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.
Kyle S. Hauptman is vice chairman of the National Credit Union Administration.
Mark Holman has served as president of accounting and consulting at Intapp since 2020, and as chief strategy officer since 2019. Prior to joining Intapp, Holman served as President of Strategy, Investments, and Marketing for Flex, a technology design and manufacturing firm. Previously, Holman served as a partner at A.T. Kearney and PwC, and was the founding chief executive officer of E2open, a SaaS supply chain software firm. Holman received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.
Michael Boroff is a doctor of psychology and mental health program manager at Crossover Health.
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:
