About the NPII
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?
Information entered on the NPII is sourced from documents given to the Official Receiver.
The NPII provides information required by the bankruptcy regulations which can include but is not limited to:
- Personal information that identifies a debtor, such as their full name, aliases (if known), date of birth (if known), residential address and occupation.
- The type of administration or proceeding (including the sub type, indicating if the application is individual, joint or partnership), the date it started and the administration number.
- The name of the trustee or administrator of the proceeding.
- General information of the estate.
- The status of the person and/or the proceeding. For example, if a person is discharged or annulled from bankruptcy, or if a creditor’s petition for a person’s bankruptcy is in progress.
- The commencement date of a debtor’s petition (the date the bankruptcy has relation back to).
- The date the trustee finalised their administration of the insolvency proceeding.
Further information on information displayed on the NPII can be seen within the glossary section below.
See the following page for more information: Official Receiver Practice Statement 8 The National Personal Insolvency Index.
AFSA is undertaking a phased approach to modernise and strengthen the National Personal Insolvency Index (NPII) and comply with legislative requirements. As a result, new fields have been added to NPII search results.
AFSA is undertaking work to support data population of these new fields. Therefore, the following new fields have not been populated for all records:
- Commencement date – the earliest act of bankruptcy committed by a debtor (under section 40 of the Bankruptcy Act 1966) for a bankruptcy by debtor's petition.
- Statement of joint/partnership affairs filed – date of filing of a statement of affairs for joint debtors and partnerships.
- Finalisation date – date the administration of a bankruptcy estate is finalised by a trustee.
- Release date – date a trustee is released from the trusteeship of an estate under section 184 or 184A of the Bankruptcy Act 1966.
Those seeking to rely on information on the NPII should make their own enquiries before doing so. The information contained in an extract comes from the National Personal Insolvency Index at the time and date of the extract.
If you think the information contains errors or have questions regarding data that is not captured for these new fields, please contact AFSA on 1300 364 785.
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. |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Commencement Date | Debtor’s Petition - This field is populated with the date of the earliest act of bankruptcy (as per sections 40 and 115 of the Bankruptcy Act) committed by the debtor in the six months prior to the presentation of the petition. The date may be earlier than six months prior if there was a creditor’s petition pending, or if a date is specified by the Court. |
| Finalisation Date | This is the date the administration of a debtor’s estate is finalised by the trustee. |
| Date finalisation entered on NPII | This is the date the finalisation was recorded on the NPII. |
| Petitioning debtor (only for partnership estates) | Flags if the debtor is the petitioning debtor or not the petitioning debtor who has voluntarily applied for bankruptcy by completing a Bankruptcy Form and filing (or lodging) the documents with the Official Receiver (AFSA). |
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’. An administration sub-type will display to indicate if the matter is individual, partnership or joint.
| Bankruptcy |
A bankruptcy under Part IV of the Bankruptcy Act can be made in two ways:
Note: the bankruptcy is deemed to start at 12.00am on the date the application is accepted or the order is made. |
|---|---|
| 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. |
|
Administration Order (Part XI) |
A Court order for the administration of a deceased person’s insolvent estate under Part XI of the Bankruptcy Act. |
| 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. |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Petitioning creditor’s 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. |
This contains personal information for a related debtor.
| Name |
The name of the related 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. |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | The date of birth of the related debtor. |
| Also known as | Any other name by which the related debtor is known, also called an alias. |
| Address | The residential address of the related debtor at the date of registration. |
| Occupation | The occupation of the related debtor at the date of registration. |
| Petitioning debtor (only for partnerships) | Flags if the debtor is the petitioning debtor or not the petitioning debtor who has voluntarily applied for bankruptcy by completing a Bankruptcy Form and filing (or lodging) the documents with the Official Receiver (AFSA). |
| AFSA reference |
Unique reference number for a proceeding. This label applies to Type Creditor’s Petition. Each AFSA Reference will consist of the originating State or Territory and a Number. Example - NSW 345678 // |
|---|---|
| Administration number |
Unique identification number for an administration. This applies to all Types except Creditor’s Petition. Each identification number consists of the following:
|
| 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:
|
|---|---|
| Date authority | Date a Section 188 Authority signed by the debtor and the Controlling Trustee became effective 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:
|
| 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. All trustees and administrators that are currently appointed or have been appointed in the past will appear in this section.
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. |
|---|---|
| Trustee/Administrator Registration Number | The registration number of the trustee or administrator. |
| Start Date | The date the trustee was appointed. |
| End Date | The date the trustee had finalised the administration. |
| Release Date | The release date is the date the trustee is released from their obligations to administer the estate. |
Will be displayed when a statement of affairs has been filed on behalf of a joint administrations or partnerships.
| Statement of joint affairs filed | If a date appears against this label, the statement of joint affairs has been filed with the Official Receiver (AFSA). |
|---|---|
| Statement of partnership affairs filed | If a date appears against this label, the statement of partnership affairs has been filed with the Official Receiver (AFSA). |
To be displayed only in the event an annulment of a bankruptcy has occurred.
| Annulment Reason |
Lists the type of annulment that occurred. Annulment can occur in three ways:
|
|---|---|
| Annulment Date |
Discloses the date the annulment occurred.
|
| 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. |
|---|---|
| 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:
|
| Debt Agreement made |
If a Debt Agreement has been made (the creditors have agreed to the proposal):
|
| 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:
|
| Date Statement of Affairs Filed |
If the Official Receiver (AFSA) accepts the statement of affairs, the date the statement of affairs was filed will display. 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 and Administration Orders under Part XI. |
| 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.