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    10 Most Outrageous Expense Report Claims

    Pet food, lottery tickets and a teepee are just some of the shocking expenses that brazen employees are trying to pass on to their employer, new research shows.

    A report from Robert Half Management Resources found that gas and dinners with clients aren't the only things ending up on the monthly expense report.

    The survey shows chief financial officers have raised their eyebrows at more than a few questionable expenses.  Some of the most outrageous include:

    • Cosmetic surgery
    • A trailer rental for a family reunion
    • A $12,000 family vacation
    • A speeding ticket
    • A fine for crashing into a tollbooth
    • Replacement of a lost cellphone in the office
    • Hotel charges for viewing adult movies
    • A day at the spa
    • A golf trip for the employee and his three friends
    • Video game console

    Paul McDonald, senior executive director at Robert Half Management Resources, said these items highlight the need for companies to write clear expense report policies that are easy for employees to understand, and closely monitor what is being expensed each month.

    "While these examples may seem incredible and in some cases humorous, they highlight a serious matter which can negatively impact a company's bottom line," McDonald said. "Employees who are unsure if an item can be expensed should not include it on a report and hope it gets approved."

    According to the study, a variety of personal expenditures were commonly cited by executives as questionable, including:

    • Grocery receipts
    • Cigarettes
    • Replacement of a suit the employee lost on his own
    • Socks
    • Toilet paper
    • Hot tub supplies
    • Golf clubs
    • Flowers purchased for a spouse
    • Expenses for a child's birthday part
    • Wedding anniversary dinner

    The research was based on surveys of 1,600 U.S. and Canadian CFOs from companies with at least 20 employees.

    This story was provided by BusinessNewsDaily, a sister site to LiveScience. Chad Brooks is a Chicago-based freelance writer who spent 10 years as a newspaper reporter before working in public relations. You can reach him at chadgbrooks@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @cbrooks76.

     

    35 comments

    • junk  •  Islamabad, Pakistan  •  2 mths ago
      Really nice post. Thanks for sharing it.
      Start Up Business Ideas: http://junk2profits.com/startup-business-ideas-start-a-junk-removal-business/
    • Rex  •  3 mths ago
      It makes me sick people rip off the companies they work for. For one - oh, I've got to run. My boss is coming.
    • TTown  •  3 mths ago
      So, what's new about any of this? When I worked with a Japanesse company expense accounts were expected to be used and they bought everything from dinner to golf clubs to family trips. It was because of the Japanesse tax structure they did it. I've also seen a gvmnt employee who went a couple years buying furniture, a car, etc. She finally got caught when she bought a hunting rifle for her boy friend... The expense report auditor was questioning why it was necessary for a US Military civilian employee buy a gun when they have plenty of those in the armory.
      • LARRY 3 mths ago
        cause he forgot them!
      • Kel 3 mths ago
        She needed a gun not made by the lowest bidder.
    • Autumnstar  •  3 mths ago
      I would like to know the actual NAMES of these businesses. I need to go work for them.
      • Guy SF 3 mths ago
        The only people who get upset over this stuff are the people who don't get these privileges at their place of work. I'm envious that people can expense this stuff.
    • Peter  •  Indiantown, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      My personal favorite was an employee of our company that was putting his home mortgage on his expense report because "he had to work from home once a week".
      • Guy SF 3 mths ago
        Sounds legit to me.
    • Matt B  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      I worked at a major landfill company and the corporate bean counters approved an supervisors expense report with a direct billing of over $3000 for a horse. He billed it as lawn maintenance.
      • Tom 3 mths ago
        Everyone knows only goats can be expensed as lawn maintenance.
      • Violet 3 mths ago
        well considering the horse poop is fetalizer id say its a win.
    • AmericanExpat  •  3 mths ago
      Funny thing is, execs claim these types of expenses all the time lol.
    • CeCe  •  Cascade Twp, Michigan  •  3 mths ago
      I don't know if the golf thing is so crazy. Some of our guys go to golf outings to network. We've gotten really good clients out of some outings with deals worth thousands of dollars. I guess it depends on the angle.
      • Denise 3 mths ago
        If it was for work then his 3 friends should not have been there!
      • Guy SF 3 mths ago
        Denise, it's a guy thing. The out of work buds have to come along, and since they're not working, someone needs to pay.
    • Old Rusty Tulsa  •  3 mths ago
      No more Forty dollar muffins in DC,. Only beans and cornbread should be served to the DC elected, thats what I eat.Make them follow all the same rules we have to live by.
    • Tom  •  3 mths ago
      If you're stupid enough to pay me I'm smart enough to claim it.
    • Not Me  •  3 mths ago
      The CFO's rejected all those expense accounts while riding on their corporate jet on the way from their company purchased mansion to a company paid executive retreat in Vail.
    • Sunset  •  Batesville, Indiana  •  3 mths ago
      No limit to what materialists think they need.The wants override the needs.
    • Voxpopuli  •  3 mths ago
      Almost as bad as charging off the penicillin shots needed after getting a "shoe shine" ¿¿¿
    • stirring the pot  •  Wilmerding, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      i seen •Flowers purchased for a spouse
      but i did not see flowers for the girlfriend on the side
    • Daniel  •  San Francisco, California  •  3 mths ago
      Gee, I wonder what the folks in Wash DC are charging that WE are paying for?
    • Grrrrr  •  San Carlos, California  •  3 mths ago
      Most common excuses for padding the expense account: The boss is a jerk. They don't pay me enough. They owe it to me. They can afford it. Everyone else is doing it. No one checks. I'm having a cash flow problem.
    • Vraag Meister  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      Why is this "science" but the article about the Milky Way having a hundred billion planets in it is "business"? Can anyone answer that one huh?
    • Vraag Meister  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      I used to know an exec who would expense prostitutes when traveling because the company wouldn't pay to fly his wife along with him on business trips.
    • Maestro Nice Guy  •  3 mths ago
      It starts at the Top and works it way down the ladder. The lower you are the less you get to rip off the shareholders and/or taxpayers. Most of the Private Suites at Sport Stadiums are Expense Account Items, while those who fill the rest of the Stadium pay for it out of pocket. Just like when the Very Rich travel, it's a Tax write off and this is why they need Lower Taxes.
    • PB  •  Dallas, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      "Flowers purchased for a spouse" might be legitimate if you had the guy working overtime on his anniversary of something.........
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