UK small business profits rise as late payments bite

Late payments reform: Welcome change, but is it fast enough? | Accountants Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich & Thetford

Late payments are draining £11 billion a year from the UK economy, according to new research from online accounting platform Sage. Nearly half of all SME invoices (49 per cent) are now paid late, with businesses waiting an average of… The post Late payments reform: Welcome change, but is it fast enough? appeared first on Accountants Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich & Thetford - Knights Lowe.

Late payments reform: Welcome change, but is it fast enough?

Late payments are draining £11 billion a year from the UK economy, according to new research from online accounting platform Sage. Nearly half of all SME invoices (49 per cent) are now paid late, with businesses waiting an average of 27 days after issuing an invoice before they see the money. For a sector that grew profits by 7.4 per cent in the year to the first quarter of 2026, the strongest pace since 2022, it means that there is a lot of wor…

Small business profits rising despite challenges in the economy - Sage survey

The Sage SME Performance Pulse also highlighted continuing problems from late payments

UK small business profits rise as late payments bite

Cash-flow strain is deepening for UK SMEs, even as profits rose 7.4% and nearly half of invoices were still overdue, Sage said.