2020’s craziest business expenses submitted: Which got approved?

Work looked different for most of this year … and so did the type of expenses employees tried to submit for reimbursement. We have 16 of the craziest business expenses of the year. See if you can guess which ones got green-lighted.

You and your Accounts Payable staffers have seen some pretty crazy reimbursement requests come through over the years. And it seems like employees keep raising (or lowering) the bar.

The current work from home situation has given rise to a need for a different type of expenses, from desk chairs to wi-fi capacity boosts.

But your peers have also seen some pretty outrageous reimbursement requests … some of which got the OK!

The folks at global expense management company Emburse just released its annual “Craziest Business Expenses of 2020” infographic.

Share this with your team for a chuckle. See if you can guess which expenses were approved and which were denied.

Reimbursement requests under $500

They may be on the smaller side, but some of these requests were pretty outrageous:

• $39 house plants because the employee “missed plants in the office.” Status: Approved.
• $52.90 in sports bras “for health and wellness.” Status: Denied.
• a $79 dog crate to train the employee’s dog not to run in the room during Zoom meetings. Status: Approved.
• $100 a month in magazine subscriptions because the “lack of dialogue” being remote required “stimulus via publications.” Status: Approved.
• $259 for N95 masks for client visits. Status: Approved.
• $264 in tea, since when in the office free tea is supplied. Status: Denied.
• $339 in live lobsters for a “monitoring and evaluation visit.” Status: Approved.
• a $389 case of wine for “online networking events.” Status: Denied.

Reimbursement requests for big-ticket items

Talk about bold! Some of the craziest businesses expenses in 2020 were pretty substantial asks. Take a look:

• $1,200 for internet broadband overages. Status: Approved.
• $1,250 in branded coffee mugs to boost morale at weekly coffee meetings. Status: Approved.
• $1,895 Peloton bike “for health and wellness.” Status: Approved.
• $2,500 helicopter ride simply labeled “transportation.” Status: Denied.
• $7,600 facelift charged under “repairs and maintenance.” Status: Denied.
• $9,387 in virtual meeting resources. Status: Approved.
• $20,000 private jet charter to reduce Covid exposure. Status: Approved.
• $59,000 in computers and monitors for developers. Status: Approved.