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.
Jeff Miller is regional vice president, Corporate Synergies, where he oversees the development and growth of the firm’s new business producers in the greater Philadelphia area.
Jim Boomer, CPA.CITP, MBA, is CEO of Boomer Consulting Inc., and an expert on managing technology within an accounting firm. He serves as the director of the Boomer Technology Circles, The Advisor Circle and the CIO Circle. He also acts as a strategic planning and technology consultant and firm adviser to CPA firms across the country. Accounting Today called him a “thought leader who can help accountants create next-generation firms.” Prior to joining Boomer, Boomer worked for BearingPoint and Arthur Andersen Business Consulting in Phoenix and San Francisco. Throughout his career, his projects have focused on IT strategy and implementation, including knowledge management, document management, workplace collaboration and corporate portals projects. He has experience with several e-Business and Business Intelligence technologies, and his previous client list includes several Fortune 500 companies.
Shanthala Balagopal is a product marketing executive at Helpshift.
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:
