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.
Al Kushner is a leading expert in Medicare and the author of the award-winning book "Virtual Medicare — 10 Costly Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make." He has worked closely with accountants, helping them guide their clients through the complexities of Medicare. Reach him at (888) 810-9725 or media@virtualmedi.care.
Darren Tedesco is co-founder and president of Advisor360°, a leading provider of integrated technology for wealth management firms, where he is responsible for guiding the vision of the platform, technology strategy and company direction.
He began his career at Commonwealth Financial Network in 1994, starting as a member of the finance team and transitioning to the company's technology department in 2000, where he became managing principal of innovation and strategy. He received his MBA from Bryant University and holds a B.S. from the University of Connecticut.
Tony Gonzalez is the CEO and co-founder of Mundial Media.
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:
