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.
Assaf Henkin is the Co-founder, President, and COO of life insurtech Sproutt. A recognized expert on predictive analytics and data insights, Assaf has more than 20 years of experience building scalable cross-channel, cross-device, and cross-format data-driven products. Prior to his current role, Assaf served as chief insights officer at Amobee, a Singtel wholly-owned subsidiary. Prior to that Assaf co-founded Kontera, a Big Data consumer data and analytics platform that was acquired by Singtel. Assaf holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from San Francisco State University and an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.
Karl A. Wagner III is a Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor with Biondo Investment Advisors, LLC with locations in Milford, Pennsylvania, and Sparta, New Jersey.
Will MacPherson, Co-founder, Partner VMG Ventures
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:
