Small businesses are slower to pay the tab than big businesses, reveals Cortera’s September 2009 Small Business Index (SBI), a new monthly index of accounts receivable activities for businesses with less than 500 employees. Specifically, the data shows small businesses are paying invoices 25% slower than a year ago, and 20% slower than the overall business average.

More interestingly, the data reveals small businesses have a 55% higher days-beyond-terms rate than large businesses, while prior to the recession, the rate hovered much closer together. This widening gap for small businesses is just another indicator of awful things: a prolonged, unhealthy financial portrait that stifles growth.

Cortera SBI tracks late payments against agreed upon terms. Roughly, 260,000 small businesses were tracked for the September Index.

Read more about Cortera here.