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.
Monica McCorkle, Director of Health Coaching and Nutrition Health Services with Marathon Health has been in the prevention, health and wellness field for most of her adult life. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and nationally board-certified health and wellness coach with extensive leadership experience, she provides support and subject matter expertise for Marathon Health's wellness coaching team, as well as the RDN/HWC LevelUp, Weight Management and Diabetes Management products.
Chris Stephenson is managing director of intelligent automation and AI at alliantgroup and was previously a managing principal at Grant Thornton. He uses his 25+ years of entrepreneurial and consultative experience across various sectors to help small and midsized businesses implement the latest AI solutions.
Cara Houser is a career transition coach, and author of Burned Out to Lit Up: Ditch the Grind and Reclaim Your Life.
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:
