Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

How long does National Physical Laboratory Limited take to pay its suppliers?

CRN 02992144 · Professional & technical services · 1 statutory report on record · period to 30 Jun 2026

35days

their reported average time to pay suppliers, latest period

Around averagevs a 32-day median across 6,085 recent filers

Self-reported figure from their statutory filing. How this is compiled.

On the public register · Companies House

Company record

Status: Active
Type: Private Limited Company
Incorporated: 18 Nov 1994
Registered office: NATIONAL PHYSICAL LABORATORY, TEDDINGTON, TW11 0LW

0 outstanding charges on the register Accounts due 30 Sept 2026

Open the full record at Companies House.

Terms vs reality

Stated terms: 30 days. Reported average: 35.

Stated terms30d

+5 days

Reported avg35d

At a glance

The key figures

30d

their stated terms

invoices paid outside terms

Vs peers · latest reported averages

fasterslower

Slower than 61% of the 519 large companies reporting in professional & technical services.

Where their supplier invoices land · latest period

within 30 days 59% 31–60 days 33% 61+ days 8%

The read · computed from their figures

National Physical Laboratory Limited has filed 1 statutory payment period (earliest H1 2026). Their latest report puts the average at 35 days against stated terms of 30 days.

In the latest period 7% of invoices were paid outside their agreed terms, and 8% landed 61+ days out.

In their own words · from the filing

Standard payment terms

"http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/npl_terms_conditions_purchasing.pdf On submission of a valid invoice quoting NPL's Purchase Order number and confirming that (a) the Goods have been delivered to NPL and NPL have accepted such Goods or (b) the Services have been performed and NPL has accepted such Services, NPL shall pay each validly submitted invoice of the Supplier within thirty (30) working days of receipt."

Dispute resolution

Contact: [email protected]

Other information

Reporting is based on date of invoice not received date. Work is underway to capture this and disputed invoices for future reporting purposes.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

Period	Avg days	Outside terms	61+ days	Filed
H1 2026	35	7%	8%	24 Jul 2026

Working-capital effect

What a 35-day cycle ties up

Illustrative. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 35-day vs a 30-day payment cycle.

≈ £14,000

of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 35-day cycle — about £2,000 more than the same account would carry at 30-day terms.

Late Payment Act. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act 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

What's their typical pay point?

Their latest reports average around day 35. That's the window to expect for a new invoice.

Can I see what this means for my invoices?

Run the live check — it re-reads their record and their live Companies House file, on the amount you invoice.

Stay ahead

Watch National Physical Laboratory Limited (free)

Their next payment report is due ≈ 26 Jan 2027. We watch their public record and email you when something changes — a new payment report, late filings, insolvency markers, new charges.

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How UK payment reporting works

What is a Payment Practices Report?

UK companies and LLPs above a size threshold — broadly, two of: turnover over £54m, balance sheet over £27m, or more than 250 employees — must report twice a year, under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, how quickly they actually pay suppliers: the average time to pay, the share of invoices paid in 30 days or fewer, 31 to 60 days and 61 days or longer, and their standard payment terms. Those thresholds apply to financial years beginning on or after 6 April 2025; for earlier financial years they were £36m and £18m, with the same 250-employee test.

What does "paid outside agreed terms" mean?

The share of invoices paid later than the terms in the supplier contract. If terms are 30 days and an invoice is paid on day 45, it counts as paid outside terms, regardless of the headline average.

How often is this data updated?

Each report covers a six-month period and must be filed within 30 days of that period ending, so a company's record refreshes roughly twice a year. PaidLate re-reads the register as new reports are filed.

Is this official government data?

Yes. Every figure comes from the company's own statutory filing on the gov.uk payment-practices service and Companies House — not surveys, estimates or credit-agency scores. The numbers are theirs; the plain-English read is ours.

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 32-day comparison figure is the median across 6,085 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).

Report PL-02992144 · latest period to 30 Jun 2026

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