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.
Dennis Li, FSA, is an actuary and life insurance partnership leader with expertise spanning the life insurance value chain, including actuarial, product development, technology, and distribution. Contact him at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisxli/.
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Murray L. Harber is a human performance and employer health professional with over 30 years of experience. He is an entrepreneur, speaker, and writer passionate about improving health and well-being for individuals and within employers. He is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Business Group on Health. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Education with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he was awarded the Ben A. Plotnicki Award for dedication in the field.
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:
