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.
Megan Moody, CPA, is a managing director and Nashville market leader at the consulting firm Embark. After earning a masters degree in accounting from Belmont University in Nashville, she spent two years in the audit practice at Ernst & Young and then almost 15 years in the health care industry working at both public and private companies.
Jay Lee is the Chief Technology Officer at Colonial Surety Company, spearheading the design and distribution of innovative technology. Colonial Surety, a leading direct and digital insurer, is dedicated to providing customers with a straightforward and seamless experience when purchasing insurance and bonds. The company's online platform, combined with exemplary customer service, simplifies the insurance-buying process and removes the hassle from these transactions.
Sabrina Ticer-Wurr was a summer intern for Financial Planning through the Dow Jones News Fund in 2024.
She was a rising senior at Columbia University studying English Literature and East Asian Languages and Cultures. An aspiring business reporter, she was a deputy university news editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator, where she covered race/DEI and graduate schools.
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:
