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.
Chris Aliotta is the founder, president and CEO of Quantalytix, a Birmingham, Alabama-based fintech startup specializing in advanced analytics and loan management systems.
Hugh Berkson has focused his legal practice in the representation of investors since 2000.
He is a principal of McCarthy Lebit Crystal & Liffman CoLPA in Cleveland and has chaired the firm's investor protection group since March 2016. He has been a member of PIABA's board of directors since 2011 and is currently serving in his second term as PIABA's president.
Alissa is a Managing Director in KPMG's Advisory practice and leads Digital Insurance. She brings over 18 years consulting and insurance industry experience driving digital transformations, enhancing carrier speed to market across multichannel distribution models and customer and operational excellence.
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:
