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.
Adil Ilyas is the Global Insurance Business Leader at Genpact, a global advanced technology services and solutions company helping more than 300 insurers across the globe. Adil is responsible for driving new business growth and overseeing strategic client relationships across North America, including the U.S. and Canada.
Adrian Johnstone is the CEO and co-founder of Practifi, a performance optimization platform for the wealth management industry.
With over 20 years of experience helping advisory firms leverage technology for growth, he offers deep insight into advisors' every day needs. A regular speaker at industry events in Australia and the U.S., Johnstone is dedicated to building relationships and driving innovation in wealth management.
Amy Matsuo is a nationally recognized leader in risk, regulatory, and compliance advisory, currently heading KPMG Regulatory Insights and Compliance Transformation solutions. Her team issues regulatory analysis and insights to over 30,000 client subscribers and supports service professionals across the firm's Audit, Tax and Advisory practices. With more than 25 years of experience in both industry and consulting, she advises large domestic and global clients on navigating dynamic and complex regulatory landscapes.
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:
