Lost Receipts Cost Average British Worker Over GBP400 a Year

    YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND, February 20, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- British workers lose out on more than a third of their monthly expenses from their employers, new national research* has revealed, due to lost receipts and failure to remember to claim.

- Workers spend 23 days on average filling in expense forms
- Employees lose out on more than a third of all work expenses
- Over 50% say expense claims are too confusing and time-consuming

British workers lose out on more than a third of their monthly expenses from their employers, new national research* has revealed, due to lost receipts and failure to remember to claim.

The blunder costs each UK employee an average of GBP409.32 every year, according to the nationwide study by Best Western hotels.

Plus, with the average person losing 23 days* of their lives filling in expense forms it's not surprising that 54% claim that the process is too complicated with too many forms to fill in and too many managers needed to approve the expenditure.

The study of 3,000 British workers has been undertaken as part of Best Western's research for their Business Account Card, which is designed to ease the expenses process, allowing customers to bill back all in hotel expenses and train travel directly.

The research further highlighted that British workers spend an average of GBP94.74 each per month for out-of-pocket work-related expenses in 2012 but only claim GBP60.63 of that back from their employer, leaving a deficit of GBP34.11 per month - GBP409.32 per year.

Over half of workers (51%) say they don't always claim back everything that they are entitled to from employers, admitting that they either forget to ask for a receipt or lose their receipts before getting the opportunity to claim them back.

The most common items that employees buy on work-related business but fail to claim back are mostly related to hotel stays, according to the research. Coffee, newspapers, hotel bills and room service all rate highly. Unclaimed work-costs also include petrol, train tickets and cab fares.

Keith Pope, Managing Director of Best Western said: "Claiming work-related expenses back from your employer can be a minefield and really time consuming, unless you are extremely organised.

"Clearly, unclaimed expenses are hitting British workers hard in their pockets with lost and forgotten receipts and time consuming claims being the main problem. It is for this reason that we have introduced the Best Western Business Account Card.

"It simplifies and takes all the hard work out of keeping tabs on expenditure for employees who use Best Western hotels across the UK. They can use their card for everything in hotels and train travel and with an itemised bill they will not miss anything when it comes to work-related expenses."

Best Western have 278 hotels across Great Britain in key city locations and all with free Internet access and the modern facilities business guests require.

For more information about Best Western and the Business Account, please visit www.bestwestern.co.uk/businessaccount or call 08453300415.

Best Western are exhibiting at the Business Travel Show at stand 430. Visit the stand to discuss the exciting launch further and interview the Director of Sales, Will Helsby.

*23 days is based on 1 hour per month of an adults working life. Research based on a poll of 3,000 British employees carried out in January 2012 by OnePoll.

For more information contact Mikhaila Brentnall, PR Manager at Best Western [email protected] or 01904 695426.

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