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COVID-19 Shifts Business Expenses, Says Report

A new analysis, by Los Angeles-based expense management software developer Emburse, shows that reimbursed employee expenses have shifted significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Emburse, in its latest Certify SmartSpend Report, the pandemic has resulted in major increases in such perks as employer-provided meals and food deliveries, as well as employee purchases for their home office working environments. Acording to the report, spending on food delivery services grew by 110% annually, with DoorDash representing 36% of expenses submitted, with 25.1% for Grubhub, 17.1% for Uber Eats and 11.5% for Postmates. Expenses from Amazon more than doubled over the same period from 2019, and Walmart's share of receipts grew by 30%, as receipts for "Supplies" increase over 75% over 2019. On the other side of the table, Emburse reported that business travel almost stopped entirely as the result of the pandemic. The company said that employees are still submitting a large number of expenses, but there is far more of an emphasis on work-from-home purchases, such as office supplies and internet upgrades.