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.
Ken Eyler is CEO of Aquilance (formerly My Accountant), which advises multi- and single-family offices and select business enterprises.
Previously, he spent more than a decade in a senior executive role and member of Arthur Bell, an international CPA and advisory firm focused exclusively on high net worth families and alternative investment vehicles. He serves on the boards of Argonne Trust Company and Sustainability Angels, a nonprofit focusing on environmental stewardship and luxury recycling.
Jennifer Harrity-Cantero, SEA, brings more than 20 years of business and marketing experience to her role as the leader for the Sensiba Center for Sustainability at Sensiba LLP. She leads the firm's core sustainability efforts as well as consults with small to medium size business clients assisting with their sustainability strategy. She led the firm's B Corporation certification process, resulting in SSF becoming the first California accounting firm certified as a B Corporation. In 2020, she launched the firm's Sensiba Center for Sustainability, to help companies move to a purpose-driven, sustainable business model that includes social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Harrity-Cantero hosts the Rebooting Capitalism podcast that digs into why traditional capitalism is broken and what people are doing to fix it. She also as honored in 2021 by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Businesses. She received a dual bachelor's degree in graphic design and photography from California State University, East Bay. She also holds a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University. She has been a member of the Association for Accounting Marketing for the past 10 years and has served on the board for the past several years. Outside of work, she enjoys CrossFit, kayaking, and spending time in the redwoods.
David Ritter, Director of Financial Services Strategy, CI&T
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:
