A recent partner event at Experian demonstrated the growth of its Work Report platform, highlighting the extent that digital employment and income verification is beginning to reshape the market.

The service, which enables consumers to consent to their payroll data being shared directly with lenders, employers or referencing firms, is already live in mortgages, tenant referencing and employment checks. Experian says it is the first initiative of its kind in the UK, and that the opportunity for expansion is “bigger than we imagine.”

Over the past 12 months, the number of employees connected to Work Report has risen by 11%, with contracted partnerships expected to extend future coverage by a further 35%. Once these integrations are live, more than 80% of UK PAYE employees will be in reach of the service.

Usage is accelerating too: Work Report applications grew by 155% in the last six months.

Rising fraud and compliance pressures

One driver behind recent adoption is the surge in document-based fraud. Experian highlighted its own research showing that generative AI has fuelled the fastest rise in fraudulent activity in recent years, with fake payslips and employment documents being produced at scale.

For businesses, the ripple effects mean more due diligence checks, slower lending decisions, repeated requests to HR teams for physical documents, and delays that frustrate genuine applicants. Work Report offers consent-based data direct from payroll providers, removing the need for manual intervention while easing compliance obligations for lenders.

Future plans include expanding into new use cases such as retail finance, income protection insurance, means testing and central government services. Experian is also exploring ways to integrate HMRC data and digitised documents into Work Report, with the aim of creating a single, comprehensive verification channel.

Speaking at the event, Adrian Goddard, Commercial Director at the CIPP, placed the developments in a broader context. Pay, he argued, is undergoing a transition. With new qualifications, AI-driven tools and deeper engagement with HMRC, payroll is increasingly being recognised as a strategic profession.

Experian suggests that within three years, the idea of verifying employment and income through manual document checks will feel outdated. The scale of current adoption, coupled with strong lender demand and growing employer partnerships, points to a tipping point.

For HR, payroll and reward professionals, data-driven verification is moving quickly from pilot to mainstream. The challenge now is to understand how these tools intersect with employee experience, compliance responsibilities and the future shape of payroll itself.