The lag between done and paid
Work finished Friday, invoice sent Tuesday, paid three weeks later. That gap is money permanently missing from the account. Size yours.
The evenings-and-weekends gap: done Friday, invoiced when the paperwork catches up.
Your stated terms plus the actual overrun. UK construction average delay: ~38 days (Coface).
How this maths works
Weekly turnover × total lag days ÷ 7 = the average cash permanently owed to you but not yet in the account. It's not a "loss" — it's a float gap that constrains materials, wages and growth. Shortening job→invoice by even a few days compounds: money arrives earlier every single week, forever.
All inputs are yours — no benchmark claims. Reference points are published: Coface construction payment-delay data and Small Business Commissioner late-payment research.
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