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.
Meghan Loomis is a principal with Baker Tilly's digital solutions practice. She has spent her career helping clients drive back-office transformations using technology as an enabler of change. During her time with Baker Tilly, she has championed and led the research, development and growth of several key technology alliances. She drives transparent communication in building new relationships and works to ensure mutual benefit and success.
Courtney Csik is a director with Baker Tilly's digital solutions practice. With more than twelve years of experience, Courtney has worked with organizations, big and small, across industries in the commercial and public sectors to define their Cloud strategies, implement modern technologies and achieve digital transformation.
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:
