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.
Bill Armstrong, CPA, is chief innovation officer at Moss Adams, where he's responsible for the incubation, implementation, and overall strategy of new ideas, processes, and services within the firm. He oversees the firm's innovation, transformation, and change management functions, and spearheads major firmwide initiatives across practices and departments. He has practiced in public accounting since 1994. Reach him at bill.armstrong@mossadams.com or (949) 221-4077.
Evan Zall is president and founder of Longview Strategies, a strategic communications firm focused on the intersection of finance and sustainability.
He and his team have worked with wealth management firms for decades to help them differentiate and communicate about sustainable investing, ESG and their overall practice strengths. Evan is also a board member and the Impact Chair of Entrepreneur's Organization (EO) Boston Chapter.
Donovan J. Ryckis is CEO at Ethos Benefits.
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:
