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.
Misty Guinn is the director of benefits and wellness at Benefitfocus, where she analyzes health claims data, industry trends, and works closely with suppliers, carriers, and consultants to create and manage innovative health plan strategies for Benefitfocus associates. Misty is dedicated to helping others improve their total well-being through education, culture, relationships, and a supportive environment that embraces all the different pillars of well-being, including physical, mental/emotional, financial, social, and purpose. When creating employee benefits, communications strategies, and creative well-being engagement programs, Misty applies a consumer-centric design to help foster the foundations of a healthier workforce community.
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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:
