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.
Kelley R. Taylor is a reporter for The Bond Buyer. Previously, Kelley covered developments in tax, law, and education for Tax Notes Today, School Library Journal, and Ernst & Young. She holds a B.A. in psychology from the College of William and Mary and a J.D. from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.
Justin Adams is the co-founder and CEO of Anduin, a technology company that helps accounting firms streamline their work-to-cash cycles, unlock time, save money, and accelerate cash flow with artificial intelligence.
Neil Taurins is the general manager of nonprofit solutions at Community Brands and MIP Fund Accounting. He has been with the company for more than 12 years and is passionate about working with nonprofits to provide them with solutions to improve efficiency and better help them accomplish their mission.
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:
