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.
Peter Marton is the senior director of digital identity, compliance advisory and U.S. policy at Fireblocks, a digital asset security platform. He is a former deputy superintendent of virtual currency at the New York State Department of Financial Services.
Eva Stukenberg leads the Bloom Financial Associates team at Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services organization.
She brings extensive expertise to the financial services industry, having spent 15 years in corporate roles spanning insurance, investments, banking and consulting, followed by a decade serving clients directly as a financial advisor. She holds an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship management and a BSB in marketing from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
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:
