Even the best payers in Australia miss 1 in 4 invoices

Payvio | ~2 min read

The good news everyone's about to share

The Payment Times Reporting Scheme's August 2026 update looks like good news. Average payment terms have held at 29 days for three straight reporting cycles. Invoices paid within 30 days are up 6.6 percentage points since the scheme's reforms began (Payment Times Reporting Scheme). Real progress, not spin. Expect it quoted everywhere as proof the late-payment problem is fixed.

It isn't

"On time" here means paid within the agreed term, not paid fast. Public Administration and Safety is the best-performing sector in the country, and it still only hits 76.4% on-time. That's roughly one in four invoices missing a 29-day term, in the best case. Large private companies, the buyers most of our suppliers actually invoice, sit below that. Better compliance with a 29-day promise is still a 29-day promise.

The trend line doesn't pay your bills

A national average climbing tells you where the economy's heading. It tells you nothing about the buyer on your desk this month: whether they're in the improving majority or the missing quarter, or whether this exact invoice is the one that runs long. The improvement is real. The guess is still yours to make.

Where Payvio fits

Transaction credit removes that guess entirely. Payvio doesn't need your buyer to be compliant, and doesn't need this quarter to beat last quarter, for your cash flow to hold up. You're paid on your own terms within 24-48 hours of invoice approval, whatever that buyer's actual number turns out to be.

Sources: Payment Times Reporting Scheme, Regulator's Update (August 2026).