What you can expense if you're suddenly working from home - and what you should definitely not charge to your company card

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Some companies are allowing workers to charge remote-work supplies to their company cards.

• Remote employees are expensing COVID-19-related items.
• A new report by the AI finance firm AppZen shows employees have submitted expense claims for face masks, canceled business trips, and disinfecting products.
• You may now be able to expense items like masks and cleaning supplies but should avoid expensing WiFi.
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The coronavirus pandemic has forced thousands of workers to log on from home. And as a result, their needs are changing.

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This means some employees are charging new items to help them cope with work and the pandemic, from the comfort of their couches.

A new report from the AI finance platform AppZen said trip cancellations accounted for nearly 68% of new company expenses. Another 31% of employee purchases included masks, remote-work supplies, and cleaning products. AppZen didn't provide information on whether these expenses were approved. The expense from these items is increasing, which may mean companies need to be more careful with their spending, the report said.

"The cost of doing this is obviously increasing," Anant Kale, the CEO of AppZen, said. "Over the next few weeks and months, I think companies are going to have to be far more critical of what they should be spending their money on."

Here are some of the new items you may be able to expense because of the coronavirus - and what you may have to pay for out of pocket. But you should always check with your manager before expensing anything, coronavirus-related or not.

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