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.
Gregory S. Dowell, CPA, MBA, is the managing partner of Dowell Group CPAs & Advisors, in Palatine, Illinois.
Leslie Winner Bolton is the director of channel partnerships at Paychex where she has spent the majority of her over 11-year career forming relationships with national brands as well as working closely with regional businesses. This has included working with partners in the franchise industry, trade associations, integration and technology sector, banking institutions and accounting firms. Before joining the Paychex leadership team, she was an entrepreneur and owned several small businesses in the Orlando area where she still resides.
Patrick M. Brenner is the founder and president of the Southwest Public Policy Institute, a research institute dedicated to improving the quality of life in the American Southwest by formulating, promoting and defending sound public policy solutions. Our mission is simple: better living through better policy.
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:
