Stated a number had not paid up (6)
I believe the answer is:
avowed
'stated' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'a number had not paid up' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' is present in the answer.
'number' could be 'v' (V is an example) and 'v' is found in the answer.
'had' could be 'd' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'd' is found in the answer.
'not' could be 'o' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'o' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'we' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for avowed that I've seen before include "Acknowledged" , "Professed" , "Openly asserted" , "Declared" , "Confessed openly" .)