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UK late payment overhaul: proposals to amend Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 1998, cap terms, mandate statutory interest, boost reporting and Small Business Commissioner powers, and reform construction retentions

Published on: 24 September 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Commercial expert
Legal News
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Article summary

Background

The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (LPCD(I)A 1998) is the principal piece of legislation dealing with late payment. Under LPCD(I)A 1998, creditors have a statutory entitlement to interest at 8% above the Bank of England Bank Rate, a fixed charge, and reasonable recovery costs where payment is overdue. Its application is restricted to business-to-business contracts for goods or services, and parties often query whether particular agreements or sums come within its scope. It is possible to contract out of LPCD(I)A 1998, but only where the contract supplies an alternative, substantial contractual remedy for late payments. There is cross-party political agreement that existing measures protecting SMEs from late payments are lacking and impede SME growth:

  • the Starmer Government aims to reinforce protections by taking eight key legislative steps to deliver ‘the toughest laws on late payments in the G7’
  • the Department of Business and Trade (DBT) state that small and medium sized firms employ 60% of the country’s workforce and generate £2.8tn in turnover...

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