Late payment statistics by industry
Which UK industries are the worst for paying their suppliers? Based on official government payment practices data from over 9,000 companies.
Industries ranked by average payment time
Telecommunications
86 companies reporting
53 days
22% late
Manufacturing
153 companies reporting
51 days
27% late
Legal Services
38 companies reporting
51 days
16% late
Hospitality
214 companies reporting
44 days
24% late
Healthcare and Pharma
313 companies reporting
39 days
24% late
Retail
153 companies reporting
38 days
24% late
Transport and Logistics
89 companies reporting
37 days
25% late
Construction
552 companies reporting
34 days
21% late
IT and Technology
385 companies reporting
34 days
24% late
Creative and Advertising
29 companies reporting
34 days
27% late
Energy and Utilities
374 companies reporting
33 days
17% late
Financial Services
425 companies reporting
24 days
17% late
Recruitment and Staffing
29 companies reporting
24 days
18% late
About this data
Since 2017, large UK companies have been legally required to report how quickly they pay their suppliers. These figures are based on the most recent report from each company, grouped by industry using company name and sector classification.
Click on any industry above to see the full breakdown, including the slowest-paying companies in that sector and practical advice for freelancers working in it.
Related tools and guides
Data from the UK Government Payment Practices Reporting service. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Industry classification by PennyFetch. This page is for informational purposes only.
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