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.
H. Adam Holt is the co-founder and CEO of Asset-Map, a financial technology firm dedicated to creating engaging visual communication tools used throughout the customer and advisor journey and now used by thousands of advisors worldwide and over a million end-consumers.
He has been a financial advisor for over 25 years and is known for his early adoption of technology to build trend-setting client experiences.
Angela Nelson is the VP of operations and executive director of clinical services at RethinkCare.
Greg Freeman is the founder and partner of Wellington Wealth Strategies.
He previously served as the founder and CEO of TrustWealth Strategies, which merged with the Wellington Group to form Wellington Wealth Strategies. Before founding TrustWealth, Greg solidified his reputation as a perennial Blue Chip and Top of Council producer for MassMutual. His experience includes a more than decade-long tenure as a partner and wealth advisor at WestPoint Financial Group.
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:
