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.
The Senate voted 96-0 late Wednesday to approve a sweeping $2.2 trillion stimulus package to help the nation emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.
Brian Maslen, MBA, CPA, CMA, serves as the corporate controller at Center. Based in Bellevue, Washington, Center develops CenterCard and Center Expense, an integrated corporate card and expense software solution that use real-time data to help monitor expenses and optimize spend. As Center’s controller, Maslen is responsible for the accounting, tax, and treasury functions. He also leads product initiatives to ensure Center’s software meets the needs of finance professionals, building off his prior experience in Accounting/FP&A roles at Blackberry and Owens Corning.
Large retailers like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., as well as student loan borrowers, are on a long list of potential winners from tax breaks included in a $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill approved by the Senate.
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:
