I Can’t Pay Suppliers – What Should I Do?
With the UK’s economic situation post Coronavirus, you can be very sure you’re not alone. All across Britain, companies are struggling to pay their debts, and one of the first places that will make itself felt is the inability to pay key suppliers.
Where you are consistently late in paying supplier debts this will damage relationships and possibly mean suppliers will make your payment terms even tighter.
There can be a temptation to favour some suppliers over others, with a view to keeping your business going. If your business is already insolvent, preferring some creditors over others creates significant legal risks.
An assessment of your solvency is essential and we offer experienced advice and help.
In this article we’ll explore the implications of this situation, and what your options are in this scenario.
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What Happens if You Can’t Afford to Pay Your Suppliers?
The vast majority of businesses will suffer from cash-flow problems at one point or another so this is certainly nothing new. However, that doesn’t stop it being a very serious situation.
All it takes, as in this case, is the loss of a key customer for there to be more money going out of the business than there is coming in. In many cases, this is a short-term cash flow issue that can be quickly resolved by replacing the missing customer. However, your suppliers and other creditors will still need to be paid.
They may agree to extend their payment terms from 30 to 60 days, but if you’re still late to pay then alarm bells will start to ring. As a limited company director or business owner, you need to consider your situation carefully at this point, as well as becoming well informed about your responsibilities.
We find that many small business owners feel embarrassed and worried about talking to suppliers where they are late in paying. If you would like assistance, we can help. Please do get in contact.
What are the Likely Consequences of Not Paying Your Suppliers ?
When you can’t pay suppliers, creditor pressure is simply going to mount as time goes by. Before you know it your limited company may receive final demand letters and threats of further action and your credit rating may worsen.
It’s essential company directors act quickly to resolve this situation, but what can you do?
(1) Should you Stop Trading?
As long as you’re operating with the primary aim of acting in the best interests of your creditors as a whole, you do not need to stop trading. However, you will need to be able to show that the company is continuing to trade because there is a realistic prospect that it will be able to repay the debt, in full, in the future.
Continuing to trade while insolvent could have serious consequences if there is no real prospect of repaying your creditors. Read our article on wrongful trading to inform yourself about this, and take care to keep accurate records of everything you do.
(2) Communicate with your Suppliers
Creditor pressure is certainly not nice to deal with, but it’s essential you maintain regular communication with your suppliers. Failing to respond to supplier emails and phone calls will only make the situation worse.
Supplier pressure is not something you can ignore, so keep the communication channels open and you might be surprised by their willingness to extend the payment terms or come to some other arrangement.
One option is to prepare formal information for your suppliers in the form of a carefully worded letter explaining your position, perhaps with some supporting information which might reassure the suppliers. We have helped many small business clients prepare letters to suppliers, so please do get in contact to find out how we can help.
(3) Explore Asset-based Lending Options
There could be some way of using the value tied up in business assets to release the capital you need to pay your suppliers. Remember, insolvency practitioners aren’t simply there to close down companies, part of our role is to facilitate business rescue.
You could take out a loan that is secured against a piece of machinery or equipment, or explore invoice finance options that allow you to sell your ‘debt book’ to a finance provider.
Invoice finance is an increasingly popular option for SMEs as it an effective way of injecting cash into the business as soon as invoices are issued. This reduces the impact of late payments, which are threatening the survival of a growing number of businesses.
Another benefit is the fact that the amount you can borrow will increase in line with your sales turnover.
(4) Consider a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA)
If you think your business will become profitable again once you’ve passed this temporary cash-flow crisis, you could consider a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) – as long as you run a limited company.
A CVA will halt any legal action planned by your creditors and freeze any interest and charges that are being added to the debt.
Once agreed with your creditors, a CVA will allow you to consolidate your debts into a monthly payment, typically made over a five year period. You will then be protected from further pressure from your suppliers and be allowed to continue to trade – as long as you keep up with the repayments.
Read more about Company Voluntary Arrangements which always need to be proposed by a licensed insolvency practitioner.
(5) Administration Could be a Viable Route
Alternatively, if your suppliers are threatening to put you out of business, one course of action could be to enter into a voluntary administration.
In this case, once the court has granted the administration order, your creditors will not be able to put you out of business.
While the administration is in effect, an insolvency practitioner will act as your interim CEO and take control of your business. Their goal will be to facilitate a recovery and reduce your debts as much as possible.
(6) Voluntary Liquidation
If you feel the company has reached the end of the road and you simply want to get out from under the debt, voluntary liquidation (officially called Creditors Voluntary Liquidation) may be the right course of action.
You won’t have to deal with creditors anymore, your debts will be written off, and the company itself will cease trading and be closed.
Liquidating a company must be carried out by a licensed insolvency practitioner.
How to tell a Supplier you Can’t pay Them
We find that many small business owners feel embarrassed and worried about talking to suppliers where they are late in paying. If you would like assistance, we can help. Please do get in contact.
The honest, frank approach is recommended. Give suppliers a clear explanation of your situation, and give them a time frame when you can pay them (if that’s likely). Your suppliers will thank you for the clear communication, and you may find this understanding brings with it the possibility of longer payment terms to help you through the tough patch.
For a cost and obligation-free discussion about any of the potential solutions listed above, please get in touch with the expert advisers at Company Debt today via live chat or on 0800 074 6757
We will help you explore your options and find the most effective way to stop creditor pressure and keep you in business. Use the live chat in the bottom right of the screen for immediate advice or give us a call.
