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.
Dmitry Gooshchin is the COO and co-founder of EndoTech, an AI trading software company based in Israel. He is a seasoned executive of several successful fintech companies, has a master's in astrophysics and holds the title of "Chess Grandmaster" in correspondence chess.
Keith Ward is Vice President and General Manager of Employer Solutions at Quest Diagnostics. Keith joined Quest Diagnostics, the leading workforce drug testing provider, in 2009. Prior to this role, Keith was Senior Director of Patient Services for Quest's Southwest Region, where he led a 2,000-person phlebotomy services organization. He has an MBA in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from Baylor University and a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University.
Jeff Bales is the Senior Director of Business Development at Notion, empowering home and property owners to be proactive in monitoring their spaces and most valued possessions. Through partner programs, Notion helps insurance carriers, agents and service providers provide value to their customers with Notion's DIY smart monitoring technology.
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:
