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.
Darren Root, CPA, CITP, CGMA, is the founder of Rootworks and serves as chief strategist for Rightworks. He has over 30 years of experience as a CPA and in management within the profession, and a passion for helping firm owners modernize and transform their practices into thriving, sustainable enterprises. He has earned numerous awards and continues to contribute to the profession with books, articles, podcasts and shows that educate and inform the industry in all areas of firm operations, industry trends and business model.
Matt Tepfenhart, a senior manager at business advisory firm Riveron, focuses on technical accounting matters, lease accounting and revenue recognition.
Steven Sayewitz is a manager at business advsiory firm Riveron and focuses on system selection and implementation as well as system integration and optimization.
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:
