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.
Bob Meara is principal analyst at Celent.
Liz Kolar, MBA, CPA, CGMA, is executive vice president for Surgent Accounting & Financial Education. She brings over 35 years of accounting industry and professional education experience to her role at Surgent where she drives and oversees the ongoing expansion of accounting and financial services exam prep and continuing education offerings. Prior to Surgent, Kolar founded and led Pinnacle CPA Review, which was later acquired by Surgent. She began her career in public accounting with Coopers & Lybrand, where she audited financial services clients. She has served as a professor, teaching graduate and undergraduate accounting courses. She earned her MBA in public accounting from Pace University. She is a member of the PICPA and the AICPA.
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:
