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.
Beth Robertson is a Managing Director of Keynova Group, a principal competitive intelligence source for digital financial services firms that publishes semi-annual Online and Mobile Insurance Scorecards. With more than 30 years of experience, Beth has held leadership roles as a consultant and as a senior-level industry analyst with expertise in digital channels, payments and insurance.
Mike is co-founder and COO of Koffie Financial, a modern-day insurer focusing on trucking and transportation. Prior to co-founding Koffie, Mike worked for seven years in leadership roles at The Dorfman Organization, a 4th generation boutique insurance brokerage specializing in transportation. He is excited to use granular, real-time data, machine learning, and IOT to digitize and solve antiquated and historically unprofitable commercial P&C lines.
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:
