cybersecretary

So, what is it reasonable to expect in a relocation package when moving from UK to US - employer being US based?

Manc

as djb1000 says, do an estimate
then double it.
and you still pay some out of pocket.

jumping doris

It probably depends how important you are to them.
We had all our packing and unpacking done and the container (40ft) paid for. they paid for our flights and a few nights in a hotel when we got here (we chose the hotel).
They paid for a weeks visit to look for houses and that included a relocation agent driving us everywhere. They also paid for a hire car.
They provided a realtor who has since become one of my best friends. She was wonderful and took us everywhere.She sorted out school visits, introduced us to all sorts of people who have since helped us.
The relocation team sorted out mortgages and credit cards for us, car insurance, bank accounts.
We had to pay for our pets to be flown out and we paid all our selling costs etc in the UK.
We were also given a lump sum to cover extra things. It was more than $5000 but less than $10,000.
We still spent a lot of our own money but thats how it goes. We got a lot more than many people.
I have to say that the relocation company were not brilliant but the people they referred us to were great.

jen_andreson

Our experience was similar to the one above, but in reverse. My husband was transferred to the UK (where we met) and then transferred back here. He got a lump sum when he was sent over to use as he wanted (flights, shipping, etc) and upon return they paid flights and shipping.

I know friends who had their entire home shipped over, got a car allowance, housing allowance, etc. And, I know others who were given a few thousand and that's that. Depends how much they want you, and how much you want to make the move.

My advice:
--have the company book your flights separate to your relocation, should they give you a lump sum or budget. Flight prices fluctuate so much that you never know what they'll be
--ask for a pre-move flight over to familiarise yourself with the area, get some things done
--ask for a return flight home (every year)
--ask for tax/accountancy assistance. You may or may not need it, but it's helpful to have available as no doubt you'll have questions about taxation, pensions, etc.
--ensure they arrange temp housing and transport (hotel, flat, etc and a hire car) while you look for a home
--shipping and housing set-up costs will depend on whether you are moving yourself or a family, and whether you will rent a furnished place here or buy, etc. The costs can vary greatly...and add up quickly if you buy furniture, appliances, etc
--most shipping companies will give you a free quote, so you can have them come round before you sign anything
--ensure that you understand what they will or won't cover for your return to the UK.

Good luck!

jumping doris

We also have our taxes done as part of the package...forgot that. OH had a company car in the UK so he negotiated a car allowance as part of his package here.
Initially they only offered a 20ft container(and it said in the blurb they wouldn't pay for anything over that) but they upped it to 40 at no extra cost when we said we couldn't fit everything in.
The one thing they wouldn't budge on was vacation time. But they give him some extra time each year which can only be used for visits home and we have to prove we are going or we loose those days.

Englishmum

My husband's company (British) also pays for a 'disturbance allowance' when they move people overseas.
This is intended to cover such expenses as extra international and domestic phone calls, faxes, taxis (actually one of the first things we did upon arrival was to buy a phone with a fax and answerphone).

A 'look-see' trip is the norm before moving overseas.

My husband's company also pays for one month in a serviced apartment (for all expat employees worldwide) and after a month you are expected to have sorted out your own accommodation (which they pay a rent allowance for whilst on expat terms and conditions).

Someone mentioned annual 'home leave' trips. I would add that if you negotiate for this, also try to get it written into the contract that if you need to urgently return home for a quick trip due to serious illness or death of a close family member, they will also cover the airfare. I had to fly from Singapore to the UK when my dad died suddenly, I dread to think what the airfare would have been if I'd had to buy a ticket for an immediate departure but the company paid for my flights.

We got pretty much what the previous posters have mentioned; the only exception was that we didn't get a rental car covered as my husband is based in NYC....every other country than the US he would have been given a company car and in Third world countries, a driver as well. The best perks are in the Middle East and Asia for sure.....

Philgr

As the others have said - it depends on the company and how much they want you. I got a similar package to those described above - if you are intending to buy a house rather than rent you will want longer in a serviced apartment beforehand so you don't need to rush to complete a purchase.

If you are in a good negotiating position it is also useful to get UK taxes done for you - the interaction of UK/US taxes and what is/isn't covered by the Tax Treaty is definitely a place you can lose a lot of money if you don't get things right.

If you are on a visa which is employer specific make sure the relocation deal also covers return to the UK once the assignment (or the visa) is over. Ideally this includes if you choose to resign - of course, a lot of companies balk at that one.

Giantaxe

Whatever relocation package you get, make sure that it covers any additional US taxes that you incur as a result of the relocation package. Not all possible relocation expenses are tax deductible, and even where they are the fact that whatever is reimbursed is treated as income can push up your adjusted gross income, potentially causing some negative tax consequences. Of course, any money you get to cover taxes is itself taxable etc, so there's a nice little calculation to perform there.

Bob

As mentioned, a lot depends on the size of the company, how senior you are and how much they want you.

You can move over for very little, or if you want to bring everything with you, it seen becomes very expensive.

Some companies will organise it and pay it all, some will give you money up front for your expenses and anything over you stump for, some will refund your costs.

Some of that will depend on how they want to work the tax, because you get one relocation a year for work reasons that can be claimed as a tax expense, and depending on how much it'll cost, it might go down as an employer expense, or become part of your salary, in which you can claim the expense...and it does make quite a difference in the cost, so well worth talking with them about that.

Jenster

We're getting a lump sum which we have to spend as we want. Flights for the final move are on top of that.
If we had wanted to ship our entire home contents we would have had to dig into our own pockets to pay for it as it's not enough to cover a container etc, but luckily we've only got cheap IKEA flatpack and stuff so it's no loss to sell it all and just bring our clothes etc with us.
We've also got our first year's tax return paid for, and they're paying for all the visa stuff.
Because my husband will be working for a medical company we get health insurance too.
We didn't however get any joy on the pre-move visit, as my husband has already spent a lot of time out there this year and they paid for a lot of the extra weekends he stayed etc.

valscot

We got 40K in dollars but husband arranged it so as we got the tax free part in the UK (8k GBP) as it will be taxed. There are loads of hidden expenses such as small electrical goods and then up front money. We rented when we came over and leased cars so our total for this was 15K.
Moving our household stuff cost 4.5 thousand pounds. We sold our house as we were advised that we would not get the rental income to cover the mortgage so we bought a smaller one and rented it out.
The clever thing that the OH did was to write into his contract 'the get out of jail" in case we hated it here, where after a year the company would pay to repatrisise us and household goods.
Wish you well and hope it all works out.

krizzy

We just sent in bills to the company for everything...not sure how much it came too...a pretty penny I would think...trips over to the USA to look around...hotels...buying and selling of homes...bringing in a moterbike...carpets and general household stuff...hotel till a rental home was free...rental home payments...rental car...the list goes on...

Bob

that's a given, it's the law for them to pay for it anyway...

oh yeah, you might want them to stump the cost of deposits, having no US credit history means you'll probably need to stump down a large deposit for everything, getting phone, cable, mobile phone, electric etc...that adds up to a lot.

BrewMonkey

Will be negotiating mine next week. Thanks to reading previous posts on here, I've got a good idea of what to push for depending on what they offer initially.

3 months until the move (first week Feb '07) and we think we've spotted the right house to buy so I'm looking to sort a mortgage out asap and try and wangle a larger lump sum out of the company to go towards the deposit.

I get a car here in the UK and the agreed to either stick on some extra cash tomy salary or give me a lump sum to buy one depending on what's more efficient for them at the time.

They will be providing a Tax accountant.

I'll let you know how the negotiations go and what they're offering for reference. It has been so useful for me reading people's actual experiences, so I'll try and do the same and post mine.

Was in the USA last week and was in Macy's asking about wedding lists. Turns out you can get a Macy's store card by using your passport number instead of an SS number so I applied straight away. I also applied for a UK Amex card this week using the tip from another thread so I can transfer it on their global scheme. Hopefully I'll have two cards for credit history purposes before I even arrive

Jerseygirl

Sounds as if you're being short changed to me. I would never consider moving to another country unless I'd had the opportunity to visit and take a good look around first.