HM Revenue & Customs has revealed that it has dealt with approximately £1.05 billion in dubious invoices within the last three years. This information was disclosed following a freedom of information request.
Between the fiscal years 2021-22 and 2023-24, the tax authority rejected a total of 29,360 invoices.
The substantial daily influx of rejected invoices, averaging £1 million, encompassed a range of issues including fraudulent attempts, errors made by suppliers, and legitimate payment requests that were eventually fulfilled. However, HMRC has not specified the exact breakdown of these cases.
Fraud targeting organizations through fictitious invoices remains a significant challenge, with perpetrators devising increasingly sophisticated tactics to mislead victims. In response, accounting departments are enhancing their systems to better detect suspicious submissions.
Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware, an accounting software firm that initiated the FoI request, stated, “It is evident that major entities like HMRC are prime targets for fraudsters aiming to obtain funds through counterfeit invoices.
“Fraud manifests in various ways, ranging from complete fabrications with false banking information to suppliers demanding additional payment for unrendered services. The high volume of rejected invoices highlights the substantial difficulties HMRC and similar large organizations face.”
An HMRC representative clarified, “The invoices we rejected account for just 2.5 percent of the total received during that timeframe. The numbers and values of rejections do not indicate the extent of fraud and errors, but rather illustrate the stringent controls we have in place.”
Measuring invoice fraud is challenging, as organizations may not always recognize when they have been defrauded nor report such incidents. According to UK Finance, an estimated £93 million was lost by UK businesses due to invoice fraud in 2018, with the average loss per incident reported at £20,750.
Amid ongoing scrutiny, HMRC is tasked with minimizing fraud and errors across all sectors, including tax evasion. Officials on the public accounts committee highlighted last year that substantial amounts of money are at stake.
In its FoI response, HMRC indicated that it allocated £814 million over three years for the employment of approximately 4,800 personnel in its Customer Compliance Group, which focuses on enforcement and compliance initiatives.
In terms of rejected invoices, HMRC documented figures of £349 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year, £456 million for 2022-23, and £241 million for 2023-24.
The rejections varied from invoices eventually paid to those left unpaid due to supplier errors, undelivered goods and services, and “system issues” which hindered processing.