45 Late Payment Statistics for Small Businesses (2026)

Of businesses report regularly receiving payments past the due date.

Atradius Payment Practices Barometer

Of B2B invoices in the U.S. are paid late.

Dun & Bradstreet Payment Study

Average number of days past the due date that invoices are paid.

Xero Small Business Insights

Of all invoices become bad debt — written off and never collected.

Atradius Payment Practices Barometer

Of small business invoices over $10,000 are paid more than 30 days late.

QuickBooks Cash Flow Survey

Increase in late payments to small businesses since 2020.

Federation of Small Businesses

Of late payments are attributed to incorrect invoices or administrative errors.

Sage Payment Practices Report

Most common payment term for small businesses, though actual payment averages 38 days.

Xero Small Business Insights

Faster payment when invoices are sent electronically vs. paper mail.

PaySimple Digital Payment Trends

Of small businesses still send invoices manually via email or paper.

SCORE Small Business Report

Of invoices are paid faster when multiple payment options are offered.

Square Payment Trends Report

Faster payment when invoices include a direct online payment link.

GoCardless Payment Report

Of businesses offer early payment discounts, yet those that do get paid 12 days sooner.

Atradius Payment Practices Barometer

Of construction businesses report chronic late payment issues.

National Federation of Builders

Average days to payment in the healthcare industry, the longest of any sector.

Becker's Hospital Review

Average days to payment in professional services.

Hinge Research Institute

Of freelancers say they have experienced late payment on at least half of projects.

Upwork Freelancer Survey

Average days to payment for retail and e-commerce businesses.

Statista Industry Benchmarks

Average days to payment for marketing agencies.

Agency Management Institute