A recent survey of entrepreneurs shows that in the first half of 2025, 28.3% of Polish companies did not face payment arrears from their contractors, while 11.1% of respondents were unable to assess the situation. This means that more than 60% of businesses nationwide experienced payment delays.
The most common arrears amounted to PLN 5,000–20,000 (12.7% of cases), particularly affecting companies with 10–50 employees in the energy and renewable energy sectors. Other ranges included: below PLN 5,000 (11.7%), PLN 20,000–40,000 (11.5%), and PLN 40,000–60,000 (10.1%). The least frequent were the highest categories: PLN 80,000–100,000 (4.2%), above PLN 100,000 (5%), and PLN 60,000–80,000 (5.5%).
The findings come from the UCE RESEARCH report “Payment Delays and Arrears: First Half of 2025”, based on a nationwide survey of more than 500 business leaders, including company owners, CEOs, board members, and top executives.
Experts: Even Small Arrears Can Threaten Liquidity
“Payment bottlenecks are still considered a taboo subject in Poland. Admitting to problems with contractors is often seen as a sign of weakness. If a business owner cannot even specify how much money is owed, it suggests a lack of financial control,” said Adrian Parol, attorney-at-law and restructuring advisor, co-author of the report.
According to Łukasz Goszczyński, attorney-at-law at GKPG, the PLN 5,000–20,000 range may seem small but can be critical for micro and small businesses:
- For a medium-sized company, such arrears are marginal.
- For a small business, delays of this size can mean being unable to pay salaries, taxes, or social contributions.
- The impact depends less on the nominal value of the arrears and more on their share of monthly revenues and the length of the delay.
Experts warn that overdue invoices often trigger further delays down the supply chain. Some companies intentionally extend payment cycles, treating suppliers as an interest-free source of financing. Short payment terms (7–14 days) see frequent but brief delays, while longer ones (45–60 days) encourage further postponements, effectively turning invoices into trade credit.
Who Is Most Affected?
The PLN 5,000–20,000 range was most often reported by respondents:
- from cities with 200,000–499,000 residents (17.2%),
- with vocational education (23.2%),
- founders or co-founders of companies (24%),
- firms with 10–50 employees (17.7%),
- businesses in the energy and renewable energy sectors (37.5%).
“Start-up founders often offer liberal payment terms to win clients, making every overdue invoice a burden. In energy and renewables, project settlements depend on formal approvals and documentation, so even small unpaid invoices can block subsequent project stages,” noted Parol.
Large Arrears – A Serious Threat
Although less frequent, arrears above PLN 60,000 affect about 15% of companies and often exceed what can be managed with current reserves. Such amounts may equal several months of payroll, raw materials, or leasing costs. A single unpaid invoice at this level can destabilize a company’s finances, forcing reliance on costly bridge financing, delaying payments to others, or even halting operations.
“If a business lacks a diversified client base, financial buffers, or safeguards such as advances, factoring, or receivables insurance, large arrears can quickly lead to insolvency,” warned Parol.
Goszczyński added that for large corporations, such amounts may only pose a management issue, but for SMEs they can become critical, leading directly to bankruptcy if left unaddressed.
Methodology
The report is based on a special opinion survey conducted as part of the project “Payment Delays and Arrears: First Half of 2025”. The research was carried out by UCE RESEARCH using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview) method on a nationwide sample of more than 500 business leaders, including company owners and senior management.
Source: CEO.com.pl
