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.
Guy Pearson is CEO and founder of Ignition, a client engagement and commerce platform for professional services businesses. He has more than a decade of experience in professional services. He is a chartered accountant and chairman of Interactive Accounting, a progressive accounting firm he founded in 2009, and an angel investor in a portfolio of companies. He was named a 30 under 30 winner by Anthill (2014), a finalist in the Fintech Entrepreneur of the Year (2017), and listed in the NSW Pearcey Foundation - Hall of Fame.
Sean M. Cleary is the founder of The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary, located in Miami. He helps his high net worth clients in complex family law cases along with assets and debt division by assisting them through negotiation, mediation, or trial representation.
Kate Gray is the director of people and talent at Omnipresent.
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:
