The short version
2026 editionKey takeaways
Each takeaway links to its canonical data row. Reported figures belong to their cited producer; modeled results are labeled as calculations.
- UK median reported average payment time: 32 days (2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- UK median reported late-payment share by number: 15% (2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- UK payment-practices reports in the annual dataset: 11,178 (2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- C – Manufacturing: median reported average payment time: 45 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- K – Financial and insurance activities: median reported average payment time: 21 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- M – Professional, scientific and technical activities: median reported average payment time: 31 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- F – Construction: median reported average payment time: 33 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- East Midlands: median reported average payment time: 38 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- London: median reported average payment time: 27 days (Calendar year 2025).UK Department for Business and Trade
- M – Professional, scientific and technical activities: modeled receivables at $1 million annual credit sales and the reported payment-time benchmark: $84,931.51 (Scenario using 2025 payment-day inputs).Workspace369 calculation
How long do large businesses take to pay in each industry?
Manufacturing has the longest median reported average payment time in this industry comparison; financial and insurance activities have the shortest. These are medians across business reports, not invoice-level medians.
Scroll horizontally to compare all columns →
| Industry (UK SIC section) | Payment time | Late by number | Late by value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A – Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 32 days | 15% | 15% |
| B – Mining and quarrying | 31 days | 12.5% | 11% |
| C – Manufacturing | 45 days | 21% | 21% |
| D – Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | 25 days | 11% | 8% |
| E – Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 37 days | 18.5% | 22% |
| F – Construction | 33 days | 14% | 13% |
| G – Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 37 days | 15% | 11% |
| H – Transportation and storage | 35 days | 12% | 14% |
| I – Accommodation and food service activities | 35 days | 9% | 10% |
| J – Information and communication | 29 days | 15% | 16% |
| K – Financial and insurance activities | 21 days | 13% | 12% |
| L – Real estate activities | 28 days | 17% | 19% |
| M – Professional, scientific and technical activities | 31 days | 16% | 16% |
| N – Administrative and support service activities | 27 days | 12% | 11% |
| O – Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 27 days | 14.5% | 14% |
| P – Education | 25 days | 16% | 16% |
| Q – Human health and social work activities | 26 days | 10% | 12% |
| R – Arts, entertainment and recreation | 30 days | 15% | 13% |
| S – Other service activities | 31 days | 12% | 12% |
Days are measured from receipt of the invoice. Late means outside agreed terms. Payment time and lateness are different measures.
Primary source: UK Department for Business and Trade — July 14, 2026
How do payment times compare across UK regions?
The East Midlands and West Midlands share the longest median reported average payment time in this release; London has the shortest.
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| Business region | Payment time | Late by number | Late by value |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 38 days | 16% | 15% |
| East of England | 33 days | 15% | 14% |
| London | 27 days | 14% | 13% |
| North East | 35 days | 12% | 16% |
| North West | 34 days | 14% | 16% |
| Northern Ireland | 33 days | 14% | 11% |
| Scotland | 32 days | 15% | 14% |
| South East | 32 days | 15% | 13% |
| South West | 31 days | 16% | 15% |
| Wales | 30 days | 18% | 13% |
| West Midlands | 38 days | 19% | 18% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 37 days | 16% | 15% |
Regional figures describe reporting businesses. They do not measure where every supplier or invoice is located.
Primary source: UK Department for Business and Trade — July 14, 2026
Has the reported payment time changed since 2018?
The median reported average payment time is lower than at the start of the series, but reporting-threshold changes limit like-for-like interpretation of the latest year.
Scroll horizontally to compare all columns →
| Year | Payment time | Late by number | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 35 days | 25% | 13,175 |
| 2019 | 34 days | 23% | 13,177 |
| 2020 | 34 days | 23% | 12,371 |
| 2021 | 33 days | 20% | 12,130 |
| 2022 | 33 days | 20% | 11,830 |
| 2023 | 32 days | 18% | 11,918 |
| 2024 | 32 days | 16% | 11,954 |
| 2025 | 32 days | 15% | 11,178 |
A business can file more than one report in a year. The report count is not a count of unique businesses. Late-payment value shares are not available across the entire historical series.
Primary source: UK Department for Business and Trade — July 14, 2026
What could these payment times mean for cash tied up in invoices?
Longer payment times increase modeled receivables when annual credit sales stay constant. This planning model applies the industry day count to steady annual sales; it is not measured debtor days or a forecast.
| Industry benchmark used | Modeled receivables (USD) |
|---|---|
| A – Agriculture, forestry and fishing | $87,671.23 |
| B – Mining and quarrying | $84,931.51 |
| C – Manufacturing | $123,287.67 |
| D – Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | $68,493.15 |
| E – Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | $101,369.86 |
| F – Construction | $90,410.96 |
| G – Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | $101,369.86 |
| H – Transportation and storage | $95,890.41 |
| I – Accommodation and food service activities | $95,890.41 |
| J – Information and communication | $79,452.05 |
| K – Financial and insurance activities | $57,534.25 |
| L – Real estate activities | $76,712.33 |
| M – Professional, scientific and technical activities | $84,931.51 |
| N – Administrative and support service activities | $73,972.60 |
| O – Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | $73,972.60 |
| P – Education | $68,493.15 |
| Q – Human health and social work activities | $71,232.88 |
| R – Arts, entertainment and recreation | $82,191.78 |
| S – Other service activities | $84,931.51 |
Workspace369 calculation: annual credit sales × days ÷ 365. USD is an illustrative sales currency; no UK-currency conversion is performed. Seasonality, disputes, write-offs, and changes in sales are excluded.
Primary source: UK Department for Business and Trade — July 14, 2026
How this report was built
Methodology and limitations
- We transcribed Figures 1–7 from the Department for Business and Trade’s 2025 release, published in 2026. Each download row identifies its exact figure and category.
- The payment-day measure is the median of averages reported by businesses. The late-payment measures are medians of the reported percentages, separately by invoice number and invoice value. Neither is a pooled average across every invoice.
- Annual assignment follows the source’s reporting-period rules. Reports can cover part of a year, and the source notes changes in qualification thresholds. The industry and regional comparisons are descriptive, not causal.
- Cash-flow amounts are original Workspace369 scenario calculations from the reported day counts. The fixed sales assumption and formula are included in every calculated data row.
What these numbers cannot tell you
- This is a UK large-business benchmark, not a global SME payment-time survey.
- The underlying reports are self-reported; the source does not independently verify every declaration. A typical report must not be presented as a typical invoice.
- The receivables scenario is a planning illustration, not accounting, credit, or collection advice.
Freshness and corrections
Maintained by the Workspace369 editorial team. Annual source refresh; next scheduled review July 2027. Check links quarterly. The edition date changes only when the evidence or content is substantively reviewed; it does not change the underlying observation period.
First edition: . Data extraction, source attribution and arithmetic checked for this edition. No independent peer review is claimed.
Found an error or a newer primary release? Send a correction with the source and affected statistic. Confirmed corrections should be recorded in the revision history before republishing.
Primary sources and provenance
Every reported numeric cell links directly to its producer. The downloads include exact table or workbook locators, observation periods, access dates, formulas and input references.
- UK Department for Business and TradeLarge businesses payment practices and performance statistics 2025: commentary ↗Published July 14, 2026. Accessed September 12, 2026.Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
- UK Department for Business and TradePayment practices statistics methodology ↗Publication date not recorded; see the original source. Accessed September 12, 2026.Open Government Licence v3.0
Made to be checked, then cited
How to cite this report
For a source-reported statistic, credit the original publisher and link to the exact row here when using our compilation. For a modeled result, cite Workspace369 and include the assumptions. Linking to this page does not make us the original producer of third-party data.
Workspace369. (2026-09-12). B2B Invoice Payment Times by Industry: 2026 Benchmark. https://workspace369.com/research/b2b-invoice-payment-statistics/. Primary sources and observation periods as listed in the report.
The downloads are English-language reference datasets, including on translated pages. Source rights remain with their producers. Attribute Workspace369’s compilation and calculations; consult each source’s reuse terms.