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.
Tiffany Duncan-Magri is a Senior Regulatory Advisor at Smarsh with 15 years of experience in the financial industry and a strong academic foundation in Marketing (B.S.) and Management (MBA). She specializes in helping financial services firms navigate complex regulatory requirements—translating them into clear, actionable strategies that support both compliance and growth.
Pragya Thakur is a National Board-certified health and wellness coach and master of public health candidate at Boston University.
She writes on wellness topics for publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Law Journal Newsletter and is currently developing a book exploring how small daily shifts can create meaningful change in health and clarity.
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:
