South East Payment Trends: 2020 vs 2021
Payment Practices in South East Improve Marginally: Average Score Rises to 67.7 Out of 100
The Comparison
Here’s a snapshot comparing payment performance in the South East across 2020 and 2021:
- 2020: Analysed 981 companies with an average payment score of 65.8 out of 100.
- 2021: Analysed 1000 companies with an average payment score of 67.7 out of 100.
What This Means
The data reveals a slight, almost negligible, improvement in payment practices within the South East region. The increase of just 2.0 points, despite a slight expansion in the sample size (from 981 to 1000 companies), suggests that while movement is positive, the pace of change is slow. Businesses struggling with delayed payments can use a late payment calculator to assess potential interest and compensation owed.
One-line summary: Analysing 981 businesses in 2020 (65.8/100) and 1000 in 2021 (67.7/100), payment practices improved by only 2.0 points.
Read next
Late payment in the UK is quietly improving — but your invoice still depends on who you sell to
We analysed over 100,000 published UK payment-practice reports. Late payment is falling — from 20% of invoices paid outs
UK Company Payment Practices 2025: Biggest Risers, Fallers & New Entrants
How UK companies' payment practices changed in 2025 — the biggest improvers, the firms slipping, and the strongest new e
Agriculture Payment Practices Report 2025
The UK agriculture sector is significantly outperforming the UK average for payment practices, suggesting a degree of fi
Northern Ireland Payment Trends: 2024 vs 2025
The year-on-year decline of 0.1 points, while statistically insignificant, suggests a stagnation in payment performance