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.
Alan Hartwell is group chief technology officer at IRIS Software Group and is responsible for evolving IRIS' cloud software offering and further developing its product engineering capabilities to support its increasingly international expansion. Hartwell brings over 25 years' senior level experience supporting and leading the acquisition, consolidation and integration of products and technologies.
Natalia M. Greene, Esq., CPE, is senior vice president of risk management of Lemme, a division of EPIC.
Jason Hammersla is the VP of communications at American Benefits Council, a Washington D.C.-based public policy organization that advocates for employers on critical matters of employee benefits 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:
