Longer Payment Terms Pressure German SMEs

Creditreform's payment indicator shows German B2B payment terms lengthened in H1 2026, pushing the average to 32.21 days — the highest since 2019 — and increasing financial strain on suppliers, especially SMEs. Large firms (250+ employees) averaged 35.51 days versus 26.37 days for small firms, creating a roughly nine-day gap. SMEs also experienced larger payment delays (small firms 10.52 days overdue; medium 10.66 days; large 6.71 days), contributing to an average receivable cycle of 40.35 days. At the same time average invoice values and receivables per debtor fell, suggesting weaker business volume and heightened default risk for creditors. Creditreform estimates permanently outstanding supplier credit in Germany at about €300–400 billion and warns of continued pressure on smaller companies if the economy does not recover.