Small Business Commissioner – Help for small businesses experiencing payment issues with a larger business
November 27, 2019
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) is an independent public body appointed by the government under the Enterprise Act 2016 to tackle late payment and poor payment practice in the private sector of the UK.
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner operates a complaints scheme where we investigate complaints from small businesses (a company with 50 employees or less) who are experiencing payment issues with larger businesses (a company with more than 50 employees) and make non-binding recommendations for the resolution of payment disputes.
Where the Commissioner considers appropriate, we may publish a report about the circumstances of the complaint. This may include identification of the parties involved in the complaint.
There are specific rules in relation to the types of complaint the Commissioner can assist with. These include the complaint must relate to late or non-payment by a larger business to a smaller business, the dispute must not be contractual, and the dispute must not be subject to or have been previously determined via the court process. However, where complaints fall outside the legal scope of the Commissioners complaint scheme, we will still do as much as we can to resolve the dispute including signpost to relevant alternative existing support and dispute resolution services.
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner can also assist small businesses by checking contracts and providing advice on getting invoices right.
We are independent but appointed by government, impartial and free to use on a non-risk basis.
For more information, please see the below link to our website;
www.smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk
