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.
Lindsay H. Gill is director of forensic technology at Forensic Strategic Solutions and a member of the firm's Fraud Examination Practice. She is able to understand and assess quantitative and qualitative evidence to ferret out the truth; detect financial improprieties and accounting discrepancies; illustrate, present and testify about findings; and identify and offer recommendations to protect vulnerable business processes.
Kelly J. Todd is managing member and member in charge of forensic investigations at Forensic Strategic Solutions. She is a member of the firm's Fraud Examination Practice. She is able to understand and assess quantitative and qualitative evidence to ferret out the truth; detect financial improprieties and accounting discrepancies; illustrate, present and testify about findings; and identify and offer recommendations to protect vulnerable business processes.
Chuck Reynolds is a consultant with Benfield, a division of Gallagher Benefit Services, a consultancy focused on helping healthcare stakeholders improve health and healthcare value through research, strategy and strategic communications.
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:
