# New Zealand small business payment times and late payment statistics Small businesses in New Zealand waited an average of 24.6 days to be paid in September 2026, and invoices were paid 4.6 days after their due date on average. Across the July to September 2026 quarter, the period Xero headlines in its own commentary, the average wait was 25.4 days, with invoices 5.2 days late. Source page: https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/new-zealand ## Headline numbers - Small businesses in New Zealand waited an average of 24.6 days to be paid in September 2026, against 25.3 days a year earlier. - Invoices in New Zealand were paid an average of 4.6 days after their due date in September 2026, against 5.1 days a year earlier. - Small business sales in New Zealand grew 5.6% year on year in September 2026. - Small business jobs in New Zealand grew 1.9% year on year in September 2026. - Small business wages in New Zealand grew 0.1% year on year in September 2026. 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 2.9 times as long as hospitality businesses to see their money. ## How long do New Zealand small businesses wait to be paid by industry? - Manufacturing: small businesses in manufacturing in New Zealand waited 35.1 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 9.3 days late (0.0 days on a year ago). - Health Care and Social Assistance: small businesses in health care and social assistance in New Zealand waited 28.5 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 9.3 days late (+3.0 days on a year ago). - Professional, Scientific and Technical Services: small businesses in professional, scientific and technical services in New Zealand waited 28.4 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 6.7 days late (-0.1 days on a year ago). - Construction: small businesses in construction in New Zealand waited 24.2 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 6.2 days late (-1.5 days on a year ago). - Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing: small businesses in agriculture, forestry and fishing in New Zealand waited 23.1 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 2.7 days late (-1.5 days on a year ago). - Administrative and Support Services: small businesses in administrative and support services in New Zealand waited 22.0 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.3 days late (0.0 days on a year ago). - Other Services: small businesses in other services in New Zealand waited 21.4 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.3 days late (-2.1 days on a year ago). - Retail Trade: small businesses in retail trade in New Zealand waited 20.6 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.4 days late (-0.5 days on a year ago). - Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services: small businesses in rental, hiring and real estate services in New Zealand waited 17.7 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 6.4 days late (+1.6 days on a year ago). - Accommodation and Food Services: small businesses in accommodation and food services in New Zealand waited 12.0 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 2.2 days late (-2.0 days on a year ago). ## Which New Zealand regions wait longest to be paid? Small businesses in Hawke's Bay waited longest to be paid in September 2026, at 29.0 days on average, and those in Manawatu-Whanganui were paid fastest, at 19.7 days. - Hawke's Bay: small businesses in Hawke's Bay waited 29.0 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 7.4 days late (+1.0 days on a year ago). - Marlborough, Nelson & Tasman: small businesses in Marlborough, Nelson & Tasman waited 28.5 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 4.6 days late (+1.1 days on a year ago). - Auckland: small businesses in Auckland waited 28.0 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 4.8 days late (-0.6 days on a year ago). - Taranaki: small businesses in Taranaki waited 25.6 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.0 days late (+0.8 days on a year ago). - Wellington: small businesses in Wellington waited 25.2 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 5.9 days late (-0.8 days on a year ago). - Northland: small businesses in Northland waited 24.8 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 4.4 days late (+2.1 days on a year ago). - Southland: small businesses in Southland waited 24.8 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.2 days late (+0.4 days on a year ago). - Canterbury: small businesses in Canterbury waited 22.3 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.9 days late (-0.3 days on a year ago). - Bay of Plenty: small businesses in Bay of Plenty waited 21.2 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.3 days late (-1.3 days on a year ago). - Waikato: small businesses in Waikato waited 21.1 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 3.5 days late (-1.6 days on a year ago). - Otago: small businesses in Otago waited 20.8 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 4.0 days late (-0.9 days on a year ago). - Manawatu-Whanganui: small businesses in Manawatu-Whanganui waited 19.7 days on average to be paid in September 2026, and were paid 2.6 days late (-1.2 days on a year ago). ## Is late payment getting worse in New Zealand? Payment times in New Zealand are improving. The average wait was 24.6 days in September 2026, against a five-year average of 24.7 days. The fastest month since January 2017 was October 2021 at 22.6 days, and the slowest was April 2020 at 29.2 days. Invoices were paid 4.6 days late, 0.5 days less than a year earlier. Days paid late have ranged from 3.5 to 9.7 days. The RBNZ Official Cash Rate stood at 2.75% in September 2026. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long do small businesses in New Zealand wait to be paid? As of September 2026, small businesses in New Zealand waited an average of 24.6 days from issuing an invoice to receiving full payment (-0.7 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 4.6 days after their due date in September 2026 (-0.5 days vs a year ago). The historical range runs from 3.5 days (June 2026) to 9.7 days (April 2020). ### Which industry waits longest to be paid in New Zealand? Manufacturing has the longest wait, at 35.1 days on average in September 2026. Accommodation and Food Services is the fastest paid, at 12.0 days. Measured by days past the due date, Manufacturing fares worst at 9.3 days late on average. ### Which region has the slowest payment times in New Zealand? Hawke's Bay is currently the slowest, with businesses waiting 29.0 days on average to be paid. Manawatu-Whanganui is the fastest at 19.7 days, a gap of 9.3 days. ### Are payment times in New Zealand getting better or worse? Payment times are improving. The average wait of 24.6 days in September 2026 compares with 25.3 days a year earlier and a five-year average of 24.7 days. ### Where does this data come from? All figures come from Xero Small Business Insights (September 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 - 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. Invoices without payment terms are excluded. - Late payments: average days an invoice is paid beyond its due date, seasonally adjusted. - Source: Xero Small Business Insights, September 2026 detailed results for New Zealand (https://www.xero.com/nz/resources/small-business-insights/latest-new-zealand/), monthly from January 2017. 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 New Zealand small business payment statistics, analysed by Paidnice. https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/new-zealand ## Related - [Accounts receivable statistics for all countries](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics) - [DSO calculator](https://www.paidnice.com/calculators/days-sales-outstanding) - [Net 30 calculator](https://www.paidnice.com/calculators/net-30-calculator)