on 29 january 2020, it was announced that the company had gone into administration. administrators bdo were appointed by metro bank. the company had been in court over £300,000 of unpaid taxes due to hm revenue and customs, from an original amount of £600,000, with company representatives stating that £135,000 in "outstanding research and development tax relief" was overdue and would substantially reduce the amount owed. hmrc gave the company more time to pay and the court case was adjourned until mid-february. there were reports that there had been fraudulent wrongdoing which affected hundreds of pension holders who invested in the company, norton customers, and staff; government ministers had endorsed norton as millions of pounds of government grants and loans were provided.