Frequently Asked Questions

The Fair Payment Code Awards reward businesses for adopting fair payment practices for their suppliers and small suppliers in particular. As well as having three Award categories, Gold, Silver and Bronze, the new Code includes a set of fair payment principles that every applicant business is required to sign up to.  

The Code is ambitious in setting high standards including an exemplar ‘Gold’ category for those businesses paying suppliers within 30 days. The Code is also aspirational and aims to support businesses to improve payment practices and encourages their transition to Gold over time. To ensure the Code is credible, there is a rigorous but relatively light touch application process, a two-year limit on Awards and a more robust approach to enforcement than the old Code.  

The Fair Payment Code is administered by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).  

To be eligible for an Award, all applicants for a Fair Payment Code Award are required to abide by the Fair Payment Code principles, in addition to meeting the payment time requirements for each Award. This includes being Clear, Fair and Collaborative with their suppliers. Further details are set out in the application guidance. 

Procurement of goods or services defines a supplier.

The Fair Payment Code does not have a bearing on your requirements under the Payment Practices Reporting Regulations which are separate. However, PPR data can be used as supporting evidence for your application. Companies required to report under the regulations are not eligible to apply for a Code Award if they are failing to meet their PPR obligations.

Yes. The Prompt Payment Code (PPC) has been replaced by the Fair Payment Code (FPC).

The three Award tiers businesses can apply for are:  

• Gold Award – For businesses paying at least 95% of all invoices within 30 days. 
• Silver Award – For businesses paying at least 95% of all invoices within 60 days, including at least 95% of invoices to small businesses (with fewer than 50 employees) within 30 days.  
• Bronze Award – For businesses paying at least 95% of all invoices within 60 days. 

No. The Code is completely free and there are no ongoing membership costs. 

To be eligible for an Award, all applicants for a Fair Payment Code Award are required to abide by the Fair Payment Code principles, in addition to meeting the payment time requirements for each Award. This includes being Clear, Fair and Collaborative with their suppliers. Further details are set out in the application guidance.  

It is simple to apply, if you fill in the expression of interest form the FPC will send you an application form and the guidance to support this. The EOI form is available here. 

We aim to process all applications within 10 working days. However, this is dependent on satisfactory receipt of references and required evidence for the Award level and could take longer at periods of higher demand. 

Please email fpc@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk and a member of the team will respond accordingly. 

Full details of the required evidence are set out in the Simple Guide and full application guidance. 

Yes, but you are required to provide the relevant evidence before an Award can be made. If you meet the criteria but are unsure of how to gather that evidence, the FPC team can help you to understand how to get this information to support your application.  Please email fpc@smallbusinesscommissioner.gov.uk for support.

Business of any size can apply for the Awards as long as they have a registered UK address. Other eligible organisations include Universities, Community Interest Companies, Charities, Business Representative Organisations and Co-operatives as long as they meet the Award criteria.  

Local Authorities, NHS Trusts and Government Departments are not eligible to join the Code.  

Businesses can apply for any level of Award as long as they can provide evidence that they meet the Award criteria. Where applicants do not meet the Award criteria, they will automatically be considered for a lower Award should they meet those criteria or alternatively can be provided with an action plan to support them to attain their desired level. 

The Fair Payment Code Awards are for two years, and every business will need to reapply for their Award at the end of each two-year period. The main application window is open from September to December each year and applications processed during this time are awarded for the following two calendar years. 

The application window for 2026/2027 Awards is now open.

Applications outside of the Sept-Dec application window are welcome, but Award length may shorten and only be awarded for a maximum of two calendar years, including the year of application. For example, all Awards given in 2026 outside of the Sept-Dec application window, will be valid until the end of 2027.  The Awards and logos will be dated to indicate the validity period of the Award status and colour coded to indicate Award level. Guidelines on use of the Awards logo will be provided once your Awards has been granted. 

Yes. But you must be aware that the new application process is more rigorous and the implications of this need to be considered when linking a contract to a particular Award level.