Two out of Three Workers don't Claim Everything Owed to Them in Expenses

LONDON, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A UK personal finance survey of 1,010 workers with expense accounts reveals that two out of three aren't claiming everything owed to them, creating a black hole in personal budgets. According to Concur, these workers spend an average of GBP159 of their own money every month on behalf of their employer and for one in five (20 per cent) unclaimed expenses add up to as much as GBP270 a year. This is a similar level of savings typically made by switching utility providers, at GBP263* a year.

When asked the reasons why they didn't expense everything, nearly half (49 per cent) of those questioned admitted they often don't claim money back because it's not 'worth the hassle', indicating how time consuming and tedious is it to claim for expenses. 22 per cent of people said they were 'too embarrassed' to claim back small amounts of money from an employer and five per cent felt 'guilty' about expensing money even though it is rightfully owed to them.

Isabel Montesdeoca, VP at Concur commented, "With worries about job cuts and inflation, people are tightening their purse strings and trying to make their money go further. Expenses should be on the personal finance radar as even small amounts add up over the course of a year. People should not feel embarrassed or guilty about claiming money they have spent on behalf of their company when they have very tight budgets to stick to at home. Fortunately, technology now makes it easy for both employers and their employees to manage, reconcile and reimburse legitimate expenses quickly and accurately even when you're out of the office."

Lawrence Gold, personal finance expert added, "It's common practice for people to look for bargains online and to use comparison sites to save money on energy bills and get cheap holiday deals but unfortunately they are forgetting about getting money back that's owed to them by employers."

Concur (http://www.concur.com/en-uk/) makes it easy for people to submit and track expenses (http://www.concur.com/en-uk/small-business) online and convert paper receipts into digital records. Online bookings for hotels, restaurants and flights can be viewed on a personal account online, similar to online banking. You can even take photos of your receipts ( http://www.concur.com/en-uk/features/mobile) with your smartphone and have them automatically attached to your expense claim to get them signed off much faster than filing expenses by hand. With the recent launch of Concur Breeze (http://www.concur.com/en-uk/small-business) - the expense reporting service designed specifically for small businesses - Concur now opens up this technology to even the smallest of companies. You can track expenses, manage cash flow and automatically integrate credit card information allowing quick submission, approval and reimbursement of expenses cash. This all helps to cut down on wasted money and removes the hassle out of claiming expenses.

About Concur

Concur is a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions for companies of all sizes. Concur's easy-to-use Web-based and mobile solutions help companies and their employees control costs and save time. Learn more at http://www.concur.co.uk.

Notes to Editors

*According to figures compiled by moneysupermarket.com in November 2010, the typical saving when switching utility provider was GBP263 a year.

Survey statistics:

The research for Concur was carried out by Opinionmatters.co.uk between: 13/12/2010 and 22/12/2010 with a sample of 1010+ UK people with expense accounts.

How much do you spend on expenses every month?

    
    Less than GBP10      5.5%
    GBP10 - GBP20       19.7%
    GBP21 - GBP50       19.8%
    GBP51 - GBP100      21.2%
    GBP101 - GBP250     17.4%
    GBP251 - GBP500      9.6%
    GBP501 - GBP750      3.0%
    GBP751 - GBP1000     1.8%
    GBP1,001 - GBP2,000  1.8%
    More than GBP2,000   0.2%

Do you ever spend your own money on behalf of your company, but not bother expensing it back? And if yes, how much per month on average?

    
    No, I expense
    everything owed  36.1%
    GBP1 - GBP5      17.8%
    GBP6 - GBP10     15.2%
    GBP11 - GBP15     8.4%
    GBP16 - GBP20     9.4%
    GBP21 - GBP30     5.5%
    GBP31 - GBP40     2.3%
    GBP41 - GBP50     2.2%
    GBP51 - GBP100    2.9%
    More than GBP100  0.1%

If yes, why did you not expense it back?

    
    It's not worth the hassle       49.1%
    I was embarrassed about
    expensing such a small amount   22.9%
    I forgot                        17.5%
    I felt guilty                    5.4%
    Other                            5.0%