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.
Kate Burke is the Head of Bernstein Private Wealth Management, overseeing wealth advisors, client service, investment strategists and engagement. In addition, she is the chief operating officer of AllianceBernstein, responsible for overseeing all corporate functions of the firm, including finance, legal, compliance, internal audit, human capital, corporate and information security, operations and technology.
Amy Rojik is managing partner of corporate governance at BDO USA, and director and founder of the BDO Center for Corporate Governance.
Andrea Amico is the founder of Privacy4Cars, a privacy-tech company focused on identifying the challenges posed by vehicle data, and creating solutions to better protect businesses and consumers.
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:
