The strangest business expenses of 2018

Expenses are just a part of business. Designed to ensure that you’re never burdened by the need to spend unreasonable amounts of your own money for company matters, it’s a system that a majority of workplaces will have in force, for both staff comfort and general courtesy. Whether it’s for travel costs (train tickets or petrol), covering a client dinner or staff away to boost morale and rapport, there are certain things we know fall under the expense’s header – or most of us seem to, anyway.

Recently published was a list of the strangest expense’s claims made in business over the course of last year. Somewhat reminiscent of the MPs expense’s scandal of years gone by – a duck house and a moat spring to mind – they range from the downright bizarre to the truly unexplainable, and definitely aren’t the kind of claims you’d likely see accepted in your place of work the next time you have a form submit or ask for the company’s prepaid card!

Starting with some of the claims that were denied – yes, we’ll come on to those somehow approved soon – one worker attempted to claim back $6,500 for a helicopter hired on the basis that it was required to get to a client meeting on time. Not to be outdone, another person went even bigger, asking for $10,000 to cover a hole punched in to a hotel wall and a flight that was subsequently missed while they were otherwise engaged in jail. Lastly, though, and perhaps the most bizarre, even though it’s by far the cheapest, one character asked for $85 back for a hotel room booked entirely for root vegetables. Further explanation might be required on that last one…

Brilliantly, some of these types of claim are actually approved from time to time. One worker’s ‘failed medical experiment’ lead them to buy an $800 skull, which was actually reimbursed. Another managed to get $150 to cover a llama rental as it was at the behest of their client for some photography work, while another claimed back the same amount after getting caught parking illegally due to the importance of an appointment. On the more philanthropic end of the scale, one business paid out $125 for a Cher ticket to entertain their client, while another shelled out a whopping $8,000 for a men’s Rolex in the name of ‘client appreciation’, which is dedication of the highest order.