcy Act 1924 (ceased to be an option for debtors from February 1968). |
This indicates who started the proceedings.
Debtor's Petition |
A debtor has voluntarily applied for bankruptcy by completing a Bankruptcy Form and filing (or lodging) the documents with the Official Receiver (AFSA). When a Bankruptcy Form is accepted by the Official Receiver, the person is made bankrupt and is registered on the NPII. |
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Creditor's Petition |
A creditor/s has filed an application with the Federal Circuit Court or Federal Court of Australia requesting the Court to make a debtor/s bankrupt. A creditor/s can also petition the Court to place a deceased person’s insolvent estate into a bankruptcy administration under Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act. |
Sequestration |
A Court order for bankruptcy against a debtor, resulting from a Creditor’s Petition. Note: The word ‘Sequestration’ will usually appear against the Petition Type label together with the word ‘Bankruptcy’ against the label Administration Type. |
Administrator's petition |
The administrator of a deceased estate can petition the Court to place a deceased person’s insolvent estate into administration under Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act. |
Other information regarding Creditor's Petitions and Sequestration Orders |
Petitioning creditors and their solicitor, dates of hearing. |
Petitioning creditor |
Name of the creditor who filed the Creditor's Petition. |
PC solicitor |
Name and contact number of the Petitioning Creditor’s Solicitors. |
Dates of hearings |
Court dates in the Federal Circuit Court or Federal Court of Australia for the Creditor's Petition to be heard. |
AFSA reference |
Unique reference number for a proceeding. This label applies to Types Creditor’s Petition and Trustee Each AFSA Reference will consist of the originating State or Territory and a Number. Example - NSW 345678 // |
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Administration number |
Unique identification number for an administration. This applies to all Types except Creditor’s Petition and Trustee (see AFSA Reference above). Each identification number consists of the following:
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Extra information about the identification number |
Roman numerals show which part of the Bankruptcy Act the administration was made under;
Year is usually displayed as two digits but for the years 2000 through 2009 only one digit will be displayed. For example, the year 2002 will display as NSW/123456/2/6 IV. |
Court reference |
Unique identification number for a proceeding or matter being heard before the Court. For further information please refer to Federal Circuit Court or Federal Court of Australia. |
Start dates refer to the beginning of an administration or proceeding and appear against one of the following labels, depending on the Administration Type.
Date filed |
A start date of one of the following:
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Date authority |
Date a Section 188 Authority was signed by the debtor and the Controlling Trustee to enable a meeting of creditors to be called to consider a proposal for a Personal Insolvency Agreement. |
Date started |
Date a Personal Insolvency Agreement was accepted by creditors. For the progress of a Debt Agreement, see also Date ended and Result - an exception. |
Date proposal lodged |
Debt agreement dates:
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Date of bankruptcy |
Start date of an Administration Order under Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act - bankruptcy of a deceased person’s insolvent estate, made by the Federal Circuit Court or the Federal Court. This label appears only for an Administration Order. |
Entered on NPII |
Date the information was entered on the NPII. |
Lists the practitioner’s details for an administration or proceeding.
A Trustee is responsible for taking control of the property of a bankrupt or debtor under an administration under the Bankruptcy Act. A Trustee can be a private sector person who has been registered as a Trustee. If a Registered Trustee is not appointed to an administration, the Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (AFSA) will carry out this role.
A Debt Agreement Administrator (or DAA) is responsible for taking control of the administration of a Debt Agreement. A Registered Trustee can also administer Debt Agreements.
A Controlling Trustee is responsible for taking control of a debtor's property while the creditors consider a proposal for a Personal Insolvency Agreement.
Trustee name |
Name of the trustee or administrator appointed to the administration or proceeding. |
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Business name |
Business Name used by the appointed trustee or administrator. If the trustee is the Official Trustee in Bankruptcy, the business name will appear as AFSA (Australian Financial Security Authority). |
Postal address |
Postal address used by the appointed trustee or administrator. |
Phone number |
Contact phone number of the appointed trustee or administrator. |
Date ended |
Date an administration or proceeding has been discharged, terminated or ended. If <Contact ITSA> appears the record is likely to have a start date prior to July 1992. Due to legislation changes, dates of discharge may be required to be calculated on a case by case basis. Note that AFSA used to be called ITSA. |
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Result |
The reason an administration or proceeding has been discharged, terminated or ended. |
Debt Agreements - an exception to Date Ended + Result |
Date Ended and Result. |
Debt Agreement Proposal |
If a Debt Agreement has been proposed and the creditors have not yet made a decision:
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Debt Agreement made |
If a Debt Agreement has been made (the creditors have agreed to the proposal):
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Debt Agreement ended |
If a Debt Agreement has been complied with, terminated or ended in some way, or if the creditors have rejected the Debt Agreement Proposal:
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The Statement of Affairs and discharge from bankruptcy |
If you apply for bankruptcy, it normally ends 3 years and 1 day after we accept your bankruptcy application. If a creditor makes you bankrupt, it normally ends 3 years and 1 day after you file a Statement of Affairs that we accept. This will be affected if an objection to discharge has been entered. |
Date Statement of Affairs Filed or Date SA Filed |
If a date appears against this label, the Statement of Affairs has been filed with the Official Receiver (AFSA). If <Not yet Filed> appears, the Statement of Affairs has not been filed. This label will appear for bankruptcies (made by either debtor’s petition or Sequestration Order) S188 Authorities and Personal Insolvency Agreements. |
Objected - to discharge from a bankruptcy |
An objection to discharge from a bankruptcy will extend the length of time a person is bankrupt. |
Date recorded |
Date the objection was recorded on the NPII. |
Objector |
Person or entity who lodged the objection. |
Grounds |
The reasons for objecting to discharge from a bankruptcy. |
Objection result |
Objection withdrawn or cancelled. |
Result date |
Date the objection was withdrawn or cancelled. |
Result reason |
Which ground of objection was withdrawn or cancelled. |
Result person |
Person who lodged the withdrawal or cancellation. |
Found at the end of an NPII extract, this statement indicates the current overall status of an administration or proceeding. For example, if a Debt Agreement Proposal has been filed but not yet decided by creditors, the Overall Summary will state:
This debtor has put forward a proposal to creditors for consideration under Part IX of the Bankruptcy Act but a decision has not yet been made by creditors in respect to the proposal.