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.
Jay Zigmont is the founder of Childfree Wealth and Childfree Trust. He is author of "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money" and co-hosts the Childfree Wealth Podcast, where he drops expert knowledge with a dose of humor. His recent TEDx talk, "The Childfree Path to a Healthier Planet" explores how child-free living intersects with sustainability and long-term economic health.
Rafael Goldberg leads the Decision business unit at Sapiens, where he focuses on go-to-market, product strategy and overall operations. With broad experience across global software and consulting operations, Rafael has spent the last 12 years supporting clients implement and adopt enterprise decision automation systems.
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:
