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Freelancers and getting paid: the 2026 numbers
Getting stiffed is not rare, it is the norm. Around two-thirds of UK freelancers dealt with late payment in the last year, a quarter were ghosted after a project had already started, and roughly one in three have done work they were never paid for at all. Here are the figures, every one from a named, published source.
of New York freelancers have lost wages because a client refused to pay.
of freelancers chasing non-payment spend 1–2 hours every week trying to recoup it.
The pattern behind the numbers
Almost every one of these stats traces back to the same weak point: the work is handed over first, and payment is chased afterwards. Once the final files are out, the freelancer's leverage is gone, and the client can go quiet. The stat that captures it best is the ghosting one, a quarter of UK freelancers silenced by a client after a project was already underway.
There is no clean public figure for how many creatives get paid before they deliver versus after, because the paid-before-delivery model is still the exception. That is the gap these numbers point to, and the thing a payment-gated delivery is built to close: the client sees watermarked previews, pays, and only then do the final files unlock.
More from the data
of UK freelancers dealt with late payments in the year; 81% of them said it was a direct source of stress.
of UK freelancers weren't paid on time in the last 12 months, and 18% waited over three months.
of UK freelancers felt stressed or anxious from not being paid on time; 20% were left with no money for rent or bills.
of freelancers head into the holiday season with unpaid invoices still on the books.
is how late, on average, a UK small-business invoice is paid, on top of a ~29-day wait to be paid at all.
a year is what the average freelancer hit by non-payment loses, about 13% of their income.
Help build next year's data
We are gathering first-hand experiences from creative freelancers for the 2027 edition, especially on getting ghosted after delivery, which nobody measures well yet. If you have a story, tell us.
Share your experienceFrequently asked questions
What percentage of freelancers don't get paid?
In the UK, 31% of freelancers say they have done work and never been paid for it (IPSE), and 26.4% experienced outright non-payment in a single year (Leapers, 2025). Late payment is far more common still, affecting roughly two-thirds of UK freelancers.
How much do freelancers lose to unpaid invoices?
The average UK freelancer is owed around £5,230 in unpaid work at any time (IPSE). In the US, freelancers hit by non-payment have historically lost about $6,000 a year, roughly 13% of their income (Freelancers Union, 2014 data).
How can freelancers avoid not getting paid?
Take a deposit before starting, send watermarked previews for approval, and release the final files only once payment clears. Getting paid before the work leaves your hands removes the leverage problem entirely, which is exactly what a payment-gated delivery does.
Can I cite these statistics?
Yes. Every figure links to its original published source. Please cite the original source and, if useful, link back to this page. Figures are accurate as of the dates shown; platforms and reports update over time.
Sources
- Leapers, Mental Health in Freelancing 2025 (2025)
- IPSE, Late Payment within the self-employed sector (2024)
- Authors Guild / NWU et al., NY freelancer survey (2022)
- Bonsai, freelance invoicing data (2023)
- FreshBooks study (2022)
- Xero Small Business Insights (UK) (2024)
- Freelancers Union (2014)
Figures are drawn from the third-party published sources above and are accurate as of the dates shown. Reports update over time, so check the original source for the latest data. US-only and older figures are labelled on each card.
Stop delivering on trust
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