FSB warning on expense claims

People working in accountancy jobs may want to keep a keen eye on the expenses book, following new research that suggests many UK workers make fraudulent claims.

New research by Travelodge has revealed that British professionals swindle more than £1 billion per year from employers through bogus expense claims, prompting the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to call for closer checks.

FSB spokesperson Stephen Alambritis commented: "It is important that expense claims are based on evidence such as receipts and that there is a through and vigorous regime to ensure that everything is accounted for."

He added that slack expense policies could lead to wider problems than reduced turnover for many businesses, stating: "If word gets out that a particular business has lax procedures for expenses then that gets through to investors and bank managers."

Further figures from the survey of 3,000 British workers showed that only eight per cent of those that had submitted fraudulent expense claim forms had been caught and sacked, while the average worker gains an extra £204 per year through false claims.