---
title: "How to Check a Customer's Payment Record (UK, AU, US)"
description: "To check a customer's payment record, use the public payment practices report, a credit report with filed accounts and your own ledger. How to read each."
url: https://www.paidnice.com/blog/check-customer-payment-record
---

# How to check a customer's payment record (UK, AU, US)

By Denym BirdCo-founder & CEO of Paidnice
11 min read · Updated Oct 15, 2026

## Summary

To check a customer's payment record, use the public payment report where one exists, a credit report and filed accounts, trade references and your own ledger. Large UK and Australian companies publish payment speeds on a register. Filed accounts give a rough payment period from trade payables and cost of sales. Only your ledger shows how they pay you.

- **The public report:** UK companies above two of three thresholds (£54 million turnover, £27 million balance sheet, 250 employees) report twice a year; Australian businesses with income over A$100 million report every six months.
- **The benchmark:** Large UK companies take a median of 31 days to pay suppliers, across 6,731 filings; large Australian businesses take a median of 25 days to pay small business suppliers.
- **Your ledger:** Paidnice gives every contact a 0 to 100 credit score from their own payment behaviour with you, with average days to pay beside the organisation average.

Contents▾

A new customer asks you for 30-day terms on £80,000 a year of work, and nothing on the contract looks wrong. Across 6,731 large UK companies, the median time to pay a supplier is 31 days, and the slowest quarter take 43 days or more ([UK payment times by industry](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk)). Here is where each record is, and what each one leaves out.

Large UK companies and LLPs must publish a payment practices report twice a year, within 30 days of the end of each reporting period. A company or LLP reports once it exceeds two of these limits on its last two balance sheet dates: turnover of £54 million, a balance sheet total of £27 million, and 250 employees.

The [GOV.UK payment practices service](https://www.gov.uk/check-when-businesses-pay-invoices) lets anyone look up a company's reports by name. Each report shows the figures set out in the table below. A customer below the thresholds files no report, so pull a credit reference report, showing days beyond terms (how far past agreed terms the company pays its suppliers) and county court judgments (court orders to pay a debt), and ask other suppliers for trade references.

## How do you check if a company pays its suppliers on time?

To check if a company pays its suppliers on time, read the public register where one exists, then the credit report and filed accounts, then ask other suppliers, and measure your own ledger once invoices are flowing.

1. **Search the public register.** In the UK, the [GOV.UK payment practices search](https://check-payment-practices.service.gov.uk/search), set up under the [2017 Regulations](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/395/contents); in Australia, the [Payment Times Reports Register](https://register.paymenttimes.gov.au/) run by the [Payment Times Reporting Regulator](https://paymenttimes.gov.au/), free and with no login.
2. **Pull a credit report.** It shows days beyond terms, court judgments and a suggested credit limit.
3. **Read the filed accounts.** Trade payables divided by cost of sales, times 365, is a rough payment period.
4. **Ask two other suppliers.** A trade reference shows whether the figures match what a supplier of your size sees.
5. **Measure your own ledger.** After the first few invoices, your days-to-pay figure for this customer is built from your invoices alone.

## What does a payment practices report show?

A payment practices report shows a large UK company's average days to pay invoices, the share paid within 30, 31 to 60 and 61 or more days, the share paid outside agreed terms, and its standard and maximum payment terms.

| Field | What it tells you | What it hides |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Average days to pay | Mean days from invoice receipt to payment in the period | Invoices still unpaid at period end are left out, so a slow tail disappears |
| Paid within 30 / 31 to 60 / 61 or more days | The spread behind the average | Which suppliers sit in the 61-plus band |
| Not paid within agreed terms | The share of invoices that missed the contract date | How late each one was |
| Late because of a dispute | The late share the company attributes to disputes (financial years from 1 January 2025) | Whether the dispute was fair |
| Standard and maximum terms | What the company offers, and the longest it will push | Which one your contract will get |

The [GOV.UK duty-to-report guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-payment-practices-and-performance-reporting-requirements/duty-to-report-guidance-to-reporting-on-payment-practices-and-performance) defines the average as a mean of payments made in the period, so read the 61-plus band and the late share alongside it.

One gap matters for overseas suppliers: a qualifying contract must be "sufficiently linked to the United Kingdom", so a contract delivered abroad can sit outside the figures.

## How long do large UK and Australian companies take to pay?

Large UK companies take a median of 31 days to pay suppliers, with the middle half between 22 and 43 days. Large Australian businesses take a median of 25 days to pay small business suppliers.

Paidnice payment times data

Built from the filings on the two government registers, so you can place a customer against its peers before you sign.

31 daysMedian time to pay, 6,731 large UK companies
45 daysManufacturing, the slowest UK sector
482Large UK companies averaging more than 60 days
25 daysMedian time to pay small suppliers, 3,170 Australian entities

- [Search a named UK company](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk/late-payers)
- [UK payment times by industry](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk)
- [Australian payment times by industry](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/au)
- [Download the UK sector data (CSV)](https://www.paidnice.com/data/payment-times/uk-sectors.csv)

Sources: UK filings under the [Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/395/contents), from the [GOV.UK payment practices search](https://check-payment-practices.service.gov.uk/search); Australian reports under the [Payment Times Reporting Act 2020](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2020A00091/latest/text), from the [Payment Times Reports Register](https://register.paymenttimes.gov.au/).

The UK figures come from 6,731 companies' filings. Manufacturing is the slowest sector at 45 days and financial and insurance the fastest at 22. Of the 6,224 large companies with a current filing, 482 average more than 60 days ([UK payment times by industry](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk)). To look up a named large company, use the [UK company search](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk/late-payers).

The Australian figures come from 3,170 reporting entities, and at the median entity about 1 in 4 small business invoices is paid outside the payment term ([Australian payment times by industry](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/au)). Compare the two with care: UK reports cover all suppliers, Australian reports cover small business suppliers only ([about these figures](https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times)).

💡 Paidnice insight

The average hides the slow tail. A customer reporting 35 days sits near the UK median, so check the share paid after 60 days. The median UK company pays 5% that late. A customer at 15% leaves about one invoice in seven waiting two months.

### What does a customer's average days to pay mean against other large companies?

Set the customer's average against the 6,731 UK filings: 22 days or under is faster than three quarters of large companies, 23 to 43 days is the middle half, 44 days or more is the slowest quarter, and over 60 days puts it among 482 companies.

| Reported average days to pay | Where it sits among large UK companies |
| --- | --- |
| 22 or under | Faster than three in four large companies |
| 23 to 43 | The middle half; the median is 31 |
| 44 to 60 | The slowest quarter |
| Over 60 | One of 482 companies |

## What should you change once you know how a customer pays?

Match your terms to the band the customer's record puts them in: 22 days or under earns standard terms, 23 to 43 days earns a shorter due date, 44 to 60 days earns a deposit or milestone billing on large jobs, and over 60 days earns a credit limit. UK business customers get statutory interest in every band.

- **22 days or under: standard terms.** The record shows the customer pays inside most suppliers' terms, so leave the due date where it is and let the reminder schedule run.
- **23 to 43 days: a shorter due date.** Set 14 or 20 days instead of 30. A customer that averages 31 days treats the due date as the starting point, so a shorter term pulls payment forward.
- **44 to 60 days: a deposit or milestone billing on large jobs.** Bill a deposit up front and the balance at agreed stages, so the slow tail covers part of the job rather than all of it.
- **Over 60 days: a credit limit.** Set a limit per customer in Paidnice, and going over it can trigger an escalation, so the exposure to a customer among the 482 large UK companies averaging over 60 days stays capped.
- **Any band, UK business customers: statutory interest.** The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you charge interest and a fixed sum on each late invoice, and the [Commercial Payments Bill](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/commercial-payments-bill-uk-late-payment-law) would stop contracts excluding it. Charge it as leverage from the first late invoice.

## How do you check a company's payment record in Australia, the US and New Zealand?

Australia has a free public register of large-business payment times under the [Payment Times Reporting Act 2020](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2020A00091/latest/text). The United States and New Zealand have no national register, so credit reports and trade references do the work there.

| Country | Public register | Who reports | Where to look |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| United Kingdom | Payment practices reports, twice a year | Companies and LLPs over two of: £54m turnover, £27m balance sheet, 250 employees | [GOV.UK payment practices search](https://check-payment-practices.service.gov.uk/search) |
| Australia | Payment Times Reports Register, every six months | Large businesses with income over A$100 million, on payments to small businesses, plus their standard payment terms | [Payment Times Reports Register](https://register.paymenttimes.gov.au/), free, no login |
| United States | None | Not applicable | Dun & Bradstreet PAYDEX score, days beyond terms, trade references |
| New Zealand | None | Not applicable | Credit report, trade references, filed accounts where available |

In the US a [PAYDEX score](https://www.dnb.com/en-us/smb/resources/credit-scores/what-is-paydex-score.html) is a dollar-weighted 1 to 100 score of past payment performance; 80 means reported payments were generally made within terms.

## What can a credit report tell you about how a customer pays?

A business credit report can show days beyond terms, which is how far past agreed terms the company pays creditors that share data, plus court judgments, filed accounts and a suggested credit limit.

Two free public records help here. [Companies House search](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/) gives company details, officers, filed documents, charges and insolvency information free. The England and Wales county court judgment register is searched on [TrustOnline](https://www.trustonline.org.uk/), run by Registry Trust for the Ministry of Justice, from £6 for one register.

Days beyond terms is the field to read, because it records how the company has paid, while a credit limit only estimates what it can afford. Paidnice runs credit checks through Creditsafe on the Custom plan ([credit control software with Creditsafe](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/credit-control-software-creditsafe)).

## How do you work out a company's payment period from its accounts?

To work out a company's payment period from its accounts, divide trade payables by cost of sales and multiply by 365. The result is days payable outstanding, a rough average of how long the company takes to pay all its creditors.

The [Corporate Finance Institute](https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/days-payable-outstanding/) gives the formula as average accounts payable divided by cost of goods sold, times the days in the period.

Accounts payable turnover is the same measure the other way up: cost of sales divided by trade payables. A ratio that falls from one year to the next means the company is holding supplier money longer.

Take a company with trade payables of £200,000 and cost of sales of £1,460,000 for the year. £200,000 divided by £1,460,000 is 0.137, and 0.137 times 365 is 50 days: on average, this company takes 50 days to pay its creditors.

Payment period calculator

Trade payables

Cost of sales for the period

Days in the period

Your agreed terms (days)

Payment period: 50 days
About 20 days longer than 30-day terms.

Trade payables divided by cost of sales, times the days in the period, from the company's filed accounts. Both figures in the same currency.

Small companies and micro-entities can file accounts that omit the profit and loss account ([Companies House guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-of-a-company-annual-requirements/life-of-a-company-part-1-accounts)), so cost of sales is often missing. From 1 April 2028 small companies must file one. The result averages every creditor, including rent and tax, and covers a year that has ended. Even so, if the company's suppliers have 30-day terms, a 50-day period means some of them are being paid late.

## Which questions show how a large customer really pays?

Four questions show how a large customer really pays: whether invoices need a purchase order (PO), which portal they use, how many approvals an invoice passes, and when the payment run closes.

- **Purchase order rules.** Many buyers reject an invoice without a valid PO number, and where terms run from the submission date the clock starts again when you resubmit.
- **The portal.** On [Coupa](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/automate-invoice-uploads-coupa) or [SAP Ariba](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/automate-invoice-uploads-sap-ariba), the buyer's setup decides which date starts the clock: the invoice date you enter or the date the portal receives it. Ask which.
- **Approval steps.** Each approver is a place the invoice can wait.
- **Payment run cut-off.** On a fortnightly run, an invoice approved the day after the run waits two weeks. A slow payer usually shows it in the payment run cut-off, not in the terms.

Every record so far describes how the customer pays other people. Your own ledger shows how they pay you, from your first invoice.

## How does Paidnice track a customer's payment record after you sign?

Paidnice turns your own ledger into a 0 to 100 credit score for every contact, built from how that customer pays you, with their average days to pay shown beside the organisation average.

- **Credit score.** Every contact starts at 100 and loses points for paying late and for the current overdue position. Bands are 80 Excellent, 60 Good, 40 Fair, 20 Poor and 0 High risk, editable.
- **Expected payments.** The forecast puts each unpaid invoice on its due date plus that customer's average days to pay, in 7 to 90-day buckets.
- **Credit limit.** A limit per customer, and going over it can trigger an escalation.
- **Credit checks.** Credit checks through Creditsafe are available on the Custom plan ([credit control software with Creditsafe](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/credit-control-software-creditsafe)).
- **Group moves.** As the score falls, Paidnice can move the customer to a stricter reminder schedule (the late payers group).

💡 Paidnice insight

The score is built only from the customer's invoices with you, so it is separate from any bureau check. A customer can report 28 days to the government and pay you at 55, and the score shows it as their invoices with you fall late.

See also [how to chase unpaid invoices from overseas customers](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/chase-unpaid-invoices-overseas-customers) and [credit control software](https://www.paidnice.com/credit-control-software).

## Common questions about checking a customer's payment record

**What is a payment practices report?** A payment practices report is the twice-yearly filing that large UK companies and LLPs make on GOV.UK. It shows average days to pay, the share paid in each 30-day band, the late share, and standard and maximum terms.

**Which companies are exempt from payment practices reporting?** Every company and LLP below the size test is exempt: it reports only once it exceeds two of the three limits (£54 million turnover, £27 million balance sheet, 250 employees) on its last two balance sheet dates. Smaller customers need a credit report, filed accounts and trade references.

**Does a strong bureau credit score mean a customer will pay in 30 days?** Not by itself. Many bureau scores estimate the risk of failure or default, so read days beyond terms, the public report and trade references for how the company actually pays. Paidnice's credit score is different: it is built only from how a customer pays you.

**How long do companies usually take to pay invoices?** Large UK companies take a median of 31 days from invoice receipt, with half between 22 and 43 days. Large Australian businesses take a median of 25 days to pay small business suppliers.

**How do I see a customer's payment history in Xero or QuickBooks?** Your Xero organisation or QuickBooks Online company holds every invoice and payment for the customer, so the history is in the ledger. Paidnice reads that ledger and shows each contact's average days to pay beside the organisation average, with a 0 to 100 credit score that starts at 100 and loses points for paying late and for the current overdue position.

**Does the Commercial Payments Bill change payment terms?** If it becomes law, the Commercial Payments Bill would cap contract payment terms at 60 days, or 30 days where the purchaser is a public authority, with Small Business Commissioner penalties of up to 1% of turnover. It was introduced in May 2026 and has not yet become law (see [the bill explained](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/commercial-payments-bill-uk-late-payment-law) for the current stage).

Written by

#### Denym Bird

Co-founder & CEO of Paidnice

Denym is a software entrepreneur and writes about accounts receivables management for small business.

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