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.
For the past twenty-plus years, Tony Wicke has held numerous leadership roles in the mortgage and banking sectors. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Retail Lending for Land Home Financial Services, Inc., a privately held Independent Mortgage Banker founded in 1988. In his role, Tony oversees all facets of Retail Lending for the company. He is passionate in the pursuit of simplifying the mortgage experience for Land Home’s customers and enjoys making what is often the largest purchase of a customer’s life, less daunting. When not in the process of transforming the direction of LHF, you will often find him with his family somewhere outdoors whether that is on the ice rink, at the lake or going down the mountain.
Michel Golffed is vice president of growth at dLocal.
Chris Bozek is managing director and head of working capital solutions at Santander Bank.
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:
