Accountants are no strangers to outrageous expense claims. At this year’s Accountex North, we asked accountants and bookkeepers to spill the most bizarre things they’ve ever seen clients try to expense. The results? Everything from Rolexes to racehorses – with a few ski trips, boob jobs, and McDonald’s runs along the way (as you do).
When “luxury” meets “legitimate”
It seems that some clients take the phrase’ business expense’ a little too creatively. Among the claims shared with us were a Rolex watch “to get to meetings”, a wedding dress and engagement ring, and even cosmetic surgery (yes, someone genuinely tried to put a boob job through the books).
School fees also cropped up more than once. Bold? Absolutely. Successful? We’ll let you guess.
Business or pleasure… or both?
Holidays and hospitality featured heavily in the survey. Accountants told us about trips to Ibiza, Paris and Las Vegas (limousines included), as well as a staggering £42,000 claim for a corporate box at Manchester City.
One accountant even recalled a ski trip that came packaged with a strip club visit. Whether that counts as business or pleasure is still up for debate.
The quirky contenders
Not all claims were lavish. Some were just wonderfully odd. A few favourites included:
- Doggy daycare and accessories (because the office pup needs looking after too, obviously).
- £500 worth of McDonald’s… now that’s a supersized expense.
- An aquarium and even a packet of Werther’s Originals.
- A roof repair slipped in without much detail.
- And yes, a racehorse paired, naturally, with a helicopter for a beer company. Because nothing says “business critical” quite like a thoroughbred and a chopper.
The serious bit
While these stories make for great laughs, they highlight something important. Accountants aren’t just there to crunch numbers – they’re the gatekeepers of compliance, responsible for filtering out the creative, the questionable, and the downright ridiculous.
And sometimes, that also means having to explain why a Rolex, a racehorse, or £500 worth of fast food doesn’t quite qualify as “essential office equipment.”
Why we asked
At Cloud2Me, we know accountants deal with enough without adding IT frustrations into the mix. That’s why we specialise in hosted desktop solutions built specifically for the accountancy sector… secure, UK-based, and backed by experts who understand the quirks of accountancy software.
So whether your clients are submitting expenses for pens, printers, or Parisian getaways, at least you’ll know your systems are running smoothly in the background.
