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.
Christopher Parks is director of channel marketing at Paychex Inc.
Business continuity plans should be used constantly, not just when the crisis is at its peak, says the New York Fed’s head of financial services.
Christopher D. Armstrong is executive vice president, Wholesale Product manager and head of the Financial Services Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is also on the Bank’s executive Ccmmittee. In this role, Armstrong oversees the Wholesale Product Office, which is responsible for managing the Fedwire Funds, Fedwire Securities and the National Settlement Services on behalf of the Federal Reserve System and the cash and custody function, which includes cash operations and global currency cervices for the Fed’s Second District.
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:
