Is late payment a big problem in the creative and advertising sector?

Yes. The creative and advertising sector has a higher rate of late payment than the UK average. 27% of invoices are paid late, compared to a national average of 24%.

Can I charge interest on late invoices?

Yes. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998, you can charge statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate on any overdue business-to-business invoice. You can also claim fixed compensation of £40 to £100 per invoice. You do not need to include this in your contract for it to apply.

How can I check if a specific company pays on time?

Use the PennyFetch payment checker tool to search over 9,000 large UK companies and see their actual payment record, including average days to pay, percentage of invoices paid late, and whether their payment speed is improving or getting worse.

Industry Data

Late payment in creative and advertising

How the UK creative and advertising sector compares on payment practices, based on official government data from 29 reporting companies.

Overview

Creative agencies and advertising firms are among the worst sectors for paying freelancers on time. The project-based nature of the work, combined with agencies waiting on their own clients to pay, creates a chain of delayed payments that hits freelance designers, copywriters, and developers hardest.

Key statistics

Avg. days to pay

UK median: 32

Invoices paid late

27%

UK average: 24%

Companies reporting

of 9,336 total

Creative and Advertising companies pay their suppliers in 34 days on average, which is 2 days slower than the UK median of 32 days. 27% of invoices in this sector are paid after the agreed terms.

Slowest payers in creative and advertising

These are the creative and advertising companies with the highest percentage of invoices paid after the agreed terms, based on their most recent government filing.

Company	Avg. days	% paid late
CREATIVEVENTS LIMITED	84	97%
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED	38	76%
PUBLICIS MEDIA EXCHANGE LIMITED	38	73%
EVERYMAN MEDIA GROUP PLC	37	69%
CREATIVE LYNX LIMITED	28	55%
HAVAS MEDIA LIMITED	47	41%
HAVAS WORLDWIDE LONDON LIMITED	44	38%
PUBLICIS HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP LIMITED	37	38%
PUBLICIS LIMITED	44	36%
K F C ADVERTISING LIMITED	20	36%

Advice for freelancers working in creative and advertising

Get a signed purchase order or written confirmation before starting any work. Set clear payment terms (ideally 14 days, not 30 or 60) and include a late payment clause in your contract. For larger projects, insist on 50% upfront. If an agency is consistently late, use PennyFetch to automate your reminders so you are not the one sending awkward emails.

Frequently asked questions

Based on official government data, creative and advertising companies take an average of 34 days to pay their suppliers. 27% of invoices in this sector are paid later than the agreed terms.

Related tools and guides

Company payment checker

Look up a specific company to check their payment record.

All industry statistics

Compare late payment across every UK sector.

Late payment interest calculator

Work out what you are owed in interest and compensation.

How to chase an unpaid invoice

Step-by-step guide with email templates.

Data from the UK Government Payment Practices Reporting service. Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Industry classification and analysis by PennyFetch. This page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or legal advice.

Stop chasing. Start getting paid.

PennyFetch sends automatic invoice reminders, calculates late payment interest, and generates Letters Before Action. Free to start.

Get started free