The headline numbers
59% of US small businesses are carrying invoices 30 days overdue, the average amount waiting is $17,700, and getting paid takes 29.3 days. Every figure on this page comes from a named primary source, linked in the sources section. Last checked: 18 September 2026.
How common late payment is
59% carry invoices 30 days overdue
Nearly three in five US small businesses have at least some invoices overdue by 30 days or more in 2026, up from 47% a year earlier. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
$17,700 owed on average
Businesses waiting on unpaid invoices are owed $17,700 on average, roughly level with $17,500 the year before. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
22% have a fifth of invoices stuck
For around one business in five, at least 20% of all invoices sit unpaid past the 30 day mark. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
43% of US B2B credit sales are overdue
In the US, 43% of credit-based B2B sales are overdue, which the survey attributes mainly to customer cash flow pressures. Canada is at 44% and Mexico at 41%. Source: Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, North America 2025.
What one late invoice does
39% struggled to cover payroll or bills
Two in five owners say a single late payment made it hard to cover payroll or bills in the past year. 27% say a miss under $5,000 was enough, and 12% were strained by one under $1,000. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
49% squeezed even after the client pays
Half of owners say normal payment processing times create critical or moderate cash flow gaps after the customer has already paid, and 59% paid for instant transfer or fast deposit in 2025 to reach the money sooner. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
42% passed the delay on
Late money in becomes late money out: 42% of businesses say pressures delayed the payments they owed their own contractors, suppliers and vendors. Among businesses with overdue invoices the figure is 53%, against 26% of those without. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
26% delayed paying themselves
In 2025, payment processing delays led 26% of surveyed owners to delay their own salary, 19% to take on debt or use a credit card they otherwise would not have, and 18% to pay a bill late and incur a fee or penalty. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
38% lean more on credit cards
38% of businesses with overdue invoices say they have grown more reliant on credit cards over the past year, against 21% of businesses without overdue invoices. Source: QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report.
5% of long overdue invoices are written off
US businesses report 5% of their long overdue B2B invoices written off as uncollectable, against 6% in Canada and 4% in Mexico. Source: Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, North America 2025.
How long invoices actually wait
29.3 days to get paid
US small businesses waited an average of 29.3 days for invoices to be paid in the June 2026 quarter, up from 28.6 days the quarter before. Source: Xero Small Business Insights, US, June 2026 quarter.
8.5 days past terms
The average invoice was settled 8.5 days late in the June 2026 quarter, easing through the quarter from 8.7 days in April to 8.3 days in June itself. Source: Xero Small Business Insights, US, June 2026 quarter.
9 days late in the March quarter
The quarter before, US small businesses were paid an average of 9 days late, up from 8.4 days in the December 2025 quarter, against a long-term average of about 8.8 days. Source: Xero, Late payments are climbing again, 2026.
The terms make the difference
The same QuickBooks report shows the wait is often set before the invoice goes out: 55% of businesses on net 30 terms carry overdue invoices against 26% of those requiring immediate payment, and among businesses with no overdue invoices at all, 64% require immediate payment, against 34% of businesses that do have overdue invoices. Which terms to use and the exact wording are covered in the payment terms guide. The invoice due date calculator sets the date in the first place. When it passes, the late fee generator works out the charge and the new balance, and a payment link on the invoice removes the easiest excuse not to pay.
Measure your own late payment
These are averages across thousands of businesses. Your own numbers matter more. The DSO calculator gives your average days to collect, the AR aging calculator shows how much of what you are owed is 30, 60 or 90+ days past due, and the bad debt calculator puts a figure on what you wrote off.
Sources
QuickBooks 2026 Small Business Late Payments Report, published July 2026, drawing on the quarterly Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey of about 5,000 respondents and a December 2025 survey of 1,305 US business owners.
Xero Small Business Insights, United States, June 2026 quarter, built on aggregated and anonymized invoice data from US small businesses on the Xero platform. How time to be paid and days late are measured is on the XSBI methodology page.
Xero, Late payments are climbing again, 2026, for the March 2026 quarter and long-term average figures.
Atradius Payment Practices Barometer, North America 2025, the annual B2B payment practices survey covering the US, Canada and Mexico. The figures quoted here are for the US unless another country is named.
Figures are quoted as published and each carries its source above. This page is rechecked when the sources publish new editions.
Common questions
What share of US small businesses are paid late?
59% of US small businesses have invoices overdue by 30 days or more in 2026, up from 47% a year earlier, according to the QuickBooks Small Business Late Payments Report. Atradius puts 43% of credit-based B2B sales in the US overdue.
How much are small businesses owed on average?
$17,700 per business among those carrying unpaid invoices, roughly level with $17,500 the year before, per the QuickBooks 2026 report.
How long does it take a small business to get paid?
29.3 days on average in the June 2026 quarter, up from 28.6 days the quarter before, according to Xero Small Business Insights for the US.
How many days late are invoices paid on average?
8.5 days past their terms in the June 2026 quarter, down from 9 days in the March quarter, according to Xero Small Business Insights for the US.
Do payment terms affect late payment?
Yes. In the QuickBooks 2026 report, 55% of businesses on net 30 terms carry overdue invoices against 26% of those that require immediate payment.
How much late B2B debt is never collected?
US businesses in the Atradius 2025 survey reported 5% of long overdue B2B invoices written off as uncollectable.
Can I cite these numbers?
Yes. Every figure on this page names its source and year; cite the primary report listed in the sources section, and a link back here is appreciated but never required.