Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

How long does National Oceanography Centre take to pay its suppliers?

CRN 11444362 · Professional & technical services · 1 statutory report on record · period to 31 Mar 2026

23days

their reported average time to pay suppliers, latest period

Faster than mostvs a 31-day median across 6,185 recent filers

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

On the public register · Companies House

Company record

Status: Active
Type: PRI/LBG/NSC (Private, Limited by guarantee, no share capital, use of 'Limited' exemption)
Incorporated: 2 Jul 2018
Registered office: NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE, SOUTHAMPTON, SO14 3ZH

1 outstanding charge — secured borrowing registered Accounts due 30 Jun 2027

Open the full record at Companies House.

Terms vs reality

Stated terms: 0–60 days. Reported average: 23.

Stated terms0–60d

+23 days

Reported avg23d

At a glance

The key figures

0–60d

their stated terms

16%

invoices paid outside terms

Vs peers · latest reported averages

fasterslower

Faster than 73% of the 530 large companies reporting in professional & technical services.

Where their supplier invoices land · latest period

within 30 days 86% 31–60 days 11% 61+ days 3%

The read · computed from their figures

National Oceanography Centre has filed 1 statutory payment period (earliest H1 2026). Their latest report puts the average at 23 days against stated terms of 0–60 days.

In the latest period 16% of invoices were paid outside their agreed terms, and 3% landed 61+ days out.

In their own words · from the filing

Standard payment terms

NOC standard payment terms is 30 days which is detailed in our standard terms and conditions. The maximum contractual payment period is 60 days. Suppliers are notified of any changes in writing and any disputes can be raised with the Accounts Payable team for review and action.

Dispute resolution

Suppliers should raise any invoice payment queries or disputes in the first instance by contacting the Accounts Payable (AP) team via the published AP contact details. The AP team will review the query, investigate with the relevant budget holder or service area where needed, and work to resolve issues promptly. Where a dispute cannot be resolved through AP, it will be escalated through Finance management for review and resolution. NOC aims to resolve disputes collaboratively and without delaying payment of undisputed invoices.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

Period	Avg days	Outside terms	61+ days	Filed
H1 2026	23	16%	3%	30 Apr 2026

Working-capital effect

What a 23-day cycle ties up

Illustrative. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 23-day vs a 0-day payment cycle.

≈ £9,000

of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 23-day cycle — about £9,100 more than the same account would carry at 0-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 23. Treat that as a historical reference point, not a promise 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 Oceanography Centre (free)

Their next payment report is due ≈ 27 Oct 2026. 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?

The underlying payment figures come from the company's own statutory filings on the gov.uk payment-practices service; company-status data comes from Companies House. PaidLate calculates trends, comparisons and summaries from those records. It does not use surveys or credit-agency scores.

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 6,185 companies with a current statutory report — every sector pooled, not an average of sector medians (how the figure is built).

Report PL-11444362 · latest period to 31 Mar 2026

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