Avoid the avalanche: Online expenses software reveals peak season for claims 

Claims in the online expenses software within Zellis MyView paint a clear picture. As we move towards December, employees’ thoughts inevitably turn to financial matters, end-of-year admin, and – for many – the costs associated with the festive season. 

So, it will come as no surprise that November is the month in which organisations see the highest number of expense claims. Indeed, submissions peak at the end of the month, with an avalanche of claims rushing in ahead of the Christmas break. 

During 2023, a noteworthy 24% of companies received their highest volume of expense claims that month. In 2021, during the pandemic, the number was even higher at 68%.  

Between 2021 and 2022, the number of expense claims rose by a total of 49%. Luckily, Zellis customers weren’t hit financially by this increase, as we don’t charge per claim submitted. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of claims grew again, but by a more modest 7%. 

We reviewed three years of data covering 42 different organisations and more than 900,000 expense claims made via the Expenses Dashboard version of Zellis’ MyView self-service HR platform. 

Can employers avoid an avalanche of expense claims? 

Worried about getting snowed under? Some employers have expense policies that don’t permit full claims during periods of peak demand. Other employers place limits on the amount employees can claim each month.  

However, rejection of expense claims can leave your people feeling disgruntled and out-of-pocket. And a frosty atmosphere is never conducive to employee engagement. This is especially true at a time when household expenditure is likely to be particularly high.  

A better approach would be to make it as easy as possible for employees to claim throughout the year, with communication and encouragement for them to do so ‘as they go along’. 

By January, the rush is over and submissions tend to melt away to their lowest annual level, before gradually snowballing again towards the end of the year.

How many claims does the average employee submit? 

Between September 2023 and August 2024, four out of five employees submitted 12 or fewer expense claims over the course of the year. But at either end of the scale, 24% put in only one claim, while 0.87% of employees submitted 100 or more. Astoundingly, one individual submitted a record 4,499 claims! 

What’s the most popular way to submit claims using online expenses software? 

Employees submit most of their expense claims using a laptop or desktop computer. But the use of mobile devices is also on a strong upward trajectory. This is particularly true among employees who are physically on the go, such as in retail or manufacturing.  

The number of users submitting expense claims on a mobile device increased by 27% in the year to August 2023. The figure also rose by another 9% in the year to August 2024. The mobile app affords employees the convenience of photographing receipts and uploading them directly to Zellis MyView for manager approval. 

How to optimise expense claims and avoid the avalanche 

• Communicate clearly. Remind employees of your expenses policy to avoid misunderstandings. It is important to make clear what they can and cannot claim ahead of peak demand periods. This is particularly true if you have made changes to your policy over the last 12 months.
• Align your software aligns with expense claim policy. Configure your online expense software to match your policy and ensure you keep it up to date. Doing so will reduce the number of rejected expense claims as employees will receive an alert if the amount claimed is higher than the permitted threshold. 
• Optimise the claims review, approval, or rejection process. Ensure your system is configured to alert managers as quickly as possible after employees have submitted their claim. It should also be clear to everyone how long the approval or rejection process will take. Furthermore, managers should delegate this duty to someone else if they’re away. Zellis MyView enables managers to notify employees immediately if their expense claim has been rejected. It also provides them with a clear reason for the manager’s decision. If the claim is approved, it’s likewise important to communicate to employee when they will be paid. These considerations are important to help employees manage their finances effectively. 
• Enable mobile access to online expenses software. Make it as easy as possible for employees to submit claims, and they’re much less likely to put it off until later. We do everything on our mobiles these days – expense claims should be no different. 
• Simplify car mileage claims. By integrating Google Maps with Zellis’ Expenses module, it’s possible to set car mileage claims to automatically correspond with the shortest route. If employees do need to take a longer route, they can easily adjust the information and provide an explanation for the change.

With careful planning, good communication, and the right technology in place, organisations can effectively weather the seasonal peak in expense claims. You might even reduce the end-of-year avalanche to a minor snow flurry. 

Zellis Expenses module is part of our self-service HR solution. Learn more about that here. 

Customers: Feel free to ask your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager for more information.