Department for Business & Trade duplicate invoices top £13m
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the UK government department responsible for supporting business growth, trade and investment, has received 299 duplicated invoices valued at over £13m during the past three years.
The data was obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank, observing the total number and value of duplicate invoices received by the department.
The data reveals a clear pattern of repeated payment activity within the department, reflecting the financial and administrative pressures faced by large public organisations. Between November 2023 and October 2024, DBT recorded its highest level of duplication, processing 133 invoices worth a total of £6.7m.
In the most recent period, from November 2024 to October 2025, the department recorded 130 duplicate invoices valued at £4.9m.
DBT confirmed that none of those duplicate invoices were paid.
Duplicate invoices can create significant inefficiencies across public sector finances, leading to overpayments and inaccurate reporting.
Sachin Agrawal, managing director for Zoho UK commented: “Duplicated invoices and financial inconsistencies can creep up unnoticed with large volumes of financial transactions each month, especially in siloed systems. Digital transformation initiatives such as Making Tax Digital are an important step towards reducing errors through automation and better data visibility. But to truly prevent these kinds of inefficiencies, there needs to be consistent investment in digital infrastructure and tighter integration between systems across departments.”
“These issues can come down to volume, visibility and limitations as a result of legacy systems. Preventing mistakes means building smarter, connected tools that can pick up anomalies and support transparent financial management. In the public sector, where spending scrutiny is high and trust is vital, transparency is essential.”