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.
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Ken Toffolo is a Vice President of Research and Consulting at Novarica. He is an expert in insurance technology transformation with more than three decades of experience. His recent experience includes serving as Vice President of Application Development at New York Life. During his tenure at New York Life, he led both domestic and international programs in life/annuity core systems, business technology strategy and architecture, and distribution systems. His other experience includes roles at IBM, DXC, and CSC. Ken began his career at Home Life Insurance Company. He holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in Computer Science magna cum laude from Saint John’s University, as well as various industry certifications including Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant. He can be reached directly at ktoffolo@novarica.com.
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:
