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.
Dr. Marla McLaughlin serves as chief medical officer at Apree Health, the parent company of Castlight Health and Vera Whole Health. With decades of experience as a primary care physician, she partners with employers to design high-value benefits strategies that combine advanced primary care and digital navigation, driving measurable ROI while improving employee health outcomes.
James White is a principal strategist at EngageFi.
Thomas Rauschen is Global Industry Lead for CGI's insurance sector, where he helps strengthen the company's role as a trusted partner to insurers worldwide. With 20+ years of leadership experience across financial services, insurance and consulting, he brings deep expertise in strategy execution, business transformation, and operational excellence — guided by a strong focus on technology innovation. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by work across property and casualty, life and health, reinsurance, and brokerage markets, Thomas delivers strategic insights that help clients achieve measurable results.
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:
