Deloitte Is Reimbursing Employees Up to $1,000 — For Buying Lego Sets

Key Points

• Deloitte’s annual $1,000 well-being subsidy now covers Legos and puzzles, allowing U.S. employees to claim reimbursement on these items starting June 1.
• The benefit, which has included gym memberships, gaming consoles, kitchen appliances and spa services, was doubled from $500 to $1,000 in 2021 and dates back to at least 2019.
• Staff have reacted with enthusiasm, joking about using the subsidy to buy pricey sets like the $850 Ultimate Millennium Falcon, and crediting it with enhancing their workspace and overall well-being.
• Most of Deloitte’s approximately 173,000 U.S. salaried employees are eligible—excluding interns and contractors—and rival EY offers a similar $1,000 well-being fund.

Earlier this month, Deloitte updated the products and services covered in its annual $1,000 well-being subsidy to include an unexpected item: Lego sets.

Working hours at Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting and consulting firms, along with EY, PwC, and KPMG, can be taxing. By some accounts, the firm requires an average of 55 hours of work a week, much higher than the average U.S. workweek of 34.3 hours. To help employees manage, Deloitte offers a well-being subsidy program in the U.S., which reimburses employees for a range of items, from gym memberships to sleeping pillows, for up to $1,000 per employee per year.

Related: The Big Four Are Sticking With Hybrid Work. Here Are the RTO Policies of Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC.

Now, according to internal policy documents seen by Business Insider on Wednesday, Deloitte will allow U.S. staff to spend their $1,000 well-being allowance on "Legos and puzzles."

Deloitte updated its subsidy to include Legos on June 1, the start of its fiscal year. The company also introduced other new items covered by the subsidy, like kitchen appliances, spa services, and cooling fans. Items that are still covered from previous years include fitness classes and gaming consoles like the Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.

Deloitte employees took to internal team chats to express their enthusiasm about the change and joke about how the move would allow them to buy expensive Lego sets.

"Most of the responses are things like 'Lego?!?!? Finally!' or jokes about how they can now rationalize buying the coveted Millennium Falcon Star Wars Lego set," one employee told BI. The Ultimate Millennium Falcon Set is Lego's most expensive set yet, costing $850 with over 7,500 pieces.

^{Lego Millennium Falcon. Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images}

Another employee told BI that the well-being subsidy in general "makes a huge difference" in their life.

"I have been able to upgrade my workspace, and it helps with the work intake," the person said.

Related: I'm the Head of Talent at Deloitte U.S. Here Are the Top 3 Things I Look for in a Job Candidate and My Favorite Interview Question.

Most salaried workers are eligible for the well-being subsidy, which Deloitte has offered U.S.-based staff since at least 2019. In 2021, the firm doubled the allowance from $500 to $1,000. Interns, contractors, and staff on leave of absence are not eligible.

Fellow Big Four firm, EY, also offers a similar annual well-being fund of $1,000 per worker, which covers items like mattresses, gaming consoles, and ergonomic furniture.

Deloitte had nearly 173,000 U.S. employees as of 2024.