SMEs are losing €20,000 on average, yet almost half don't even know it

Defaulting on payments is a structural problem faced by SMEs in the Netherlands

Delft, 28 May 2026 – Two-thirds of SMEs (67%) lose annual revenue due to unpaid invoices. On average, 15% of customers pay late and 3% of all invoices are never paid. This equates to an average loss of €20,000 per year. This is shown by the SME Barometer, the research that was conducted by software developer Exact among more than 900 Dutch entrepreneurs.

Lack of payment visibility

It is striking to see that many entrepreneurs have little insight into their customers’ payment behaviour: almost half (47%) have no idea how long it takes customers to pay. As a result, they miss signs of late payments and are unable to take timely action. Moreover, one in five (19%) do not take any action to protect themselves against late payments. In total, 30% see on-time payment by customers as the biggest challenge they face when it comes to financial administration.

Limited modernisation for invoicing

Businesses are increasingly focusing on improving and streamlining their invoicing processes to cut down on unnecessary administration. In practice, however, such improvements rarely materialise. Only 8% of SMEs make use of e-invoicing. Nearly half (47%) still send invoices by post or email, without including a convenient payment link or QR code. As a result, follow-up remains a manual process and late payments are not detected until well after the fact. The lack of automation among many entrepreneurs is linked to practical barriers, such as implementation time (33%) and technical challenges in existing software (29%).

Kuno Klumpers, accounting software expert at Exact, has the following to say on the matter: “The Netherlands has 417,000 SMEs with staff on the payroll (2 to 250 colleagues). Of these, 67% have reported lost revenue due to unpaid invoices. If they lose an average of €20,000 per year in turnover, this amounts to around €5.6 billion in capital that is not available for investment and growth. What stands out is that entrepreneurs are not yet making sufficient use of the tools that address this problem directly. Fortunately, the solution doesn’t have to be complicated. With e-invoicing and automated accounts receivable management, entrepreneurs receive immediate insight into their processes: which invoices are outstanding, which customers frequently pay late, where immediate action is required and so on. The technology is there. Now it’s time for entrepreneurs to make even better use of it.”

About the research

The Exact SME Barometer is an independent study of the state of SMEs in the Netherlands. It provides insight into the key challenges and developments for SMEs, including entrepreneurship, finance and the adoption of new technologies. The most recent edition of the research was carried out in the first quarter of 2026 by the research agency Markteffect, with over 1,700 respondents taking part. In addition to an overarching SME report, sector-specific insights are available for trade, manufacturing, professional services, hospitality, construction and accounting.