If they are truly going down and are a LLC or otherwise incorporated, there's probably not much you can do. Going forward, there are a few options: - If you ar

If they are truly going down and are a LLC or otherwise incorporated, there's probably not much you can do. Going forward, there are a few options: - If you are doing project-based work with specific deliverables, delay delivery of the project until payment is received. - Ask for a deposit from the client up front to cover such an eventuality. Depending on how much you want to cover your risk, this could be somewhere between 1/2 to a full month's worth of pay. To the client, if they ever want to terminate your consulting agreement, this becomes part of the last month's pay. - Ask to be paid in advance for your work, stop working if payment isn't made in advance. - Setup your consulting agreements so you are paid more frequently and stop working if you aren't paid when agreed. This limits the amount of money that could be owed to you. If you are going to seek legal options for compensation in your current situation, you should try to do it before they shut down and still have assets. Of course you should consult a lawyer and get real legal advice from someone who knows the law before pursuing this option.