lshawcobden

Dear Members

I am sorry if this has been covered elsewhere - I know that US tax is notoriously difficult to work out. If it has, please direct me to the appropriate thread.

I have just been offered a job in Baltimore and I am trying to work out if we can afford to live there before accepting.

My annual salary would be $42,000 dollars and my husband would be coming as a dependent and not allowed to work. I really don't have a clue how to work out how much I will have to pay in federal and state taxes to see if the move is financially viable.

Best wishes

Lynsey

Jerseygirl

There is no way I would move to Baltimore on that salary. $42K per year isn't going to go very far...especially after taxes, healthcare, social security etc. Baltimore is not the sort of place to be looking for cheap accommodation.

lshawcobden

Thank you for your honesty

Jerseygirl

Sorry to be a Debby Downer.

Has your employer mentioned healthcare? The premiums, co-pays and deductibles could be thousands per year.

lshawcobden

Not at all. This is the kind of info I need. Johns Hopkins has a shared healthcare plan. They pay the vast majority, we pay the balance. Around $200 a month - would cover me and my husband

christmasoompa

Out of interest, what's the job? That seems a very low salary for a specialist occupation (which presumably it must be for the visa).

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

lshawcobden

It's a post-doc. Two year contract. The pay is pretty low but it would be great on my CV and would open doors to better positions in the UK on return.

christmasoompa

Ah, I see. Hopefully other forum members in the Baltimore area will be able to advise on the cost of living there and if it's feasible.

Best of luck to you.

Bob

Could the OH just stick it out in the UK if it's only a couple years?

That would be a real struggle for two people on that salary and it sucks to be broke over here, far more than it does in the UK.

lshawcobden

We are newly married and I wouldn't want to leave him. Sounds stupid I know. I am applying for other jobs in the UK too. We are skint if we stay, skint if we go. We live in Oxfordshire and pay £850 a month in rent and don't have much at the end of the month. I understand that Baltimore is dear as well. Hopkins *claim* to partner up with housing groups that give employee discount but I would need cast iron guarantees. So many things to think about.

nun

So would you be on a J visa? If so you won't have to pay payroll taxes.

$42k isn't bad as a post doc and you'd be a fool to pass up Johns Hopkins. If healthcare is subsidized and you are frugal you should be ok. Baltimore has some high crime areas and the public transport isn't great so you might think about living outside the city and driving in. There are lots of nice places to live in MD.

If you file as a married couple you will have around $21k in taxable income pay around $2.5k in federal taxes and $1k in MD state taxes. I say go for it. I came to the US to do a post doc in 1987 and my starting salary was $25k......it was a good decision.

lshawcobden

Yes I would be on a J visa. We are pretty frugal as it is because of where we live. We have friends that live up in Millers, MD and they commute to Baltimore every day (about an hour in the car). Such a beautiful, tranquil area. We were so jealous when we went to stay.

SanDiegogirl

The following may, or may, not be useful to you. It's a Living Wage calculation done for Baltimore, Maryland.

Based on the average working hours of 2080 hours per year (40 hour week), this survey has produced figures for different hourly rates earned and an average of what someone would need to earn based on size of family.

So based on your information, I estimated that you were in the 20 bucks an hour range and if you work down the tables they say that a couple with one child should be in the 42k area. A couple earning around 16 bucks an hour needs around 34 K.

Take a look at it gives some indication of everyday costs.

Living Wage Calculator - Living Wage Calculation for Baltimore city, Maryland

lshawcobden

Thanks San Diego girl :-)

OnwardandUpward

If you get health insurance benefits it's probably worth it but if not- well I just bought what's probably the cheapest good option on health insurance via the government exchange and put down $25K as this year's salary and the premium is $244 monthly with $1500 out of pocket. I could have paid a lot less premium but the out of pocket jumps to $6000 per year.

Baltimore has a local state tax unlike Texas I think, plus your federal income tax, then your living expenses.