About
The Fair Payment Code is a tiered system of Awards aimed at driving best practice and improving payment performance.
- The Fair Payment Code has Gold, Silver and Bronze Award categories underpinned by fair payment principles.
- There are no charges associated with being part of the Fair Payment Code.
The UK Government backed Fair Payment Code encourages businesses across the UK to pay fairly and quickly. Businesses apply for the Award tier which best suits them: Gold, Silver or Bronze.
The three Awards are:
- Gold Award – for those firms paying at least 95% of all invoices within 30 days
- Silver Award – for those paying at least 95% of all invoices within 60 days, including at least 95% of invoices to small businesses within 30 days
- Bronze Award – for those paying at least 95% of all invoices within 60 days
In addition, every business granted an Award agrees to abide by the Code’s principles of being Clear, Fair and Collaborative with their suppliers. Since launching in December 2024 over 350 businesses of all sizes and across a huge range of industries have become Code Awardees.
The Fair Payment Code Awards are for two years, and every business needs to reapply for their Award at the end of each two-year period. The best time to apply is between September – December to ensure you get a full two years but applications are accepted throughout the year.
There is a robust complaint system in place for businesses to highlight Awardees that are not meeting the requirements of their Award category (Gold, Silver or Bronze) or not following the principles of the Code.
The Fair Payment Code is administered by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner on behalf of the UK Government.
The Fair Payment Code has replaced the Prompt Payment Code.
Application process
Become a Fair Payment Code Awardee