New Zealand small business payment times & late payment statistics
Small businesses in New Zealand waited an average of 23.2 days to be paid in June 2026, with invoices settled 5.1 days late on average.
Explore payment times, debtor days and late payment trends by industry and region, monthly from 2017 to today. Data: Xero Small Business Insights, analysed by Paidnice.
Time to be paid
23.2days
-0.9 days vs a year ago
Paid late by
5.1days
-0.5 days vs a year ago
Sales growth (y/y)
+11.5%
+4.0% a year ago
Jobs growth (y/y)
-0.3%
-0.3% a year ago
Wages growth (y/y)
+0.2%
+2.8% a year ago
New Zealand small businesses are among the faster paid in this five-country dataset, and lateness is near its lowest level since records began in 2017. The gap between sectors is still wide: manufacturers wait roughly two and a half times longer than hospitality businesses to see their money.
How long does it take to get paid in New Zealand?
Monthly averages, January 2017 to June 2026. Pick a metric, zoom the range, and overlay industries or regions to compare against the national line.
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Time to be paid and late payment days are seasonally adjusted. Sales, jobs, and wages are year-over-year growth. Shaded marker: COVID-19 pandemic onset (March 2020).
Context:
Average payment times by industry in New Zealand
Debtor days by sector, June 2026. Click a column heading to sort.
Industry
Time to be paid
Paid late by
Change vs a year ago
Manufacturing
33.7 days
7.8 days
-2.1d
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
29.2 days
7.6 days
+0.9d
Health Care and Social Assistance
27.5 days
8.5 days
+1.1d
Construction
24.5 days
6.6 days
-1.2d
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
23.2 days
3.6 days
-2.1d
Administrative and Support Services
22.8 days
3.6 days
-1.2d
Other Services
21.5 days
3.6 days
-1.4d
Retail Trade
20.5 days
3.6 days
-1.2d
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
17.4 days
8.4 days
+1.3d
Accommodation and Food Services
13.2 days
2.7 days
-0.2d
Slowest paid: Manufacturing
Manufacturing businesses waited 33.7 days on average in June 2026, 10.5 days longer than the national average.
Fastest paid: Accommodation and Food Services
At 13.2 days, Accommodation and Food Services collects 20.5 days faster than Manufacturing.
Most overdue: Health Care and Social Assistance
Invoices in Health Care and Social Assistance run 8.5 days past their due date on average, the worst of any sector.
Average payment times by region in New Zealand
How long businesses wait to be paid across New Zealand's regions, June 2026. Click a column heading to sort.
Region
Time to be paid
Paid late by
Change vs a year ago
Hawke's Bay
28.7 days
8.2 days
+0.9d
Marlborough, Nelson & Tasman
28.7 days
4.7 days
+1.2d
Taranaki
26.2 days
5.8 days
+1.9d
Auckland
24.4 days
6.6 days
-1.4d
Northland
23.4 days
4.0 days
+0.9d
Wellington
23.0 days
5.1 days
-1.5d
Waikato
22.4 days
4.7 days
-0.9d
Canterbury
22.1 days
3.9 days
-0.6d
Bay of Plenty
21.1 days
3.6 days
-0.8d
Southland
20.8 days
1.8 days
-0.8d
Otago
19.7 days
3.2 days
-1.3d
Manawatu-Whanganui
19.0 days
1.8 days
-2.8d
Slowest: Hawke's Bay
Businesses in Hawke's Bay waited 28.7 days on average to be paid in June 2026.
Fastest: Manawatu-Whanganui
Manawatu-Whanganui leads at 19.0 days, 9.7 days ahead of Hawke's Bay.
New Zealand payment trends since 2017
Average days from invoice to payment, every month since January 2017, with the record months marked.
Right now
23.2 days
June 2026
Five-year average
24.5 days
now 1.3d faster
Fastest month
22.6 days
June 2021
Slowest month
29.0 days
April 2020
Overdue range
4.0–9.3 days late
now 5.1 days
The cost of money. The RBNZ Official Cash Rate stood at 2.25% in June 2026. The cost of credit shapes how aggressively customers stretch their payables; use the context panel under the explorer chart above to overlay the full rate history.
Frequently asked questions: New Zealand payment times
How long do small businesses in New Zealand wait to be paid?
As of June 2026, small businesses in New Zealand waited an average of 23.2 days from issuing an invoice to receiving full payment (-0.9 days vs a year ago). This is the actual observed payment time across anonymised Xero invoices, not the stated payment terms.
How late are invoices paid in New Zealand?
Invoices in New Zealand were paid an average of 5.1 days after their due date in June 2026 (-0.5 days vs a year ago). The historical range runs from 4.0 days (February 2026) to 9.3 days (January 2017).
Which industry waits longest to be paid in New Zealand?
Manufacturing has the longest wait, at 33.7 days on average in June 2026. Accommodation and Food Services is the fastest paid, at 13.2 days. Measured by days past the due date, Health Care and Social Assistance fares worst at 8.5 days late on average.
Which region has the slowest payment times in New Zealand?
Hawke's Bay is currently the slowest, with businesses waiting 28.7 days on average to be paid. Manawatu-Whanganui is the fastest at 19.0 days, a gap of 9.7 days.
Are payment times in New Zealand getting better or worse?
Payment times are improving. The average wait of 23.2 days in June 2026 compares with 24.1 days a year earlier and a five-year average of 24.5 days.
Where does this data come from?
All figures come from Xero Small Business Insights (June 2026 release), which aggregates anonymised data from hundreds of thousands of small businesses using Xero. Payment metrics are calculated from invoices marked fully paid in the month, weighted by invoice value, and seasonally adjusted. Paidnice presents the data with independent analysis; the underlying dataset is published by Xero.
Can I charge late payment interest in New Zealand?
New Zealand has no statutory late payment interest rate for business-to-business invoices. You can charge late fees or interest only if your terms of trade provide for them, and the amounts should be reasonable. Paidnice applies these charges automatically in Xero once they are in your terms.
Does the New Zealand government have payment time rules?
There is no reporting regime like Australia’s for private businesses. New Zealand government agencies, however, have committed to prompt payment targets for domestic supplier invoices, and eInvoicing adoption is being encouraged partly because it speeds up payment.
Methodology, definitions & sources
Time to be paid
Average days from invoice issue to full payment, calculated from invoices marked fully paid in the month, weighted by invoice value and firm-level sample weights, and seasonally adjusted. Invoices without payment terms are excluded.
Late payments
Average days an invoice is paid beyond its due date, seasonally adjusted. An average of 5.1 days late means the typical invoice dollar arrives 5.1 days after the agreed terms.
Sales, jobs & wages growth
Year-over-year growth rates from anonymised, aggregated small business accounting data. These show the demand backdrop against which payment behaviour moves.
Payment dataXero Small Business Insights, June 2026 detailed results for New Zealand. Paidnice's analysis (rankings, comparisons, and commentary) is independent of Xero.
Citing this page? You're welcome to use these statistics with attribution:
New Zealand small business payment statistics, analysed by Paidnice. https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/new-zealand
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