# Accounts receivable statistics: how fast small businesses get paid

Small businesses in Australia are paid fastest (20.3 days on average in June 2026, a record low), and those in Canada wait longest (29.5 days).

Source page: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics

## Which countries pay small businesses fastest?

- Australia: small businesses waited 20.3 days on average to be paid in June 2026 (-4.3 days on a year ago), and invoices were paid 4.3 days late. Sales grew 4.8% year on year.
- New Zealand: small businesses waited 23.2 days on average to be paid in June 2026 (-0.9 days on a year ago), and invoices were paid 5.1 days late. Sales grew 11.5% year on year.
- United States: small businesses waited 29.1 days on average to be paid in June 2026 (+1.6 days on a year ago), and invoices were paid 8.3 days late. Sales grew 4.8% year on year.
- United Kingdom: small businesses waited 29.3 days on average to be paid in June 2026 (-0.3 days on a year ago), and invoices were paid 8.3 days late. Sales grew 4.8% year on year.
- Canada: small businesses waited 29.5 days on average to be paid in June 2026 (+1.9 days on a year ago), and invoices were paid 11.4 days late. Sales grew 3.8% year on year.

| Country | Days to be paid | Change on a year ago (days) | Days paid late | Sales growth (y/y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 20.3 | -4.3 | 4.3 | +4.8% |
| New Zealand | 23.2 | -0.9 | 5.1 | +11.5% |
| United States | 29.1 | +1.6 | 8.3 | +4.8% |
| United Kingdom | 29.3 | -0.3 | 8.3 | +4.8% |
| Canada | 29.5 | +1.9 | 11.4 | +3.8% |

South Africa is not covered by Xero Small Business Insights. South Africa's national and provincial government departments ended March 2026 owing suppliers R16.8 billion on 88,403 invoices older than 30 days, and paid R45.3 billion late over the 2025/26 fiscal year. In the private sector, 62% of small businesses reported cash flow problems in the past year.

## Is late payment getting worse?

Australia improved most over the year, with average payment times down 4.3 days. Small businesses in the United States and Canada are waiting longer than a year ago. Canada has the worst average lateness, at 11.4 days past the due date.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do higher interest rates make businesses pay their invoices later?

The data points that way, with exceptions. In the United States, invoices averaged 6.8 days late in 2021 when the federal funds rate averaged 0.1%, and 9.3 days late in 2024 with the rate above 5%: when money is expensive, large customers hold onto cash longer. It is not destiny though. Australia's cash rate rose through 2026 while its payment times fell to a record low, helped by payment-transparency rules and faster invoicing practices.

### Which country pays its small businesses fastest?

Australia is currently the fastest of the five countries tracked, with an average time to be paid of 20.3 days in June 2026, a record low for the dataset. Canada is the slowest at 29.5 days.

### What is the average time for a small business invoice to be paid?

Across the five countries tracked in June 2026, the average time from issuing an invoice to receiving full payment ranged from 20.3 days in Australia to 29.5 days in Canada. Most invoices carry terms of 7 to 30 days, so real payment times regularly run past the due date.

### How late are small business invoices paid on average?

In June 2026, invoices were paid an average of 4.3 to 11.4 days after their due date depending on the country. Canada has the worst average lateness at 11.4 days.

### Are late payments getting better or worse?

It depends where you are. Australia improved the most over the past year (average payment times fell 4.3 days), while United States and Canada have slipped backwards.

### Where does this data come from?

All figures come from Xero Small Business Insights (June 2026 release), an aggregated, anonymized dataset drawn from hundreds of thousands of small businesses using Xero across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Paidnice presents the data with independent analysis.

## Methodology

- Time to be paid: average days from invoice issue to full payment, from invoices marked fully paid in the month, weighted by invoice value, and seasonally adjusted.
- Late payments: average days an invoice is paid beyond its due date, seasonally adjusted.
- Source: Xero Small Business Insights, June 2026 detailed results, monthly from January 2017. The same method applies in every country. Paidnice's analysis is independent of Xero.

This page reports how long small businesses wait to be paid, from Xero Small Business Insights. How long large companies take to pay their suppliers is a different measure from government payment filings, and it is on the payment times pages.

## Cite

Small business payment statistics for Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US & Canada, analyzed by Paidnice. https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics

## Country pages

- [Australia](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/australia) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/australia.md)
- [New Zealand](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/new-zealand) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/new-zealand.md)
- [United Kingdom](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-kingdom) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-kingdom.md)
- [United States](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-states) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-states.md)
- [Canada](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/canada) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/canada.md)
- [South Africa](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/south-africa) (markdown: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/south-africa.md)

## Related

- [Payment times data: how long large UK and Australian companies take to pay](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times)
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