Data · Companies House

UK company cash position, from real filings

Draft, not published

We pulled the Companies House monthly accounts archives covering June and July 2026, read the balance sheets, and grouped them by industry. These pages publish what those filings say and nothing else. There is no forecast in them and no estimate: a figure is either in the data with enough companies behind it to be worth printing, or it is not on the page.

The two questions people ask first

• What percentage of UK companies have negative net cash?
  37.2% of companies, from the 1,615 that tagged cash, debtors and near-term creditors.
• How much cash does the typical UK company hold?
  A median of £12,327 at the balance sheet date, from the 3,347 that tagged cash.

By sector

One page per sector, each with every figure the data supports for it, the UK-wide comparison, and the count of companies behind each row. Ordered by how many sampled companies the sector contains.

• Cash position of UK professional, scientific and technical services companies in 2026
  The median company's cash covers 85% of the creditors due within a year, against 48% UK-wide.
• Cash position of UK real estate companies in 2026
  57.9% are in net current liabilities, against 37.3% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK construction companies in 2026
  65.4% hold less cash than the creditors due within a year, against 63.8% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK retail, wholesale and motor trade companies in 2026
  66.3% hold less cash than the creditors due within a year, against 63.8% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK information and communication companies in 2026
  The median company's cash covers 66% of the creditors due within a year, against 48% UK-wide.
• Cash position of UK administrative and support services companies in 2026
  24.0% had £1,000 or less in the bank, against 20.6% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK health and social care companies in 2026
  The median company's cash covers 107% of the creditors due within a year, against 48% UK-wide.
• Cash position of UK other service activities companies in 2026
  Median cash at the balance sheet date is £7,207, against £12,327 UK-wide.
• Cash position of UK accommodation and food service (hospitality) companies in 2026
  76.2% hold less cash than the creditors due within a year, against 63.8% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK manufacturing companies in 2026
  Median cash at the balance sheet date is £31,154, against £12,327 UK-wide.
• Cash position of UK financial services companies in 2026
  30.9% had £1,000 or less in the bank, against 20.6% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK arts, entertainment and recreation companies in 2026
  36.8% are in net current liabilities, against 37.3% across the sample.
• Cash position of UK transport and logistics companies in 2026
  45.2% are in net current liabilities, against 37.3% across the sample.

Before you quote any of it

The method and caveats page is the one to read first: where the filings come from, what each figure means exactly, why the counts differ from row to row, which companies the sector pages leave out, and the four limits that decide what these numbers can be used to say.