The Small Business Commissioner helped small firms recover more than £1.5m in overdue payments in 2025-26. According to the Commissioner's office, that is its highest figure in over five years. The service is free, and it is there for small businesses that a larger customer has not paid.
01What the Small Business Commissioner announced
The figure was published on 16 October. It covers money recovered through the office's service for unresolved payment disputes.
The office is funded with a budget of £1.23m a year from the Department for Business and Trade. So in 2025-26 it recovered more for small firms than it cost to run.
Emma Jones, the Small Business Commissioner, said the 2025-26 financial year was the office's "best yet".
02Who can use the Small Business Commissioner?
The service is for a small business in a payment dispute with a larger one. The Commissioner defines a small business as one with fewer than 50 employees. A larger business has more than 50.
It is meant for disputes you have not been able to settle yourself. If a bigger customer is still ignoring an overdue invoice, you can contact the office through its enquiry service. It covers the whole of the UK.
The office was set up by the government under the Enterprise Act 2016. It is independent, and it does not charge for its help.
03What is changing on late payment
The announcement came a week after the government set out new measures on late payment. They include stronger powers for the Small Business Commissioner.
The Commercial Payments Bill is due its third reading in the House of Lords on 20 October. It is not law yet. It still has to pass the House of Commons and receive Royal Assent.
04If late payment is squeezing your cash flow
Chasing a debt takes time, and the wages and bills do not wait. If one large customer pays slowly every month, the gap is a cash flow problem as well as a debt.
Our guide to invoice finance or a business loan for slow payers explains the options. If you need to bridge the gap while a dispute is settled, business growth finance may help.
