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.
Matt Hasan is an AI strategy advisor with four decades of experience in financial services, including leadership roles at Deloitte, IBM Global Business Services and Capgemini. He writes on the economic and governance implications of AI integration across underwriting, pricing and risk management. He holds a doctorate in economics.
Emily Stabile is a partner at Phillips & Cohen.
Ryan Byrd is an account executive on the personal lines team at B. F. Saul Insurance with over 10 years of experience, both on the carrier and agency side. He specializes in high-net-worth insurance, builder's risk, liability, and cyber coverage.
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:
