Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk
Shell Research Limited pays suppliers in 53 days on average — within its stated 30–60 day terms
Their H1 2026 filing puts the average 23 days past the shortest term they state (30 days), still within their 60-day upper term.
- Their stated terms
- 30–60 days
- Paid outside agreed terms
- 4% of invoices
- Paid after 61+ days
- 6%
- Reporting period
- 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Jun 2026
- Source
- their gov.uk filing, filed 23 Jul 2026
Self-reported figures from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.
Terms vs reality · their H1 2026 filing
Paid within their stated range — 53 against 30–60 days
Where their invoices landed · share of all invoices
The pattern · last 6 of 17 reports
41 → 53 days — slowing down
The read · computed from their figures
Shell Research Limited's H1 2026 filing puts their average at 53 days against stated terms of 30–60 days; 4% of invoices were paid outside agreed terms and 6% took 61 days or longer. Filed 23 Jul 2026.
The direction is slower: from 41 days in H2 2023 to 53 now — 12 days slower across their last 6 reports.
On the latest reported averages: Slower than 90% of the 593 large companies reporting in administrative & support services.
That is 17 statutory periods on record (earliest H1 2018) — a historical record, not a promise for a new invoice.
What they tell their suppliers
In their own words · from the filing
Standard payment terms
Shell standard terms are 60 days from receipt of a correctly presented invoice. For suppliers confirmed as SMEs 30-day payment terms are available. Invoice receipt is defined as a complete, fiscally correct invoice delivered at the remittance address specified in the contract / agreement / purchase order. For electronic invoices, invoice receipt is when the invoice data is received within the Shell system.
Dispute resolution
A centralised point of contact for suppliers’ enquiries is in place via Shell Accounts Payable Helpdesk. This team supports with questions related to but not limited to; payment due dates, incorrect invoice submission, wrong or missing PO details etc. Shell seeks to advise suppliers promptly of any disputes or reasons why an invoice will not be paid in accordance with the agreed terms. Invoices that are subject to dispute will not be paid until resolution of the dispute. Once resolved, payment will be made in accordance with the terms of the contract.
Every statutory report on record
Most recent first.
| Period | Avg days | Outside terms | 61+ days | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 2026 | 53 | 4% | 6% | 23 Jul 2026 |
| H2 2025 | 42 | 4% | 3% | 27 Jan 2026 |
| H1 2025 | 37 | 3% | 3% | 29 Jul 2025 |
| H2 2024 | 40 | 10% | 8% | 24 Jan 2025 |
| H1 2024 | 39 | 5% | 4% | 23 Jul 2024 |
| H2 2023 | 41 | 7% | 6% | 30 Jan 2024 |
| H1 2023 | 35 | 6% | 4% | 24 Jul 2023 |
| H2 2022 | 40 | 11% | 8% | 20 Jan 2023 |
| H1 2022 | 37 | 14% | 10% | 25 Jul 2022 |
| H2 2021 | 34 | 5% | 2% | 28 Jan 2022 |
| H1 2021 | 39 | 8% | 4% | 27 Jul 2021 |
| H2 2020 | 34 | 5% | 4% | 28 Jan 2021 |
| H1 2020 | 35 | 13% | 10% | 30 Jul 2020 |
| H2 2019 | 35 | 19% | 10% | 28 Feb 2020 |
| H1 2019 | 38 | 19% | 10% | 28 Jul 2019 |
| H2 2018 | 36 | 22% | 12% | 29 Jan 2019 |
| H1 2018 | 37 | 20% | 12% | 27 Jul 2018 |
On the public register · Companies House
Company record
- Status
- Active
- Type
- Private Limited Company
- Incorporated
- 30 Oct 1954
- Registered office
- SHELL CENTRE, SE1 7NA
Illustrative · working-capital arithmetic
What a 53-day cycle ties up
A worked example, not a finding. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 53-day vs a 30-day payment cycle.
Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets a supplier charge statutory interest and fixed compensation on invoices paid past agreed terms. Work out what a late invoice is worth → Whether it applies depends on your contract — check with an adviser.
Quick answers · Shell Research Limited
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More large companies in administrative & support services
Shell International Petroleum Company Limited · Shorterm Limited · Shell International Limited · Shred-IT Limited · Shaw Trust Limited(THE) · Sigma Connected Ltd
How UK payment reporting works
What is a Payment Practices Report?
What does "paid outside agreed terms" mean?
How often is this data updated?
Is this official government data?
How this is compiled. Built from official records only: Companies House and the gov.uk payment-practices service. The payment figures are self-reported — companies over the size threshold must file them by law and the board signs them off. No credit-agency data. The numbers are theirs; the plain-English read is ours. This is information compiled from public records under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — not a credit rating and not advice.
The 31-day comparison figure is the median across 6,104 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).
Report PL-00539964 · latest period to 30 Jun 2026
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