Is late payment a big problem in the recruitment and staffing sector?

The recruitment and staffing sector is slightly better than the UK average, with 18% of invoices paid late compared to 24% nationally. However, late payment still affects freelancers and suppliers in this sector.

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 recruitment and staffing

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

Overview

Recruitment firms generally pay quickly, as their business model depends on maintaining good relationships with the contractors and temps they place. Most recruitment agencies operate on weekly or fortnightly payment cycles for contractors, though invoice-based freelancers may experience different terms.

Key statistics

Avg. days to pay

UK median: 32

Invoices paid late

18%

UK average: 24%

Companies reporting

of 9,336 total

Recruitment and Staffing companies pay their suppliers in 24 days on average, which is 8 days faster than the UK median of 32 days. 18% of invoices in this sector are paid after the agreed terms.

Slowest payers in recruitment and staffing

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

Company	Avg. days	% paid late
CARLISLE STAFFING PLC	47	82%
TEACHING PERSONNEL LIMITED	21	60%
HAYSMACINTYRE LLP	16	48%
SCIENCE RECRUITMENT GROUP LTD	55	47%
DANBRO EMPLOYMENT UMBRELLA LTD	12	41%
GI GROUP RECRUITMENT LTD	38	40%
LSEG EMPLOYMENT SERVICES LIMITED	33	30%
MANPOWER UK LIMITED	19	28%
ZURICH EMPLOYMENT SERVICES LIMITED	24	24%
PMP RECRUITMENT LIMITED	53	22%

Advice for freelancers working in recruitment and staffing

If you are invoicing a recruitment firm directly (rather than being paid through their payroll), make sure your payment terms are agreed separately from any terms they have with their end clients. Some agencies will try to tie your payment to when they get paid by the client, which is not your problem.

Frequently asked questions

Based on official government data, recruitment and staffing companies take an average of 24 days to pay their suppliers. 18% 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.

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