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.
Kelly O’Donnell is the executive vice president and head of workplace at Edelman Financial Engines.
Economic experts believe the current surge is not enough to stop continued losses incurred by various segments of economy.
Gary Bolinger, CAE, consults with associations on strategy and governance. He served as CEO of the Indiana CPA Society from 1990 to 2018, which he joined in 1984 as field activities director. From 1993-95, he served on the CPA Society Executives Association Board, and has served on several AICPA committees and task forces, including Information Technology, Strategic Planning, Peer Review Board, Uniform Accountancy Act Committee and the Pre-certification Education Executive Committee. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Indiana State University.
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:
