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.
Nickolas A. Alvarado, FCAS, CSPA, MAAA is a consulting actuary with Milliman's Orange County office. Nick's expertise includes insurance product development, advanced ratemaking, predictive modeling, the US regulatory environment, and insurtech. Nick regularly speaks and participates at industry events and publishes on a variety of topics.
Dr. Paul Pallath is vice president of applied AI at Searce. He is a distinguished executive leader in the world of digital, data and artificial intelligence with a career spanning over three decades. Throughout his career, he has worked with a diverse range of companies, from startups to Fortune 500 organizations, and has gained extensive experience in developing and implementing AI solutions that drive business growth and innovation.
Sara Gutierrez, Ph.D. is the chief science officer at SHL.
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:
