Fair Payment Code
A UK code recognising businesses that pay their suppliers promptly and fairly, with tiered awards based on payment performance.
The Fair Payment Code is a UK code that recognises businesses which pay their suppliers promptly and fairly. It replaced the earlier Prompt Payment Code and introduced tiered awards, gold, silver and bronze, based on how quickly a business actually pays.
The code reframes prompt payment as a matter of reputation rather than goodwill. Achieving and displaying an award signals reliability to suppliers and the wider market, while the tiering creates a clear target to improve against.
Demonstrating compliance depends on evidence of real payment behaviour. Shared, verifiable invoice and payment timelines make it possible to show, rather than assert, that payment terms are being met.
The Fair Payment Code is administered under the Office of the Small Business Commissioner and recognises prompt payment through tiered (gold, silver and bronze) awards.