Paidnice analysis of 9,901 government payment filings

How long do large companies take to pay their suppliers?

Large UK companies take a median of 31 days to pay their suppliers. Large Australian businesses take a median of 25 days to pay small business suppliers.

31daysUK median to pay suppliers
25daysAustralian median to pay small suppliers
15%UK invoices paid late at the median company
26%Australian invoices paid late at the median business

UK figures cover payments to all suppliers, from payment practices filings. Australian figures cover payments to small business suppliers, from the Payment Times Reporting Scheme. Compare the two with care. To follow up on your own late invoices, see UK credit control software or debtor management software in Australia. The wider picture is in our accounts receivable statistics, including UK small business payment times and Australian small business payment times.

Key findings

  1. Which UK industry pays suppliers slowest?

    Manufacturing is the slowest UK sector, at 45 days.

    That is 14 days slower than the UK median. Financial and insurance is the fastest UK sector at 22 days.

  2. How many invoices are paid late?

    About 1 in 4 small business invoices in Australia is paid late.

    At the median large Australian business, 26% of small business invoices miss the payment term. In the UK the figure is 15%.

  3. Which industry has the most insolvencies?

    Construction has the most UK insolvencies: 3,866 in 12 months.

    In Australia, construction has the most, at 3,976. UK figures cover England and Wales.

  4. Are insolvencies rising?

    Australian insolvencies rose 66% in a year.

    1,808 companies entered external administration in August 2026, against 1,090 a year earlier. Insolvencies in England and Wales fell 3%, to 1,946.

How fast does each industry pay?

United Kingdom

median days to pay suppliers, slowest first

Manufacturing is the slowest UK sector at 45 days. Financial and insurance is the fastest at 22 days. The median is 31 days.

  1. 1Manufacturing: 45 days, slower than the median
  2. 2Water, sewerage and waste: 37 days, slower than the median
  3. 3Wholesale and retail trade: 37 days, slower than the median
  4. 4Accommodation and food service: 36 days, slower than the median
  5. 5Transport and storage: 35 days, slower than the median
  6. 6Construction: 33 days, slower than the median
  7. 7Mining and quarrying: 32 days, slower than the median
  8. 8Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 31 days
  9. 9Other service activities: 31 days
  10. 10Professional, scientific and technical: 30 days
  11. 11Information and communication: 29 days
  12. 12Arts, entertainment and recreation: 28 days
  13. 13Administrative and support services: 27 days
  14. 14Real estate: 27 days
  15. 15Electricity and gas supply: 26 days
  16. 16Human health and social work: 26 days
  17. 17Education: 25 days
  18. 18Financial and insurance: 22 days

Slower than the country median At or faster

Australia

median days to pay small business suppliers, slowest first

Manufacturing is the slowest Australian industry at 31.8 days. Financial and insurance services is the fastest at 14.6 days. The median is 25 days.

  1. 1Manufacturing: 31.8 days, slower than the median
  2. 2Construction: 30 days, slower than the median
  3. 3Mining: 28 days, slower than the median
  4. 4Wholesale trade: 27 days, slower than the median
  5. 5Transport, postal and warehousing: 27 days, slower than the median
  6. 6Retail trade: 25.9 days, slower than the median
  7. 7Professional, scientific and technical services: 25.4 days, slower than the median
  8. 8Health care and social assistance: 24.6 days
  9. 9Other services: 24.6 days
  10. 10Information media and telecommunications: 24 days
  11. 11Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 23 days
  12. 12Rental, hiring and real estate services: 22.7 days
  13. 13Public administration and safety: 22.1 days
  14. 14Accommodation and food services: 21.7 days
  15. 15Electricity, gas, water and waste services: 21.3 days
  16. 16Administrative and support services: 19.6 days
  17. 17Arts and recreation services: 19.3 days
  18. 18Financial and insurance services: 14.6 days

Slower than the country median At or faster

Are company insolvencies rising?

England and Wales recorded 1,946 company insolvencies in August 2026, down 3% on a year earlier. Australia recorded 1,808, up 66%.

Company insolvencies per monthEngland and Wales Australia
05001,0001,5002,0002,500 E&W 1,946 AU 1,808 September 2024August 2026

Month by month detail: UK insolvency tracker and Australian insolvency tracker.

Search a UK companyHow fast a named large company paysSearch an Australian businessDays to pay and % paid lateUK insolvency tracker1,946 in August 2026, England and WalesAustralian insolvency tracker1,808 in August 2026

Method and sources

This page reports how long large companies take to pay, from government payment filings. How long small businesses wait to be paid is a different measure on a different group of businesses, and it is on the accounts receivable statistics pages.

UK figures come from filings under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, matched to Companies House industry codes, with Insolvency Service counts for England and Wales. Australian figures come from the Payment Times Reporting Scheme and cover payments to small business suppliers, with ASIC insolvency counts. Each page lists its method and period. Download the UK data (CSV).

Related guides

United Kingdom

Australia

Both countries

Cite this page: Paidnice (2026). Payment times data. https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times. Sources: UK payment practices filings (March 2025 to August 2026), Australian Payment Times Reporting Scheme (March 2025 to June 2026), Insolvency Service, ASIC.

Enforce your payment terms on every invoice

Large UK companies pay in a median of 31 days, and large Australian businesses pay small suppliers in 25 days. Connect Xero or QuickBooks to see how fast your own customers pay, and switch on reminders for the ones that run late.

Check your debtor days