A new study has revealed that nearly 25% of New Zealanders will pay their bills late over the next year; however, a 20% will not pay the mortgage repayment in case they are facing shortage of cash.

The research from credit reporting and debt collecting company Dun & Bradstreet suggested that Kiwis in the age group of 35 to 49 accounting for 34% are highly probable to pay late in the next 12 months compared to 17% of Kiwis aged 50-64.

Low, 24% and high income households accounting to 23% are found to be highly probable to miss their mortgage payments compared to middle income earners forming 19%.

Out of the 20% who admitted that they would miss a mortgage repayment, 21% were women and older people and 23% included high income households.

Dun & Bradstreet New Zealand General Manager, John Scott noted that many New Zealanders were not aware of the fact that late payments could be listed on their credit report.

62% of Kiwis surveyed posted that they would pay their bills within time if they were aware that their behavior would pose a negative impact on their credit profile.

Scott quoted, "Mortgage lenders, banks, utility companies, Telcos and various other lenders all follow the same formula, evaluating an individual's credit history to gauge their financial personality - so it is important to have a good bill-paying record".