A spreadsheet of journeys every month
A client's sales team submit mileage claims each month: dates, from, to, purpose and miles. One rep claims 94 miles for a trip the route planner says is 61. Another claims the same customer visit twice in one day. A third starts every journey from home, when the client's policy says the normal commute to the office should be deducted. Your team is supposed to check these before the client's payroll pays them.
With hundreds of claims across several clients, they check the big ones and let the rest through.
Why mileage claims are hard to check
Every claim looks reasonable on its own. The checks that catch problems need route distances, the driver's home and base, and the client's own rules, which are all in different places.
- Claims come in as spreadsheets, expense system exports or paper forms, with addresses written loosely.
- Working out a fair distance means entering each journey into a route planner by hand.
- Each client has its own policy on commuting, rates and what counts as business travel.
- Duplicate journeys across weeks or claim periods are hard to spot by eye.
- Claims are separate from the grey fleet document checks, so a claim can be paid for a driver who is not cleared to drive for work.
What loose checking costs
Clients paying for miles that were not driven, or not business miles under their own policy. Inconsistent treatment of drivers, which causes complaints when someone finds out their colleague's claims were never questioned. And reviewers who spend their time on route planners instead of on the claims that need a conversation.
The claim checker we build
- Claims are imported from the client's expense system, spreadsheet or form, and addresses and postcodes are cleaned up and matched to locations.
- A route distance is calculated for each journey using a mapping service, and compared with the miles claimed within a tolerance the client sets.
- The client's policy is applied: deducting the normal commute where required, rules for journeys starting from home, and which journey types are claimable.
- Journeys claimed more than once, overlapping journeys on the same day and claims on days the driver was recorded as on leave, where the client shares that, are flagged.
- The driver's grey fleet status is checked, so claims from drivers not currently cleared are held.
- Reviewers see only the flagged claims with the reason and the route, approve or query them, and the approved totals go to the client's payroll or expense system.
| Check | What it compares | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | Miles claimed against route distance | Flag if beyond tolerance |
| Commute | Journey start against home and base | Deduct under the client's policy |
| Duplicates | Same journey claimed twice | Flag both claims |
| Driver status | Grey fleet clearance | Hold if not cleared |
Policy, not suspicion
Longer routes are often reasonable: roadworks, a detour to collect a colleague, a closed motorway. The checker flags differences, and the driver's explanation is recorded. Rates and tax treatment are set by the client and their advisers, and the checker simply uses the rate the client gives it. It exists to make the client's own policy apply evenly, not to catch people out.
Claims checked evenly, in less time
Reviewers deal with a short list of flagged claims each month, with the route on screen. Most claims pass without anyone opening a route planner. Drivers are treated consistently, which is fairer and easier to defend. And the client gets a monthly summary of mileage by team and journey type, which is useful when they compare grey fleet costs with pool or company cars.
Are mileage claims waved through?
- Grey fleet claims are checked by entering journeys into a route planner.
- Only large claims get looked at.
- Commute deductions are applied inconsistently.
- Duplicate journeys have been paid.
- Claims are paid for drivers whose documents are out of date.