Manufacturing companies are the slowest to pay their suppliers of any industry with at least 50 large companies reporting.
The 1,019 manufacturing companies with a current report took a median of 45 days, and 202 of them averaged more than 60. At the other end, the 661 companies in finance and insurance took a median of 22 days.
Median days to pay by industry: Manufacturing 45; Wholesale, retail and motor trade 37; Water, waste and recycling 36; Hotels, restaurants and catering 34; Transport and storage 34; Construction 33; Mining and quarrying 32; Other services 31; Professional, scientific and technical 30; Information and communication 28; Arts, sport and leisure 27; Business support and hire 27; Health and social care 27; Property 26.5; Energy supply 26; Education 24; Finance and insurance 22.
The slowest manufacturing companies were Proserv UK Limited at 186 days, Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare International Limited at 132 days and Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK) Limited at 127 days.
Industries are taken from the main activity code each company gives Companies House. Every industry has its own ranking, starting with manufacturing and finance and insurance.
About these figures
Figures are what each company filed on the government's Check payment practices service, as downloaded on 9 November 2026. Large companies and limited liability partnerships must report every six months under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017. Unless stated, each company's latest report is used, counting only periods that ended on or after 10 May 2025, and reports with figures that cannot be right are left out. Companies whose latest figures look inconsistent with their earlier filings, such as an average more than double their previous report, are not named in our stories; they stay in the tables with a note. How we use the data.
Source: Check payment practices, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.