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Their own payment-practices filing · gov.uk

How long does Herbert Smith Freehills LLP take to pay its suppliers?

CRN OC310989 · 18 statutory reports on record · period to 30 Apr 2026

52days
their reported average time to pay suppliers, latest period
Slower than mostvs a 31-day median across 6,185 recent filers

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

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On the public register · Companies House

Company record

Status
Active
Type
Limited Liability Partnership
Incorporated
14 Jan 2005
Registered office
EXCHANGE HOUSE, LONDON, EC2A 2EG
0 outstanding charges on the register Accounts due 31 Jan 2027

Open the full record at Companies House.

Terms vs reality

Stated terms: 1–60 days. Reported average: 52.

Stated terms1–60d
+51 days
Reported avg52d

At a glance

The key figures

1–60d
their stated terms
8%
invoices paid outside terms
-13d
faster over the window
±5d
steady pattern

Vs peers · latest reported averages

fasterslower
Slower than 85% of large companies reporting.

The pattern

Getting faster

Average days to pay across their last 6 statutory reports.

terms 1d
65
60
52
50
60
52
H2 2023H1 2024H2 2024H1 2025H2 2025H1 2026

Where their supplier invoices land · latest period

within 30 days 45% 31–60 days 37% 61+ days 18%

The read · computed from their figures

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP has filed 18 statutory payment periods (earliest H2 2017). Their latest report puts the average at 52 days against stated terms of 1–60 days.

The direction is faster: from 65 to 52 days over the window — about 13 days faster.

In the latest period 8% of invoices were paid outside their agreed terms, and 18% landed 61+ days out.

In their own words · from the filing

Standard payment terms

HSF LLP does not have standard payment terms. These are agreed with suppliers depending on their company size and the nature of the goods or services provided. In line with standard procedures for law firms, payments relating to client matter disbursement costs are settled in accordance with the terms set out by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, unless otherwise agreed with the supplier.

Dispute resolution

HSF Kramer LLP will endeavour to advise suppliers promptly of any disputes or reasons why an invoice will not be paid to 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. Complaints by suppliers should be directed in the first instance to the individual responsible for the expenditure.

Other information

Figures in this submission have been calculated in line with the guidance notes issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. HSF Kramer LLP operates both daily and weekly payment runs. Weekly payment runs may add additional days to the payment cycle depending on the day of the week the payment is due.

Every statutory report on record

Most recent first.

PeriodAvg daysOutside terms61+ daysFiled
H1 2026528%18%12 May 2026
H2 2025608%38%12 Nov 2025
H1 20255016%38%20 May 2025
H2 2024528%37%18 Nov 2024
H1 20246010%44%8 May 2024
H2 20236512%48%13 Nov 2023
H1 2023637%47%9 May 2023
H2 2022771%67%10 Nov 2022
H1 2022736%63%23 May 2022
H2 2021628%46%24 Nov 2021
H1 20216313%48%24 May 2021
H2 20204711%28%27 Nov 2020
H1 20206119%48%29 May 2020
H2 20195719%48%29 Nov 2019
H1 20195815%44%29 May 2019
H2 20186711%50%28 Nov 2018
H1 20186911%53%30 May 2018
H2 2017570%45%29 Nov 2017

Working-capital effect

What a 52-day cycle ties up

Illustrative. On a hypothetical £12k/month account, at a 52-day vs a 1-day payment cycle.

≈ £20,500
of invoicing outstanding at any one time on a 52-day cycle — about £20,100 more than the same account would carry at 1-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

Are they getting slower or faster?
Their reported average has moved about 13 days faster over the window (65 → 52 days).
What's their typical pay point?
Their latest reports average around day 52, moving within about ±5 days. 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

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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-OC310989 · latest period to 30 Apr 2026

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