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.
Dan Schuleman is the co-founder and CEO of Qumis, a lawyer-built, AI-powered insurtech transforming how insurance professionals read and interpret policies. Before founding Qumis, Dan was Associate General Counsel at Kin Insurance, where he helped scale the company and navigate complex regulatory environments. He previously practiced insurance coverage law at Am Law 200 firms, advising insurers and policyholders on high-stakes commercial claims. Dan holds a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and a B.A. with honors from Northwestern University.
Kelly Welch is an Executive Strategy & Compliance Advisor with Equity Resources, a Newark, Ohio-based mortgage lender, which is a member of the Community Home Lenders of America.
Paul Mattox is a CPA and owner of the firm W. Paul Mattox, CPA, based in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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:
