The craziest work-from-home expenses of 2020

Employees working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic claimed some outlandish expenses this year, including pricey exercise bikes, facelifts and private jets.

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.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT: ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
Tobias Salinger
March 19, 2020 3:43 PM

Moody’s affirmed the company’s “B3” rating but signalled the potential wide-reaching impact of the pandemic across wealth management.

4 Min Read
Automated trading, a world awash in data and passive investing have made stock pickers less influential.
Andrew Welsch
March 19, 2020 3:37 PM

How does an advisor ask clients to transfer accounts at a time when many people are afraid to simply leave their house?

5 Min Read
ASR_Buffet0520
By Glen Fest
March 19, 2020 3:32 PM

The credit watch involves single-borrower securitizations of commercial mortgages for high-priced resorts in Florida and Hawaii.

1 Min Read

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:

craziest-work-from-home-expenses-infographic.png

Advertisement