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.
Martin J. Gruenberg is acting chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Dr. Yusra Benhalim is a Triple Board–certified psychiatrist in adult, child and adolescent, and addiction psychiatry. In her role, she focuses on enhancing the clinical enablement of innovative and effective solutions that meet the current and future needs of people across the country. With a focus on helping patients connect with their well-being and health outcomes, Dr. Benhalim helps create clinically focused, human-centered solutions, perspectives and best practices to facilitate a seamless and effective engagement experience.
Perry Green is chief financial officer and a senior wealth strategist at Waddell & Associates. He has worked extensively with owners of closely held businesses and executives of large corporations assisting with tax planning, transition planning and stock option planning as well as with gift, estate and retirement planning.
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:
