The latest study1 on payment behavior in Poland shows a reduction in average payment delays to 46.2 days thanks to the improvement of the economic context, driven in particular by the recovery in household consumption. Although some sectors such as transport and textiles remain in difficulty, the outlook for 2025 is encouraging, with economic growth expected to strengthen further.
Longer payment terms, especially in the transport sector
Short payment terms are still prevalent in the Polish business landscape: 40% of companies surveyed impose payment terms of less than 30 days on average. However, average payment terms increased from 42.4 days in 2023 to 46.2 days in 2024.
Among the sectors offering the longest payment terms, the transportation sector has average credit times of 62 days (20 days more than in 2023), compared to 28 days in the energy sector, which has the shortest terms.
Most Polish companies expect that these payment terms will remain unchanged for the next six monthsregardless of the size of the customers.
Late payments, a widespread practice in decline
Late payments are common practice in Poland. The 60,1% of the companies interviewed say they have suffered delays in payments from their counterparts in the last six months, a sharp increase compared to the 49.3% of companies that said they had suffered payment delays in 2023.
On average, late payments decreased by 2.5 days compared to 2023, going to 46.2 days in 2024. This improvement has been constant since 2021, the year in which payment delays still reached 48 days.
There are large disparities between sectors. Transport records the highest delays, with an average of 61.6 days: an increase of almost 18 days compared to 2023. Other sectors, such as textiles and clothing, also record significant delays (58.2 days). These prolonged delays continue to impact the financial stability of businesses, particularly those most exposed to foreign markets, such as Polish shippers to Western Europe.
In this context, the management of bad debts remains a challenge for Polish companies, which rely mainly on their own internal resources for such activities.
Despite stiff competition, nearly half of businesses expect business to improve in 2025
The prospects of the Polish economy for 2025 are promising, with a GDP growth estimate of 3.5% according to Coface. This recovery in activity is supported mainly by household consumption and fixed investments.
However, almost 45% of companies believe that strong competition limits their development, and high operating costs, including rising wages, continue to weigh on profit margins. Falling inflation may reduce wage pressure, but rising minimum wages and competition will continue to limit margin expansion.
Despite these structural challenges, the economic recovery should lead to greater stability in payment times and a continued reduction in outstanding payments, allowing companies to grow.
Download the study now about Payment Investigation in Poland.
1 Survey of 336 Polish companies carried out in October 2024.
