What is the timeline for invoice payments?
Key Facts
- Invoicing within 10 days post-job completion leads to faster payments, while delays beyond 20 days can extend cycles by up to 30 days.
- 54% of SMEs experience late payments, with invoices paid an average of 6 days past due.
- 61% of late payments are caused by invoice errors, making accuracy a top priority for on-time collection.
- SMEs spend an average of 4 hours per week chasing overdue payments, costing small businesses 15 days annually.
- Only 6% of manual invoices are paid within 30 days, compared to 94% paid between 30–60 days.
- Checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, or altered than electronic payment methods.
- 73% of midsize businesses now use instant payment systems like RTP or FedNow to accelerate settlements.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon should I send an invoice after completing a job to get paid faster?
What’s the average time it takes for small businesses to get paid?
Why are so many invoices paid late, and how can I reduce delays?
How much time do small businesses typically spend chasing overdue payments?
Are electronic payments really faster and safer than checks?
Can AI really help speed up invoice processing and payments?
Turn Invoice Delays into Strategic Advantage
Understanding the timeline for invoice payments isn’t just about tracking due dates—it’s about optimizing cash flow, reducing operational friction, and maintaining trust across your financial ecosystem. As we’ve explored, manual processes and fragmented systems create bottlenecks that delay payments, increase errors, and drain valuable resources. Off-the-shelf automation tools may offer quick fixes, but they fall short in scalability, deep integration, and long-term ownership—leading to recurring costs and brittle workflows. At AIQ Labs, we build custom, production-ready AI solutions that align with your unique financial operations, from intelligent invoice capture and approval routing to automated payment scheduling and real-time status tracking. Our AI-driven systems are designed to save teams 20–40 hours per week and deliver ROI in as little as 30–60 days—outcomes proven through our own in-house platforms. When you partner with us, you gain full ownership of resilient, scalable automation that grows with your business. Stop settling for temporary patches. Take the next step: schedule a free AI audit today and discover how we can transform your invoice payment timeline from a pain point into a competitive advantage.