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 Newcome brings extensive experience in the insurance industry and a wealth of knowledge to the clients he serves as Vice President and Senior Consultant with Kelly Benefits Strategies (KBS).
John serves clients ranging in size from 500 to 25,000 employees. He is a member of Kelly Benefits' Compliance Committee and the Kelly Benefits Technology Business Leadership Team.
Dudley White is the president of core account processing solutions at Fiserv.
Michael Wagner is a partner in the financial services practice at management consultancy Oliver Wyman. He advises clients on digital transformations and works on projects to improve financial markets with digital ledger and smart contract technology.
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:
