Red light before an invoice: what to pay attention to so as not to end up with an unpaid bill?

For 66 percent of the surveyed companies, the main source of information about potential debtors are official registers – according to the “Typical Debtor” report. At the same time, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs claim that an unreliable contractor can be recognized even before cooperation begins.

The authors of the report pointed out that, according to ZUS data, at the end of the first half In 2025, there were 3.02 million active enterprises in Poland, and according to the data of the National Debt Register, there are currently 268,000 registered enterprises. indebted companies. They owe PLN 11.2 billion in arrears to their contractors.

The “Typical debtor” study commissioned by Kaczmarski Inkasso shows that, according to 78 percent potential debtor's companies can be recognized before starting cooperation, and 18 percent are sure of it.

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For 66 percent of the surveyed companies, the main source of information about potential debtors are official registers – primarily databases such as the National Debt Register, as well as entries in the National Court Register and CEIDG. In turn, 58 percent respondents admitted that they look very carefully at the company's history on the Internet: whether it has a transparent website, what its activity looks like, whether there is a real business behind its online activity or is it just a façade. 56 percent uses the opinions of other entrepreneurs who have already had experience in cooperation with a given entity.

In addition 43 percent companies admitted that when assessing risk, it is very important how the client behaves: how he conducts conversations, whether he is prepared for a meeting or negotiations, whether he is able to clearly define what his company does and what its needs are. 39 percent respondents also pay attention to the quality of company documents – transparency of offers, correctness of data and how contracts are drawn up.

“When assessing a new contractor, it is also helpful to look at the size of his company and how long it has been operating on the market. This is taken into account by 1/4 of entrepreneurs. The same number, 25%, look at the industry in which the potential client operates. Not much less – 24% analyze the ownership structure of the company to learn about its business and personal connections with other entities. If they are not clear, a red flag should light up. For 13% of SMEs, the appearance of the entrepreneur is important, which may suggest various attitudes,” the authors emphasized.

The “Typical debtor” study was conducted in December 2025 by IMAS International on behalf of the debt collection company Kaczmarski Inkasso using the CAWI method on a group of 402 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises issuing invoices with deferred payment terms – among owners, managers and managers. (PAP)

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