E3only

Hi there,

My wife and I are moving to the states early June. Needless to say, very stressful few weeks coming up so I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on the below -

1. Relocation costs - does anyone on the forum recommend any removalist? I have already scheduled few people to come over have a look / give us a quote but I still wanted to get some advice from the forum in terms of what to look out for, questions to ask, how much does a standard 2 bedroom unit move would cost (Sydney to San Francisco).

2. I am Australian citizen but my wife is PR. Could anyone let me know what is the process of ensuring her PR is not taken away?

3. Tax -> NO expert on this. Australian year is July to June whilst US tax year is Jan to December. If I move first week of June, that would mean I would be tax resident in Australia (July 09 - June 10 year) as well as USA ( Jan 10 to Dec 10 ? is that correct). In this scenario how do they work out the dual tax treaty benefit?

4. Is it work taking electronics to the States like Plasma etc? Does it work there?

Any help would be appreciated. I know the some aspects of my post may better be asked on the US forum but if I can get a start here, I will ask the remainder on the US forum.

Thanks in advance.

John_USA

1. ??
2. ??
3. Australia and the US have a tax treaty. Depending on your exact circumstances, you pay taxes in only one country. As a note, Federal wage taxes are less in the US, but depending which state you live in, you may need to pay an additional state wage tax.
4. Voltage and plugs are different. You will need to buy a voltage regulator($40) and cut the end of the plugs off and splice another. Some DVD players won't work in the US.

You will also find out food, automobiles, appliances, clothing is MUCH cheaper in the US. Housing prices varies depending what part of the country you live in.

E3only

3. Thanks. I am moving to NoCal. I realize I pay tax in one country but was more so wondering how it all works given the tax years are not the same (Jul to Jun vs Jan to Dec).

4. So plasma is fine?

Yes, Been there few times and I definitely think things are cheaper in the US.

BriBri UK

Re number 1 Do not use New York International Shipping seemed very efficient and easily contactable. As soon as something went wrong they didn't want to know hung up on us didn't reply to emails and generally gave us the run around.
We paid $6500 US for a 4bed house full packing etc don’t know if it’ll help.
They did give us a very competitive quote but I guess you get what you pay for
They subbed the work out to NOBEL Van Lines in Miami who were not very good, the foreman spent more time trying to get extra money out of us than anything else stating our stuff wouldn’t fit etc and at the end I was surrounded in the garage by the four of them demanding and I mean DEMANDING a tip. We complained to NY INT Shipping about this and several other aspects but got nowhere.
Definitely would not use either company again.

Re number 2 Can’t help I’m afraid.

Re number 3 We moved from UK and had a similar situation but they classed us as being in the US that tax year which was actually beneficial to us.

Re number 4 US is 120 volt so most electrical things won’t work there without a voltage converter which you can buy. On the plus side most TV's and electrics are much cheaper in the US. When we were returning to the UK I was told by Samsung US that my LCD TV bought in US would work using a voltage converter and run through a skybox or other digital box,(LIARS) needless to say it didn’t. I then spoke to Samsung UK who stated it would not work HO HUM

John_USA

hmmmm...maybe I shouldn't have responded. I moved in the opposite direction - from US to Australia! LOL

3. From Jan to Dec I report all my earnings to the IRS. From July to June I report all my earnings to ATO. I abided by the US side of the treaty, so my comments probably don't mean much to you!

4. Not sure about the plasma. I brought some smaller appliances(electric toothbrush, blowdryer, coffee maker, etc) from the US to Australia. I cut the plugs, attached new ones and connected the regulator....everything works ok.

Pollyana

If your wife is eligible for Australian citizenship she should get it before she leaves.

The remainng questions would probably receive better replies in the US Lifestyle forum, but as you say ou are asking them in there anyway, I will move this post to Aus Lifestyle

E3only

Thanks, what was your "From" and "To" move. We are moving Sydney to North California.

E3only

I don't think so she is. I am calling today to confirm but she is short of the 4 year mandatory 'physical' presence test by 6 months I think.

Say she is not eligible, what are the options? Does she have to reapply or can renew every few years or what is the deal?

dhama

1. Relocation costs - does anyone on the forum recommend any removalist? I have already scheduled few people to come over have a look / give us a quote but I still wanted to get some advice from the forum in terms of what to look out for, questions to ask, how much does a standard 2 bedroom unit move would cost (Sydney to San Francisco).

USA is cheaper comparitively australia. However cost of living in california is ver high. You will get tow bedroom apratmet unfurnished for $1200 and you need to sign for 6 to one Year lease. You dont require any reference to get a rental apartment.. $5000 to 1000 is more than sufficient if you are offered a job



2. I am Australian citizen but my wife is PR. Could anyone let me know what is the process of ensuring her PR is not taken away?


It is better to get a australian passport for her and move to usa else she has to apply for RRV in future

3. Tax -> NO expert on this. Australian year is July to June whilst US tax year is Jan to December. If I move first week of June, that would mean I would be tax resident in Australia (July 09 - June 10 year) as well as USA ( Jan 10 to Dec 10 ? is that correct). In this scenario how do they work out the dual tax treaty benefit?

If you are residing More than 90 days outside the australia you dont have pay the tax to australian government for overseas earned income.USA tax return benefits more. For tax retun they count it for jan2010 even if u land in june. So you would get handsome return for 2010 for first bringing family,laptop, etc.

4. Is it work taking electronics to the States like Plasma etc? Does it work there?

I would say no. Becaue in usa you getall electronic goods much cheaper. Australia it costs thrice.It is better to aviod tension and electronic goods.

Any help would be appreciated. I know the some aspects of my post may better be asked on the US forum but if I can get a start here, I will ask the remainder on the US forum.

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]

E3only

USA is cheaper comparitively australia. However cost of living in california is ver high. You will get tow bedroom apratmet unfurnished for $1200 and you need to sign for 6 to one Year lease. You dont require any reference to get a rental apartment.. $5000 to 1000 is more than sufficient if you are offered a job.
We are in touch with a few apartment rentals and the cost would be ~1500-1600 a month. No problems there given the area we are targeting. What do you mean by “$5000 to 1000 is more than sufficient if you are offered a job.”

If you are residing More than 90 days outside the australia you dont have pay the tax to australian government for overseas earned income.USA tax return benefits more.

Ok, so that means I have no liability for tax to Australian government for the year July 2010 to June 2011.

For tax retun they count it for jan2010 even if u land in june. So you would get handsome return for 2010 for first bringing family,laptop, etc.

Ok, that’s fine. So for the USA tax return for Jan 2010 to Dec 2010 my income from June 2010 to Dec 2010 will be taxed. What about the income in Australia from Jan 2010 to May 2010?

For example per my understanding – end the end of June 2010, I will fine tax return to Australian Tax. T he income included will be from July 2009 to May 2009.
I then move and work in USA from June 2010 to Dec 2010. I pay tax to USA on what income? Just USA or USA (June 10 to Dec 10) + Aus (Jan 10 to May 10). If the later I assume I get tax credits for what I paid to Australian Tax for that period?

It’s very important for me to know so I can start getting my documents / pay slips etc from here ready.

Also what do you mean by "So you would get handsome return for 2010 for first bringing family,laptop, etc."

Thanks

Pollyana

She would need to look into the rules for Resident Return Visas, but she may be at risk of losing her PR, in which case you would need to sponsor her for a Spouse Visa if you come back in the future.

E3only

I could apply it for her before we leave. We own a house here and significant equity investments.

moneypenny20

You can't apply for an RRV until her PR expires as far as I'm aware but if she's only six months off from citizenship and you have the house etc there shouldn't be a problem with her getting it.

BriBri UK

Hey E3only,

We moved from Milton Keynes UK to Miami US, then Miami to Brighton UK.
Now moving from Brighton to Sydney.
Then hopefully we'll stay put for a long long while (hopefully).:finge rscrossed:

We absolutely loved South Florida and were gutted when we had to leave at the end of our work visa's.

Good luck with the move

seanyg

Just out of curiosity... how did you guys all manage to move to the US anyway? I thought it was nigh-on impossible unless you married a US citizen or were lucky enough to get an inter-company transfer (and prove no Americans could do your job)...??