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.
Diana Krall is an experienced blogger writing about insurance technology for over five years at Insurance Support World. With a background in computer science and a passion for the insurance industry, Diana has dedicated most of her time to research and analysis of the insurance industry about rising challenges in the age of AI and automation.
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Melissa Segel is a partner in Swift Currie's Atlanta office. She represents insurance carriers and businesses in commercial litigation and insurance coverage matters, with an emphasis on defending against bad faith and fraudulent claims.
Kayla McCallum is an associate attorney in Swift Currie's Atlanta office. She focuses her practice on automobile litigation, first-party property insurance, insurance coverage and premises liability.
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:
