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.
Bryan Jacoutot is an attorney with Taylor English. He advises a wide variety of clients, from single-office startups to larger companies with a nationwide presence, in a wide range of employment laws at both the state and federal levels. Contact him at, bjacoutot@taylorenglish.com.
John Barnes
Vice President, Platform Strategy — Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting North America
John’s responsibilities include strategy development and portfolio management of Wolters Kluwer’s North American tax, audit and workflow software platform solutions. He has 20+ years of experience in accounting and financial systems, software development, and management. Prior to joining Wolters Kluwer, John managed Tax Planning, Sales & Use Tax and Fixed Assets Management software solutions for accounting firms and corporate clients of all sizes.
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:
