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.
Prathamesh Khedekar is a senior program manager at Creospan, where he leads technology programs for Fortune 100 clients. With a background in Silicon Valley, he has contributed to the launch of AI services across banking, pharmaceutical and technology industries. Previously, as a senior staff engineer at Motorola Solutions, he developed secure communication systems for government agencies in the U.S., U.K. and the Netherlands. He holds a master's in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.
Shree Reddy is the senior vice president of banking technology at PenFed, America's second-largest federal credit union.
David Dawkins is managing director and business execution director at Wells Fargo Advisors.
He is also a board member of the SIFMA Foundation, which focuses on youth investors and financial education.
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:
