Delinquency costs Spanish companies 3.1 billion

1. Small companies had an average delay of just 11.87
2. Microenterprises have more delays of more than 60 days
3. The hospitality industry and the Administration register the greatest delays

Las companies Spanish They paid their bills with a average delay of 14.17 days beyond the legal deadline in the third quarter of 2026. This is, usually, one month from the date of the invoice, to which those two weeks on average will have to be added.

And although the delay was slightly reduced compared to the previous year, the figure continues to be over 14 days and generates a direct cost of around 3.1 billion euros for the business community.

This is how he collects it Study on Payment Behavior of Spanish Companies, prepared by Informa D&B. The study also reflects a deterioration of punctuality in payments. Thus, between July and September, only 41.51% of invoices were paid within the agreed deadline.

Which represents a drop of 1.75 percentage points compared to the previous quarter and 4.08 points compared to the same period in 2025. The data shows the difficulties that companies face to collect on time and manage their treasury needs.

Differences in payment behavior vary depending on the company size. Microenterprises recorded the highest average delay, with 16.79 days, despite improving slightly compared to the third quarter of the previous year.

For their part, large companies reached an average delay of 14 days, while the medium ones stood at 12.62 days.

Las small companies presented the best data, with an average delay of 11.87 days. However, punctuality also varies significantly between different groups.

Thus, 46% of payments by microenterprises and 43.5% of those by small businesses were made within the established deadline. In medium-sized companies, the percentage fell to 29%, while in large companies it barely reached 14%.

These data show that large companies have a lower proportion of punctual payments, while microenterprises accumulate the highest average delays. For small businesses, charge out of time It can make it difficult to plan current expenses, pay suppliers, and meet your own financial obligations.

Microenterprises have more delays of more than 60 days

The study also analyzes delays greater than 60 days. These represented 7.5% of microbusiness payments, compared to 4% in small businesses, 3% in medium-sized businesses and just over 2.5% in large businesses.

Although longer delays carry less weight than shorter delays, they pose added risk to businesses that rely on a regular influx of revenue.

The Director of Studies at Informa D&B, Nathalie Gianese, points out that, despite the slight decrease registered during the third quarter, the average delay continues above 14 days, as happened for much of the previous year.

The hospitality industry and the Administration register the greatest delays

Payment behavior also presents important differences by sector. The hospitality recorded the highest average delay, with 23.89 days, followed by the Administration, with 22.92 days. Energy and agriculture They also exceeded the national average, with 18.80 and 18.53 days, respectively.

At the opposite end was the industry, with 10.28 days of average delay. They were followed by the extractive industries, with 11.24 days; the trade, with 12.05 days, and the construction and real estate activities, with 13.36 days. The difference between hospitality and industry reached 13.61 days.

By autonomous communities, Navarra registered the shortest average delay, with 9.77 days, followed by the Basque Country, with 9.99, and La Rioja, with 10.15. Melilla presented the greatest delay, with 23.56 days, ahead of the Canary Islands, with 23.16, and the Balearic Islands, with 18.81.

No autonomous community reached 50% punctual payments. Navarra topped the classification, with 49%, while the Canary Islands presented the lowest percentage, with 25.5%. In Madrid, just over 36% of payments were made within the agreed period.

Overall, the results of the Informa D&B Study on Payment Behavior of Spanish Companies show that punctuality continues to be a challenge for the business fabric.

And although the average delay has experienced a slight year-on-year reduction, the decrease in payments made on time and the economic cost associated with delays maintain pressure on the treasury of companies, especially smaller businesses.