Employees working from home during the coronavirus pandemic claimed some outlandish expenses this year, including pricey exercise bikes, facelifts and private jets.
Emburse, an expense management software company, released a compilation Wednesday of some of the craziest expenses it has seen claimed this year, some of which were actually approved. That included $1,895, which was approved as a contribution for an employee's Peloton Bike under the explanation of “for health and wellness.” On the other hand, a $7,600 expense claim for a facelift was submitted under the category of “repairs and maintenance” but was rejected, despite the pressing need to look one’s best during a Zoom meeting.
Kate Prochaska is a vice president and regulatory counsel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness.
Michael F. Angelo CRISC CISSP, is a chief security architect at Micro Focus. Michael is active in the security community and participates in numerous international and national advisory councils. Currently, he chairs the ISSA International Webinar Committee, is a technology contributor to the BIS ISTAC and has been the co-chair of a working group striving to change the current security export regulations. Michael has also been on the RSA international symposia committee. He has also been a featured speaker at national and international security conferences, including RSA, ISSA, and InfoSec. Michael currently holds 63 US patents, with the majority being in the area of security and authentication; he is a former Sigma-Xi distinguished lecturer. Mr. Angelo was also recognized as Inventor of the Year for the City of Houston and received a TCPA lifetime achievement award. Michael is an ISSA Fellow and was named to the ISSA Hall of Fame.
Phil Klein is a partner with Capco’s wealth management practice.
Some expenses weren’t for working from home, but more about getting out of the house safely. An expense claim for a private jet charter costing over $20,000 was submitted and approved under the explanation of “required to limit COVID exposure for international shoots.” Another travel-related expense claim was $2,500 for a helicopter ride, which was not approved.
The $79 expense claim for a dog crate could perhaps be used for travel at some point when that's safer, but in these times it was more plausibly to provide "crate training [for] a new COVID puppy to not run into Zoom meetings."
Below is an infographic produced by Emburse showing this and several other head-scratching claims:
