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.
Ian Williams is a director at KBKG, specializing in research and development and employment tax credits. He spent 11 years at a Big Four accounting firm specializing in R&D tax credits and fixed asset studies across a variety of industries. He has extensive experience in software, heavy manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, and consumer products industries, as well as defending credit claims with the IRS.
Jason Melillo is a principal and local incentive practice leader at KBKG. His areas of expertise are local incentives, employment tax credits which includes enterprise zones, Work Opportunity Tax Credits, and other employment credits. For over 20 years, he has worked with numerous companies and CPAs on employment tax credits as well as cost segregation studies.
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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:
