UK IT Sector Payment Practices: Big Divide Between Best and Worst

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 56
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 69.4/100
• UK average (all sectors): 50.0/100
• IT sector average above UK average: 19.4 points
• Top Payer: ITC Infotech Limited - 97.55/100
• Bottom Payer: Nokia UK Limited - 27.7/100
• Regional high: East of England average - 81.5/100 (7 companies)
• Regional low: Yorkshire and The Humber average - 68.8/100 (3 companies)

What Stands Out

The IT sector's average payment score is substantially better than the UK norm, suggesting better payment practices overall. However, the significant gulf between the top and bottom performers indicates considerable inconsistency within the sector and some very serious laggards.

Best Payers

1. ITC INFOTECH LIMITED - 97.55/100
2. MASS CONSULTANTS LIMITED - 97/100
3. M GROUP TELECOM LIMITED - 96.3/100
4. CAPITA SECURE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS LIMITED - 95.9/100
5. SYNECHRON LIMITED - 95.8/100

Worst Payers

1. NOKIA UK LIMITED - 27.7/100
2. ADVANCED COMPUTER SOFTWARE GROUP LIMITED - 28.3/100
3. ADVANCED BUSINESS SOFTWARE AND SOLUTIONS LIMITED - 29.2/100
4. MAINTEL EUROPE LIMITED - 31.2/100
5. KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS (U.K.) LIMITED - 35.6/100

Regional Patterns

The East of England appears to be a hotspot for prompt payments, averaging 81.5, a clear lead over other regions, although we should note only seven companies are being assessed. London's score of 73.5, based on a more substantial sample size of 18 companies, is respectable but still significantly lower, highlighting the impact of regional business culture or company size on payment habits.

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While the IT sector beats the average, the data underscores that you still can't assume prompt payment, with Nokia UK Limited's 27.7 score illustrating how drastically payment performance can vary within the industry.

2025: The Story

The Information Technology sector experienced a slight dip in payment performance in 2025, with the average score declining by 0.8 points to 69.5/100, alongside a reduction in monitored companies from 62 to 56. Among the most notable improvements was MAVENIR SYSTEMS LIMITED, which surged by an impressive 29.6 points to reach 49.1/100, indicating significant internal adjustments to its payment processes. Conversely, F5 NETWORKS LIMITED saw the sharpest decline, dropping 7.6 points to 70.9/100, while SAP (UK) LIMITED also experienced a substantial reduction of 5.8 points, landing at 56.8/100. An interesting pattern emerged among the decliners, with both telecom-focused companies like GAMMA TELECOM LTD (-7.3 points to 76.8/100) and ERP providers such as UNIT4 BUSINESS SOFTWARE LIMITED (-7.2 points to 70.6/100) featuring prominently. This suggests that differing operational pressures might be impacting specific IT sub-sectors uniquely. Suppliers should closely monitor these sub-sector specific trends and individual customer shifts, rather than relying solely on the overall industry average.