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.
Sean Vanatta is a lecturer in economic history at the University of Glasgow and a senior fellow at the Wharton Initiative on Financial Policy and Regulation. His book, Plastic Capitalism: Banks, Credit Cards, and the End of Financial Control, was published by Yale University Press in 2024.
Patricia L. Harman is the editor-in-chief of Digital Insurance, covering the intersection between technology and insurance for the industry. She chairs Digital Insurance's annual Women in Insurance Leadership forum and hosts Digital Insurance's DigIn Podcast. Previously, she served as editor-in-chief of the PC360 group, chaired the Complex Claims & Litigation Forum and hosted the Insurance Speak podcast. Patti covers auto, property & casualty, workers' compensation, fraud, emerging risks, and is a frequent speaker at insurance industry events. She has more than 25 years of experience covering the property restoration and insurance industries, is a member of the National Press Club, and has been honored with over three dozen journalism awards.
Ousmène Jacques Mandeng is a senior advisor at Accenture and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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:
