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.
Luke Nicholson is an assistant professor of accounting at the Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting, an MBA, and a BS in accounting with a minor in Business. Dr. Nicholson has 10 years of experience in accounting. Prior to his academic career, he worked in public accounting conducting audits and completing tax returns for companies across various industries. He served as an assistant CFO in his previous accounting job.
Stephanie Mier is the Chief Insurance Officer at ServiceUp, an all-in-one tech platform transforming how fleets and insurers manage vehicle repairs. She has spent the past two decades in the Insurance Industry, building auto claim departments, specializing in accident management, writing policy, and launching products to focusing on decreased overall risk, customer retention and acquisition. Prior to ServiceUp, she spent the last 8+ years in the fintech mobility space, building Insurance for Turo, Fair Financial, Kyte on demand rental, and was a founding member to PAKT Embedded Insurance Brokerage.
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:
