Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

CORPORATIONS ACT 2001 - SECT 1.5.9

    Shareholders can take money out of the company in a number of ways, but only if the company complies with its constitution (if any), the Corporations Act and all other relevant laws. If a company pays out money in a way that results in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due, its directors may be liable:

•   to pay compensation; and

•   for criminal and civil penalties.

[sections   588G, 1317E, 1317G, 1317H, 1317P]

9.1 Dividends

    Dividends are payments to shareholders. They can only be paid if:

•   the company's assets are sufficiently in excess of its liabilities immediately before the dividend is declared; and

•   the payment of the dividend is fair and reasonable to the company's shareholders as a whole and does not materially prejudice the company's ability to pay its creditors.

    It is a replaceable rule (see 1.6) that the directors decide whether the company should pay a dividend.

[sections   254T, 254U]

9.2 Buy - back of shares

    A company can buy back shares from shareholders.

[sections   257A--257J]

9.4 Distribution of surplus assets on winding up

    If a company is wound up and there are any assets left over after all the company's debts have been paid, the surplus is distributed to shareholders in accordance with the rights attaching to their shares.