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.
Christopher Tidball is an executive claims consultant, industry speaker and author of multiple claims improvement books, including "Re-Adjusted: 20 Essential Rules to Take Your Organization from Ordinary to Extraordinary".
Nick Bernardo is the founder of OnBord, an onboarding compliance automation tool.
A certified financial planner (CFP), he has spent the last 25 years in the financial services industry, including as a family wealth planner.
Jesse Silvertown is the principal at The Ledge Company, a forensic accountancy specializing in select M&A and high-profile public disputes. Previously, he was the first CFO at a high-growth, venture capital-backed startup and an executive at Ernst & Young, where he chaired various forensic sectors, including sports, media, technology, entertainment, private equity and M&A sectors (East Coast). He is based in New York City.
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:
