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.
Julia Khandoshko is CEO at Mind Money, a European investment technology and financial engineering hub.
Khandoshko is a finance industry professional with 10 years of experience in technology and capital markets. Her extensive familiarity with technology applications in financial services is underscored by five years of managing business development initiatives in the IT education sector. This background proved to be a valuable asset when navigating Mind Money's transformation into a financial hub guided by a scientific, data-driven approach.
Neeraj Baid, founder and CEO, Atlantic Money.
Josh Inglis is the founder and CEO of Propllr, a PR and content marketing firm that helps B2B technology startups build credibility and authority.
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:
