Australian payment figures describe different parts of the problem. This note explains what the research measures and where it falls short.
Invoices and late payment in Australia: what the figures mean
Businesses seek help getting paid
In March 2026, the Small Business Ombudsman said getting paid remained the most common reason businesses asked it for help. This describes requests for assistance, rather than the share of all invoices paid late.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, March 2026.
Taking over 30 days is different from being overdue
Large businesses and some government bodies report how quickly they pay small business suppliers. For July to December 2025, reporting organisations paid an average of 69.8% of those invoices within 30 days.
This is an average across reporting organisations. Payment time is measured from an invoice's issue or receipt to payment, using whichever gives the shorter time. An invoice can take over 30 days to be paid and still be within its agreed terms.
Payment Times Reporting Regulator, August 2026 update, pages 16 and 38. Data period: July to December 2025. Payment-time definition: March 2025 guidance, paragraph 166.
Xero measures the wait after the due date
Xero reported that Australian small businesses were paid an average of 6.9 days late in the September 2026 quarter. The June quarter figure was 6.3 days in the same release. Earlier releases can be revised.
Xero's averages describe businesses in its data. They measure delay after the due date, so they answer a different question from the Regulator's payment-time measure.
Xero Small Business Insights, Australia, 29 October 2026. Data period: July to September 2026.
Almost one in four would give up turnover to avoid asking
In YouGov's August 2025 survey, 23% of Australian respondents said they would write off 6% or more of their annual turnover to avoid difficult conversations about late payment.
The sample included 500 Australian small and medium business owners and decision-makers. This measures what people said they would do, rather than money actually written off. GoCardless, which sells a payment service, commissioned the research.
GoCardless, Pursuing Payments report, pages 5 and 8. Survey period: August 2025.
A late payment can have more than one reason
Atradius asked Australian businesses for the main reasons their business customers paid late. Customer cash flow was cited by 42%, the customer's payment process by 36%, and invoice disputes by 27%. Respondents could give more than one answer.
The survey covered 210 contacts responsible for collecting payments, across food and agriculture, construction and steel. It describes reasons reported by those businesses, rather than the share of all late invoices caused by each reason.
Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, Australia, 2025, pages 5 and 13. Survey period: January to March 2025.