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.
Tim Mattke is CEO of MGIC Investment Corporation and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation. He also serves as chair of U.S. Mortgage Insurers.
Shareen Minor is chief revenue officer, U.S., at Vitesse, financial infrastructure connecting the global insurance ecosystem. With more than 20 years of experience across carriers, TPA operations and PE-backed insurtechs, she leads Vitesse's commercial growth in the United States, bringing deep knowledge of the operational and financial pressures facing the U.S. insurance market.
Most recently, Shareen served as chief revenue officer at Ontellus, a leading provider of health records retrieval and claims intelligence, where she delivered sustained double-digit revenue growth, expanded enterprise client relationships across carriers and law firms, and helped position the business for a successful private equity exit. Before that, she held senior leadership roles including chief commercial officer at Charles Taylor Adjusting and Technical Services, SVP of Casualty Operations at Engle Martin and Associates, and regional vice president at NatGen Premier, where she helped launch and scale a new business unit from zero to $50 million in revenue in 15 months.
Michael Topol is co-founder and co-CEO of MGT Insurance (MGT), an insurer modernizing commercial P&C insurance for businesses and their agents.
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:
