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.
Brady Lochte is the founder and financial advisor at Axon Capital Management, a fee-only fiduciary RIA based in Georgetown, Texas.
Award-winning writer and editor Shawn Moynihan is a seasoned insurance journalist, and served as editor-in-chief of both National Underwriter Property & Casualty and Reactions magazine.
Chris Wilmot is chief financial officer of Medius. He has more than two decades of experience in analytics and global business strategy, most recently serving as CFO at Qualitest Group. He also held CFO roles at Clarion Events and BT Global Services, driving rapid development and overseeing financial performance internationally.
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:
