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.
Parijat Banerjee, Global Head of Financial Services at LatentView Analytics, is a seasoned business leader with experience in analytics & digital sciences. He has worked across industries including banking and financial services, consumer products, retail, supply chain, life sciences and energy, leading service delivery, corporate strategy, business development & consulting with fortune organizations driving transformation and revenue growth.
James J. Hilton boasts over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, having held leadership roles at prominent institutions like Promontory Financial Group, Prebon Group, Chicago Board Brokerage and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is currently a partner at Ludwig Advisors and serves as chairman of Uphold, Ltd.
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:
