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.
Mark Holman is the chief executive and a portfolio manager at TwentyFour Asset Management in London.
Congressman Steve Pearce represents the second congressional district of New Mexico. He serves as chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance and as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Blaine Luetkemeyer is the chief executive officer of the American Consumer and Investor Institute. He represented Missouri's 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2025. He served as chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit in the 115th Congress.
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:
