{
  "title": "Late payment statistics: UK evidence and a client cash-flow model",
  "description": "UK late payment statistics from two government publications, with source tables, definitions, downloadable evidence and a transparent cash-flow calculator.",
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-01",
  "version": "1.1",
  "methodologyUrl": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a50c8a69e9c95844ae64ca1/large-business-payment-practices-statistics-methodology-and-background-quality-report.pdf",
  "stats": [
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK businesses; weighted survey of 1,455 respondents",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-affected",
      "claim": "Businesses taking at least one mitigating action",
      "value": 28,
      "unit": "percent",
      "display": "28%",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 8, text below Table 2",
      "method_notes": "Weighted estimate; previous year; definition also includes payment terms over 60 days.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK businesses; weighted survey of 1,455 respondents",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-chasing",
      "claim": "Surveyed businesses spending staff time chasing debtors",
      "value": 22,
      "unit": "percent",
      "display": "22%",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 8, Table 2",
      "method_notes": "Previous-year response; denominator is surveyed businesses, not only affected businesses.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK businesses; weighted survey of 1,455 respondents",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-outstanding",
      "claim": "Estimated late-payment balance across UK businesses",
      "value": 26000000000,
      "unit": "GBP",
      "display": "£26bn",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 9, text below Table 3",
      "method_notes": "Stock at a point in time, scaled using business population estimates; not annual lost revenue.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK affected businesses; balance question has 1,365 usable responses across size classes",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-affected-balance",
      "claim": "Mean late-payment balance per affected business",
      "value": 17085,
      "unit": "GBP",
      "display": "£17,085",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 9, Table 3, Average row",
      "method_notes": "Weighted estimate for affected businesses; not the median or an individual-business forecast. Table sample excludes missing balances.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK affected micro businesses, 0–9 employees; balance question sample includes 660 micro respondents",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-micro-balance",
      "claim": "Mean late-payment balance per affected micro business",
      "value": 9214,
      "unit": "GBP",
      "display": "£9,214",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 9, Table 3, Micro row",
      "method_notes": "Micro means 0–9 employees; affected businesses only; self-reported balances. Table excludes missing balances.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "London Economics for DBT and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner",
      "source_title": "Late Payments Research: impact on the UK economy",
      "source_url": "https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a089a6478525675738ff9/late_payments_research_impact_on_uk_economy.pdf",
      "publication_date": "2025-07-30",
      "period": "Survey fieldwork 15 January–7 February 2025; previous-year questions are not calendar 2024",
      "population": "UK businesses; weighted survey of 1,455 respondents",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright 2025; Open Government Licence, excluding logos and identified third-party material (PDF final page).",
      "stat_id": "uk-economic-cost",
      "claim": "Central modelled annual cost to the wider economy",
      "value": 10745000000,
      "unit": "GBP/year",
      "display": "£10.745bn",
      "source_locator": "Printed page 12, Table 7, Total row",
      "method_notes": "Model combines survey and historical econometric evidence; low/high totals £4.739bn/£17.643bn, reflecting component 90% confidence intervals.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "Department for Business and Trade",
      "source_title": "Large businesses payment practices and performance statistics 2025",
      "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025-commentary",
      "publication_date": "2026-07-14",
      "period": "2025 reporting year, assigned by majority of each reporting period",
      "population": "Valid self-reported filings by UK large businesses in scope of the reporting regulations",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0 except identified third-party copyright.",
      "stat_id": "large-time",
      "claim": "Median reported average time to pay suppliers",
      "value": 32,
      "unit": "days",
      "display": "32 days",
      "source_locator": "Figure 1 accessible table, 2025 row",
      "method_notes": "Median of individual report values; not the median time across pooled invoices.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "Department for Business and Trade",
      "source_title": "Large businesses payment practices and performance statistics 2025",
      "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025-commentary",
      "publication_date": "2026-07-14",
      "period": "2025 reporting year, assigned by majority of each reporting period",
      "population": "Valid self-reported filings by UK large businesses in scope of the reporting regulations",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0 except identified third-party copyright.",
      "stat_id": "large-late-count",
      "claim": "Median reported share paid late, by invoice count",
      "value": 15,
      "unit": "percent",
      "display": "15%",
      "source_locator": "Figure 4 accessible table, 2025 row, by number",
      "method_notes": "Median of report-level proportions; late means after agreed terms, not terms over 60 days.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "Department for Business and Trade",
      "source_title": "Large businesses payment practices and performance statistics 2025",
      "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025-commentary",
      "publication_date": "2026-07-14",
      "period": "2025 reporting year, assigned by majority of each reporting period",
      "population": "Valid self-reported filings by UK large businesses in scope of the reporting regulations",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0 except identified third-party copyright.",
      "stat_id": "large-late-value",
      "claim": "Median reported share paid late, by invoice value",
      "value": 14,
      "unit": "percent",
      "display": "14%",
      "source_locator": "Figure 4 accessible table, 2025 row, by value",
      "method_notes": "Median of report-level proportions; first reporting year available for this measure is 2025.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "Department for Business and Trade",
      "source_title": "Large businesses payment practices and performance statistics 2025",
      "source_url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025/large-businesses-payment-practices-and-performance-statistics-2025-commentary",
      "publication_date": "2026-07-14",
      "period": "2025 reporting year, assigned by majority of each reporting period",
      "population": "Valid self-reported filings by UK large businesses in scope of the reporting regulations",
      "geography": "United Kingdom",
      "primary_source": true,
      "license_notes": "Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0 except identified third-party copyright.",
      "stat_id": "large-reports",
      "claim": "Valid reports included in the release",
      "value": 11178,
      "unit": "reports",
      "display": "11,178",
      "source_locator": "Figure 7 accessible table, 2025 row",
      "method_notes": "Count of reports, not unique businesses; normally two reports per business per year; coverage changed in 2025.",
      "accessed_date": "2026-10-01",
      "status": "verified"
    }
  ],
  "model": {
    "status": "derived",
    "producer": "Client Work HQ",
    "formula": "outstanding = monthly_invoiced * payment_days / 30",
    "monthly_invoiced": 10000,
    "baseline_days": 30,
    "scenarios": [
      30,
      45,
      60
    ],
    "currency": "GBP",
    "assumptions": [
      "Steady-state invoicing at an even daily rate",
      "A 30-day model month",
      "All invoices collected after the selected fixed delay",
      "No VAT, bad debt, deposits, growth, seasonality or financing charges"
    ],
    "limits": "Illustrative arithmetic, not a survey, loss estimate, forecast or software performance claim."
  },
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-01T05:07:14.238Z",
  "modifiedAt": "2026-10-01T05:10:19.913Z",
  "reuseTermsUrl": "https://clientworkhq.net/research/late-payment-statistics/#reuse"
}