Late payments are more than just a headache for businesses—they contribute to thousands of closures each year.
Data from UK fintech Funding Circle estimates that roughly 14,000 businesses in the UK fail annually due to the knock-on effects of delayed payments—the equivalent of 38 closures every day. With around 280,000 businesses shutting down in the UK in 2024, late payments were a factor in about one in 20 cases.
Collectively, UK companies are owed an estimated £26 billion in overdue invoices at any given time. The average affected business is waiting on £17,000—nearly $20,000—in unpaid bills. Unsurprisingly, smaller firms bear the brunt of these cash flow pressures.
“Slow and late payments are unfailingly one of, and often the single biggest reason, for small businesses to fail,” said Hugh Thomas, Lead Analyst of Commercial and Enterprise at Javelin Strategy & Research. “This is true for every developed economy we have data for.”
Naming and Shaming the Late Payers
British financial authorities have taken steps to address the issue. The Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 requires larger companies to disclose details of their payment practices.
Businesses must report the share of invoices paid within 30 or 60 days, as well as their average payment times. Payment performance data must also be included in directors’ reports—similar in spirit to disclosure requirements overseen by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission—giving shareholders and analysts greater visibility.
“Our study from January shows how this legislation has been having a positive effect, driving down UK payment times in aggregate,” said Thomas. “But we’re also seeing that the trend towards faster payment and better terms compliance is not uniform, and that 30% to 40% of UK firms are actually paying slower and missing terms more often now than when the legislation was implemented. One hopes that ongoing efforts to identify and out slow and non-compliant payers will help with the issues cited by Funding Circle.”
Benefits of Transparency
Greater transparency helps suppliers make more informed decisions about whom they do business with. Over time, that could strengthen not just small businesses but the broader UK economy.
According to Funding Circle’s analysis, reducing poor payment practices by just 10% could generate nearly £1 billion in annual economic benefits. Fast payments would likely mean fewer closures, alongside stronger investment and productivity growth.
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