The State of Financial Flow in 2026
Make payments a less stressful part of running a business
The way money moves can either fuel momentum or create friction. In this report, FreshBooks and Stripe share survey-backed insights on what slows business owners down and how payments help them move faster, be flexible, and stay in control.
Inside the report:
Why invoicing time is correlated with cash-flow problems and lost revenue
How customers pay today vs how businesses wish they'd pay
The features business owners care about most, plus the big “ease of use” gap
Why faster access to funds matters, especially when cash flow is tight
A sneak peek at the findings
As a business owner, you can probably relate to some of the challenges revealed in our findings related to invoicing and payment processes.
Ease of use is the top priority, and the biggest gap
80% rank ease of use as a top priority, but only 58% say their current process is easy to use.
The “time tax” is real
Businesses spending 5+ hours/month on invoicing are nearly 3 times as likely to report cash-flow problems (28% vs 10%).
Digital and flexible payment expectations are rising
71% prefer digital/mobile payments, and 32% want to offer multiple payment methods.
See the full breakdown, including industry-specific insights
Get the ReportThe State of Financial Flow in 2026 report is based on a survey of 260 U.S. service-based professionals, including freelancers, solopreneurs, and microbusiness owners across creative services, consulting, IT, trades, wellness, personal care, and property management.
