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.
Angela Ubias is the co-founder and chief product officer of Common Heir, a sustainable, luxury skincare brand.
Sari Kalin is the assistant director of health and well-being strategy at Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Harry Gittelson has been a Private Client Advisor with J.P. Morgan Wealth Management for 28 years, based in Los Angeles, California. Harry is actively involved in the community, having helped develop programming for the Human Sexuality Collection at Cornell University, One Archives Foundation at The University of Southern California (USC), and the Tools For Tolerance program at The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. He is also a volunteer for The Los Angeles LGBT Center and The Human Rights Campaign. A graduate of Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in applied economics, he also received his MFA from USC in film production and business.
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:
