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.
Barry Ubsdell is the head of sales for Root.
Ryan Stokes is Vice President, Business Development, Claims TPA & Solutions at Xceedance, a global leader in consulting, technology, operations support, and data solutions for the insurance sector. He focuses on growing the TPA/claims solutions with new partners and exploring new markets. Stokes has extensive knowledge and expertise in the property and casualty insurance industry, specifically in claims management, valuation and loss adjustment services.
David Trapp is CEO of ArmorPoint and its parent company Trapp Technology, both of which he founded in 2007 and 2018, respectively. He has almost two decades of experience in cybersecurity and IT services.
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:
