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UK small businesses are owed £112 billion in unpaid invoices.


Nearly half of invoices are paid late.

Around 38 SMEs close every day where late payment is a factor.


The proposed solution? More transparency.


But transparency does not change incentives.


Late payment persists because it is financially advantageous.


In our latest blog, CPA proposes structural reform:


Require companies to recognise statutory late payment interest and compensation as a provision on their balance sheet — reducing reported profit and making the liability visible.


If behaviour is going to change, the calculation must change.


Read the full proposal and watch the video here:

cpa.co.uk/why-late-payment-persists/


#LatePayment #SMEs #Cashflow #UKBusiness #CreditControl #StatutoryInterest #BusinessReform #InsolvencyRisk #CorporateGovernance

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UK consumer confidence has fallen to a two-year low.

Unemployment has climbed to 5.2% – the highest since the pandemic.

Sterling has weakened and markets are pricing in two Bank of England rate cuts this year.

For SMEs selling on credit, this combination signals rising payment risk.

Now is the time to tighten credit control, not relax it.

cpa.co.uk/business-news-17-february-2026/

#Cashflow #SMEs #UKBusiness #CreditControl #Insolvencies #InterestRates #Unemployment #LatePayment

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Inflation has fallen to 3% — but unemployment is now at a five-year high.

Markets are celebrating potential rate cuts, yet the reason for those cuts is a weakening labour market and slowing wage growth.

Add falling SME innovation, renewed trade friction, and a steady stream of insolvencies — and the risk environment for businesses supplying on credit is clearly tightening.

Early credit control action matters more in cooling economies.

cpa.co.uk/business-news-18-february-2026/

#Cashflow #SMEs #UKBusiness #Insolvency #InterestRates #CreditControl #Unemployment #Inflation

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After a long weekend break, CPA news summary is back and today’s picture is clear: smaller firms are absorbing the sharp end of a “two-speed” UK economy just as cost pressures build into April. The labour market is weakening (vacancies falling, unemployment risks rising), trade uncertainty is growing (US tariffs and possible EU procurement barriers), and higher taxes plus tighter enforcement risk draining liquidity from the real economy. For any business that sells on credit, this is a day to tighten terms, shorten follow-up cycles, and stress-test your exposure to customers whose cash buffers are thinning.

cpa.co.uk/business-news-24-february-2026/

#SME #cashflow #latepayment #creditcontrol #invoicing #smallbusiness #insolvency #UKeconomy #trade #tariffs #manufacturing #energycosts #riskmanagement

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UK Business Confidence Tested as Rates Near Cuts and Youth Jobless Hits 11-Year High - CPA Business News 25/2/2026

Confidence across multiple parts of the UK economy is being tested. Youth unemployment has climbed to 16.1%, high-net-worth individuals report falling confidence amid tax concerns, and entrepreneurs are calling for a “radical reset” to improve competitiveness. Meanwhile, the Bank of England is preparing markets for further rate cuts, energy bills are set to fall in April, and the housing market is showing signs of life.

cpa.co.uk/business-news-25-february-2026/

#UKBusiness #Cashflow #Insolvency #SMEs #InterestRates #HousingMarket #AI #CreditControl

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Almost £9bn of invoices were paid late by large UK companies in just six months.

At the same time, service sector profits have fallen for the 17th consecutive quarter and sole traders face £2.18bn in new tax compliance costs.

Equity markets may be at record highs — but SME liquidity tells a different story.

Full breakdown of today’s economic, market and insolvency landscape here:

cpa.co.uk/business-news-26-february-2026/

#LatePayment #Cashflow #SMEs #Insolvency #CreditControl #UKBusiness #MakingTaxDigital #ServiceSector