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.
David R. Jarczyk is a Principal in KPMG LLP’s Tax Innovation group and the firm’s Tax Blockchain Leader. Previously, he was a founder and CEO of a successful intellectual property technology company for 10 years, and was founder and head of client services for an economics and valuation firm for the prior 5 years. Jarczyk’s specialty has been bridging the gap between technology/big data and business cases/user needs. In his roles, David has served multinational corporations, global consulting companies, global law firms, and various government sectors. He is experienced in determining market needs, translating those needs into technological requirements, creating unique data and analytics offerings, and developing go-to-market strategies. Throughout his career, David has been an advocate for small businesses, providing coaching, lectures, and advisory services to entrepreneurs in need. Additionally, David has extensively lectured and published in the areas of economics, finance, law, and intellectual property.
Michael Oppenheim, MD, is as vice president and Chief Medical Information Officer for Northwell Health. His responsibilities include working closely with the health system’s senior clinical leadership to ensure alignment with clinical and strategic priorities.
Aaron Schaben is executive vice president of Carson Wealth.
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:
