UK finance teams face delays as expense management stays manual

New research from ExpenseIn has identified ongoing inefficiencies in UK expense management, with finance teams continuing to spend considerable time obtaining receipts from employees.

The survey of 500 employees across the UK, conducted by ExpenseIn, now part of the AccountsIQ Group, found that 10% of employees are contacted daily regarding missing receipts, while nearly 28% are contacted weekly for the same purpose.

Alongside the administrative burden placed on finance teams, the findings show that outdated expense processes persist. Almost half (49%) of employees surveyed reported using personal funds for business-related purchases before filing expense claims. In contrast, only 19% have access to a company expense card.

This reliance on manual reimbursement and disconnected processes was highlighted by 28% of respondents, who described their company's expense management systems as both time-consuming and heavily manual.

ExpenseIn introduces integrated card

In response to these challenges, ExpenseIn has launched the ExpenseIn Card. According to the company, this new card is a fully integrated business expense card, built with the aim of replacing existing disconnected corporate card programmes. It offers real-time spend oversight, automated policy controls, and enables finance teams to manage the entire expense process on a single platform.

Richard Jones, Managing Director of ExpenseIn, said in a statement:

"Most traditional corporate cards weren't built with finance teams in mind. They make it hard to set controls, see spend as it happens, or connect card usage with the rest of your expense process. With the ExpenseIn Card, everything happens in one place. You issue a card, set the rules, and every transaction flows through with the receipt and policy checks already in place."

The new card seeks to reduce one of the key frustrations cited by employees in the survey. Thirty-eight percent highlighted the problem of having to pay expenses out of their pocket, and 39% expressed a desire for a simpler receipt submission process.

According to ExpenseIn, when employees make a purchase using the ExpenseIn Card, the transaction is captured instantly, the receipt can be uploaded at the point of purchase, and a draft expense is automatically created for approval. This is intended to minimise the need for finance teams to wait until the end of the month to complete reconciliations or spend time requesting missing documentation.

System integration and process efficiency

The card is designed to integrate with existing finance systems and accounting software, including AccountsIQ, Sage, Xero, and QuickBooks. Each expense transaction is processed through preset approval workflows and synchronised automatically, aiming to remove the need for manual data transfer or duplicate entry and thereby improving compliance and accuracy.

ExpenseIn's approach is to streamline receipt capture, policy enforcement, and data entry so that both employees and finance teams experience reduced administrative overhead while maintaining real-time visibility of company spending.

The company notes that the ExpenseIn Card is positioned to address manual pain specifically points detailed in its research — namely, a lack of efficient tools, disconnected systems, and the reliance on retrospective expense claims.

With nearly one in three employees still being chased every week for missing receipts, and nearly half paying business costs out of their own pockets, the survey highlights ongoing opportunities to improve finance team efficiency and company compliance in the UK market.