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.
Brandon Chandler is an audit and assurance partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP. As the leader within the accounting advisory & transformation services practice in Atlanta/Birmingham, he oversees all aspects of the Atlanta/Birmingham AATS practice including quality, innovation, growth and talent strategies.
Lindsay Rosenfeld is an audit and assurance partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP. As the national market offering leader for governance, risk, and controls within Deloitte's accounting & reporting advisory practice, she specializes in SOX readiness and the modernization of SOX and internal control programs. She also assists companies in implementing technology solutions to manage these programs effectively.
Andrew Zea is a Capco consultant based in Chicago IL, with three years of technology experience in software implementation and product management. Andrew's focus is creating efficiencies by streamlining processes, developing innovative technologies, and mapping new ways to use data to drive results. He has experience leading global agile teams and truly enjoys delivering outcomes across a wide variety of domains and functions. He remains continuously passionate about leading edge trends across technology, data, and customer experience.
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:
