Almost one in three (31%) employees are routinely defrauding their employers and topping up their monthly pay, either by adding extra to their taxi bills or claiming for taxi journeys that are not business related, according to a UK survey by expense management company Spendvision.

Research of 1,000 employees who regularly use taxis for work-related travel found almost a quarter (23%) of respondents will routinely ask for a blank receipt so they can add a few extra pounds before submitting their expense claim. One in ten (10%) admit going a step further and filling in claims for taxi journeys that have nothing whatsoever to do with work.

According to the research, 57% of respondents said they mainly paid for taxis in cash, while just 27% said they try to pay by card wherever possible. Spendvision warns that the dominance of cash-based transactions makes it difficult for companies to establish an effective paper-trail for taxi travel, meaning claims are rarely queried. Of the respondents who had knowingly submitted a fraudulent claim, just 10% had ever had experienced any issue putting through their claim.