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.
John Hoben is an ambassador at QR1.
Pierre du Rostu has been CEO of the AXA Digital Commercial Platform since June 2022. In this role, he leads a team dedicated to delivering innovative global solutions to AXA's B2B customers. AXA Digital Commercial Platform's ambition is to support businesses beyond traditional insurance contracts, using technology to help them better manage a very complex risk environment.
Pierre started his career in consulting in 2011 before joining the AXA Group in 2015, where he first held several senior positions in Commercial P&C. He then joined AXA XL as Head of Integration before taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer - International P&C and then Global Head of Innovation & Business Architecture at AXA XL.
Joep Leussink is the head of growth at AddEvent, a San Francisco-based software company creating calendar, appointment and event management solutions that empower over 250,000 companies globally to enhance their event and appointment management and engagement. As a partner to accounting firms and small-practice CPAs across the U.S., he and AddEvent advise clients on issues related to client engagement, deadline management and documentation workflows on a regular basis.
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:
