Chasing invoices: very small firms pay 71% of invoices on time, large companies only a third
Ellisphere's Q3 2026 payment-behaviour study (reported on 20 October): the average delay is 16.84 days at end of September, against 18.08 a year earlier.
- On 20 October 2026, Ellisphere publishes its Q3 study: the average payment delay is 16.84 days, against 18.08 a year earlier.
- Very small firms pay 71.48% of invoices on time, SMEs 44.23%, mid-caps 26.62% and large companies 33.78%.
- For an agency chasing invoices, the debtor's size changes the risk of delay; a person decides on the reminder.
Ellisphere's study of payment behaviour in the third quarter of 2026, reported by Finyear on 20 October, measures an average payment delay of 16.84 days at the end of September 2026, against 18.08 days in Q3 2025, 7% less over twelve rolling months. Its head of payment experience notes a "slight deterioration" from the previous quarter, but a situation "much better than in 2025 over the same period".
The contrast comes from size. Very small firms pay 71.48% of invoices on time, SMEs 44.23% (about 2 points more), mid-caps 26.62%, and large companies 33.78%, with no improvement over the quarter. The study draws on the invoice reference base of Ellisphere's collaborative D³ programme, fed by its members, excluding insolvency proceedings.
For AppH
- Chasing an overdue invoice is repetitive work: spot the due date, prepare the letter or message, keep a record. An assistant can prepare those reminders so the team spends less time on them.
- These figures show the debtor matters: a very small client and a large company are not chased at the same pace. The tone and the timing stay with a person at the agency.
Against / the honest limit
- These are averages over a programme's members, not the situation of each client. They do not say an automatic reminder gets you paid faster.
- AppH does not classify a claim or give legal advice: the tool prepares, a human approves what goes out.
A falling average delay says nothing about the file dragging on in your own ledger. Automating the preparation of reminders frees time; keeping a human on what is sent avoids upsetting a good client.
Reviewed by an AppH human