NWS payment performance 2025 to 2026
Updated 7 April 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nws-payment-performance-report/nws-payment-performance-2025-to-2026
The figures included in the report highlight our promptness in paying our suppliers and are expressed in numbers of payments made within 5 days of due date, within 30 days and payments made over 30 days late.
The performance figures are also expressed in monetary terms.
1. Number of payments made
| NWS payment performance FY 25/26 | QTR1 | QTR2 | QTR3 | QTR4 | FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid within 5 days of receipt | 69 | 403 | 187 | 224 | 883 |
| Paid within 6 to 30 days of receipt | 1,481 | 1,448 | 1,150 | 1290 | 5369 |
| Paid within 0 to 30 days of receipt sub total | 1,550 | 1,851 | 1,137 | 1,514 | 6,252 |
| Paid after 30 days of receipt | 130 | 126 | 67 | 92 | 415 |
| Total Invoices paid | 1,680 | 1,977 | 1,404 | 1,606 | 6,667 |
2. Percentage based on number of invoices processed
| NWS payment performance FY 25/26 | QTR1 | QTR2 | QTR3 | QTR4 | FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid within 5 days of receipt | 4% | 20% | 13% | 14% | 13% |
| Paid within 6 to 30 days of receipt | 88% | 73% | 82% | 80% | 81% |
| Paid within 0 to 30 days of receipt sub total | 92% | 94% | 95% | 94% | 94% |
| Paid after 30 days of receipt | 8% | 6% | 5% | 6% | 6% |
3. Value of payments made
| NWS payment performance FY 25/26 | QTR1 | QTR2 | QTR3 | QTR4 | FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid within 5 days of receipt | -£2,509,532.00 | -£11,718,202.70 | -£3,122,060.25 | -£5,353,330.62 | -£22,703,125.31 |
| Paid within 6 to 30 days of receipt | -£34,545,110.00 | -£29,278,556.08 | -£21,407,769.00 | -£24,211,653.02 | -£109,443,088.16 |
| Paid within 0 to 30 days of receipt sub total | -£37,054,642.00 | -£40,996,758.78 | -£24,529,829.25 | -£29,564,983.64 | -£132,146,213.47 |
| Paid after 30 days of receipts | -£2,549,469.00 | -£690,829.19 | -£2,024,673.71 | -£1,316,194.31 | -£6,581,166.20 |
| Total invoices paid | -£39,604,111.00 | -£41,687,587.97 | -£26,554,502.96 | -£30,881,177.95 | -£138,727,379.67 |
4. Percentage based on value of invoices paid
| NWS payment performance FY 25/26 | QTR1 | QTR2 | QTR3 | QTR4 | FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid within 5 days of receipt | 6% | 28% | 12% | 17% | 16% |
| Paid within 6 to 30 days of receipt | 87% | 70% | 81% | 78% | 79% |
| Paid within 0 to 30 days of receipt sub total | 94% | 98% | 92% | 96% | 95% |
| Paid after 30 days of receipt | 6% | 2% | 8% | 4% | 5% |