The report, based on responses from 8,385 businesses across 20 countries, also finds that late payments are increasingly moving through supply chains. Some 62% of European businesses now miss payment deadlines to their own suppliers because customers have paid them late.
For hauliers and logistics operators, the cash-flow squeeze is particularly exposed. Fuel, wages, tolls, vehicle leasing, maintenance and insurance must all be paid on time regardless of when an invoice is settled.
The share of businesses paying suppliers late because they themselves had been paid late was highest in Germany, at 70%. Poland followed at 69%, while Austria, Denmark and Slovakia each stood at 68%. Italy reported 67% and the UK 64%, all above the European average.
B2B payment gap widens to 20 days
In the B2B sector, businesses typically give customers 43 days to pay but receive payment after 63 days on average — a 20-day gap. Public-sector customers are given 53 days but take 70 days to pay. Consumer invoices are settled after 32 days against average terms of 22 days.
Intrum says agreed payment terms have remained broadly stable over the past five years, but actual payment times have lengthened. The B2B gap has grown from 16 days in 2023 to 20 days in 2026.
The share of revenue paid late has now moved beyond what businesses consider sustainable. Companies said they could tolerate 12.08% of revenue being paid late without disrupting operations. The actual figure has reached 12.13%.
Late-revenue exposure was highest in Hungary at 14.52%, followed by France at 14.16% and Austria at 14.13%.
Tariff concerns concentrated in major exporters
Across Europe, 34% of businesses said the current tariff regime posed a serious risk to their survival over the next 12 months. Intrum estimates that, applied across the business population covered by the report, this equates to 10.9 million companies and 66 million jobs at risk.
Concern was strongest in Ireland, where 44% of businesses said tariffs could threaten their survival, followed by France at 42%, Italy at 41% and Germany at 39%. All four are major exporters to the United States in sectors including pharmaceuticals, automotive, industrial goods, machinery, luxury goods and aerospace components.
Larger companies were more likely than SMEs to view tariffs as a survival threat, at 40% compared with 31%. SMEs, however, were more likely to expect greater disruption ahead — a finding Intrum links to their smaller buffers against cash-flow delays.
Prepayment demands rise as firms tighten controls
Half of European businesses now ask customers to prepay, up from 46% a year earlier and 31% in 2020. The share conducting credit checks has risen to 39%, while 26% use fraud-prevention measures.
Use of the EU Late Payment Directive is also growing. Intrum says 60% of businesses now exercise their right to interest and compensation when invoices are settled late, against 42% in 2021.
The report says 58% of businesses want governments to impose stricter rules on late payments. One reform under discussion would cap payment terms for SMEs at 30 days while leaving terms for larger businesses open to negotiation. Intrum found 71% of businesses said this would be fair to SMEs, and 66% believed it would improve payment behaviour across Europe.
