German companies pay on time

Despite a weak economy and high costs, German companies are still paying their bills on time, on average after 7,7 days, according to Creditreform. The catch: those who hold onto their money tend to invest less.

The payment behavior of German companies remains stable. In the first quarter of 2026, the average payment delay across all sectors was 7,7 days – exactly the same as in the same period of the previous year. Despite a weak economy, high costs, and continued reluctance to invest, there has been no widespread decline in the solvency of businesses so far. According to Creditreform, companies in Germany paid their invoices in the first quarter of 2026 on average just as quickly as in the first quarter of 2025.

The average payment delay remained unchanged at 7,7 days. "Companies' payment behavior remains stable – in a challenging economic environment, this is a robust signal," he said. Patrik-Ludwig Hantzsch, Head of Economic Research at CreditreformHowever, he warns against interpreting this development as a genuine easing of the situation. Many businesses are holding onto their cash, investing too little, and still rarely requesting loans for investments. Yet these investments are precisely what is needed to maintain the region's competitiveness.

Weakest payment record in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Significant differences exist between the federal states. Companies in Rhineland-Palatinate paid the fastest, with an average payment delay of 6,1 days, followed by Saxony with 6,2 days and Bavaria with 6,7 days.

At the bottom of the ranking are Schleswig-Holstein with 9,8 days, Hamburg with 10,0 days, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 10,9 days. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania thus remains the federal state with the weakest payment record.

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The construction industry remains problematic

Payment behavior also varies between sectors. According to Creditreform, the situation in the construction industry remains particularly problematic. There, the average payment delay rose from 13,5 to 15,0 days compared to the same period last year. This means the sector once again has by far the worst record.

Personal service providers (10,2 days) and companies in the transport and logistics sector (8,4 days) also paid significantly late. Retailers (6,1 days), wholesalers (5,9 days), and the chemical/plastics industry fared considerably better. The latter recorded the lowest payment delay at 4,9 days.

The analysis is based on Creditreform's German debtors' register. This register analyzes approximately 16,3 million payment experiences across various industries for German companies each month. Payment delays are calculated as the difference between the agreed payment deadline and the actual payment received.

Source: Creditreform

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