Thought starter
How fast do large businesses pay small suppliers?
In the second half of 2025, the typical large Australian business paid its small suppliers in 23 days. It paid 76% of its invoices within 30 days. The figures come from the large businesses' own reports to the Payment Times Reporting Register.
What the register shows
Large businesses must report how fast they pay small suppliers. Across all industries, most invoices are paid within a month. The spread between industries is wide. Large finance and insurance businesses paid in a median of 11 days. Manufacturers took 30, and construction 29.
These are the payers' own reports, grouped by the payer's industry. They describe a large business's habits, not any one supplier's experience. A supplier on longer terms, or one that invoices late, will see a different number.
Source: Payment Times Reporting Register. © Commonwealth of Australia. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
| (days) | |
|---|---|
| Financial and Insurance Services | 11 |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 14 |
| Education and Training | 14 |
| Administrative and Support Services | 15 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 18 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 18 |
| Public Administration and Safety | 19 |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 19 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 20 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 21 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 21 |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | 22 |
| Other Services | 22 |
| Retail Trade | 25 |
| Wholesale Trade | 25 |
| Mining | 26 |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 26 |
| Construction | 29 |
| Manufacturing | 30 |
| All industries | 23 |
Source: Payment Times Reporting Register. © Commonwealth of Australia. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Why it matters to a small supplier
Every day a large customer takes to pay is cash the supplier carries for it. On a large account, a week's difference can be the size of a month's wages. Many small businesses never work out what their terms cost them, because the cost never shows as a line in the accounts.
The question for your own business
Do you know how many days your largest customers take to pay, and what those days cost you? The payment terms calculator works it out on your own figures. Nothing you enter leaves the page.
The figures by industry are on how fast large businesses pay small suppliers.