Glossary

Creditor days

Creditor days measure how long, on average, you take to pay suppliers — a lever you can use to hold onto cash longer, within reason.

2 min read

Days to paySuppliers waiting
A cash leverWithin fair terms

Definition

Creditor days (or days payable outstanding) is the average time a company takes to settle supplier invoices, calculated as trade creditors divided by purchases, times 365. It's the payables counterpart to debtor days.

In plain terms

It shows how long you hold onto suppliers' money. Longer creditor days keep cash in your account — but stretch it too far and you damage relationships.

Why it matters for your company

Balancing creditor days against debtor days shapes your cash conversion cycle. Managed fairly, it eases working-capital pressure. See working capital management.

Funding for UK limited companies

Credicorp lends to your company, not to you personally — short-term working capital with no personal guarantee. See what your business could access.