neil

If you come over on a visa such as L1 or H1 (could be others) where you are only in theory going to be in the US temporarily, as you are planning to leave the US within 5 years you can opt out of paying into social security. I think the theory is you continue to pay into a UK pension or National Insurance which wasn't a problem for me as my company continued to pay into my UK pension plan.

I'm changing jobs now and got married so the plan to return to the UK is no longer there and the UK pension is no longer there, so I believe I have to start paying social security in my new job.

neil

Edison taxes would be more like $6000 a year. I don't know about renting - is the landlord or tenant responsible for that. At least it's tax deductible.

Kwakasmith, I would consider buying a used car outright (especially with a lack of credit history). I did that (managed to get a good price on a manual as I'm sure they were having problems selling a manual car over an automatic) and no car payment makes a huge difference.

Ray

thanks for the feedback. Arrived at monthly assumptions based on the following. have since obtained an insurance quote from GEICO and made a slight downward adjustment to $6930. Any further guidance much appreciated.

NJ Costs USD
Home P/Month Annual
House Rental $2,300 $27,600
Property Tax $100 $1,200
Contents Insurance $25 $300
Gas / oil $225 $2,700
Electric $100 $1,200
Water $33 $396
Sewerage $25 $300
TV subscriptions / fees $50 $600
Broadband connection $25 $300
Telephone $25 $300
Mobile Phone $50 $600
Total $2,958 $35,496

Vehicles (Mazda Tribute)
Car 1 Down Payment See below
Car 1 Lease (36 months) $350 $4,200
Car 1 Insurance $278 $3,334
Car 1 Fuel $125 $1,500
Road Tax $15 $175
Servicing $33 $400
Total $801 $9,609

(Chrysler PT Cruiser)
Car 2 Down Payment See below
Car 2 Lease (36 months) $350 $4,200
Car 2 Insurance $333 $3,992
Car 2 Fuel $125 $1,500
Road Tax $15 $175
Servicing $33 $400
Total $856 $10,267

Total Vehicle Financing $1,656 $19,876

Shopping
Groceries $750 $9,000
Clothing $200 $2,400
1 Flight to UK (4 seats) $233 $2,800
Total $1,183 $14,200

Health
Doctors $20 $240Dentist $50 $600
Life Insurance $50 $600
Total $120 $1,440

Misc
Montesori Nursery (kid 1) $600 $7,200
Montesori Nursery (kid 2) $400 $4,800
Tax accountant $13 $150
Total $1,013 $12,150

Grand Total $6,930 $83,162


I would have though the bold ones are erroneous

gruffbrown

We're in Camden County, they're 8 times ($1200) that for a 4 bed.

kwakasmith

that sounds encouraging. I can see prices in realtor.com but have no idea what these neighbourhoods are like. any ideas on what I shoud be paying for a 3+ beds in a good neighbourhood ?

Cheers

BigDavyG

B*ll*cks - I got my hopes up there for a minute.
I thought you maybe knew of some obscure 5 years grace period for new immigrants or something

neil

Never looked into renting a house, but I would guess the top end is what you want ideally - probably around $2500 is the right sort of price but that is just a guess. The only thing you have to look out for in Edison is that there is quite a lot of industry in some areas. When we were looking to buy we resticted ourselves to the area near the train station, and up in North Edison, near Metuchen. Everywhere else we saw did not seem that appealing.

fatbrit

These above could be fully tax deductible PROVIDED your company runs a suitable scheme for it. Ask the HR department, since it's a considerable chunk.

If you're buying and you have mortgage (and can obtain one on your visa), the interest on your primary residence is also tax deductible.

Generally, $100k is enough to live on for a family of four in the US. You will, as you've realized pay a premium for not fitting into the system. There is little you can do about this apart from plan to build up your credit and US driving history, and get a GC. Two or three years down the road, you will no longer have this burden.

Bob

Well out in CA that wouldn't be any change left with that kind of money...so hmmm...

Bob

Something to do with temp visa's, the H1's, if you don't intend to stay the course type deal....

Bob

Wow...you'll be shocked....property tax will be much higher for you, decent home insurance also much higher, especially for a couple years, no credit history remember...gas/electric, much higher, especially in the summer....decent tv package for basic runs from $35-50, but with anything decent added, you could be at $100 a month, and broadband, anything from $35-50. Your phone bill will also be much higher, as will mobile phone costs.

Petrol, you'll use a lot more of than you think because you'll drive everywhere because you'll have to.

Groceries, depends on family size and if you want to eat healthly or eat the crap in the large grocery stores....and also the medical, much higher for a family, that kind of money your thinking of, would be a shite HMO with a hefty deductible....a doctors visit just to say hello will run from $50-100, a filling can be around $200...and dental/eyeballs tend to be shitely covered....don't knock a tooth out for sure in this country.

THFC1

If your renting a house you will not have to pay the property taxes (the landlord is responsible for that). Normally the water and sewerage is included in the rent also. There is no road tax to pay but you will have to pay tolls on certain roads (Parkway and Turnpike) depending on your route to work.

I would recommend that you negoitate for at least 2 months of car rental in your package. It takes a while to get your SS# which you need to get a NJ driving licence. Without one it is difficult/expensive to get insurance.

Good luck. I'm sure you will enjoy NJ. It's not as bad as everyone likes to make out!

BigDavyG

Is that the new state slogan ??

gruffbrown

Almost.....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showpost.php?p=3146328&postcount=1

BigDavyG

Yep - i remember that thread of yours - made me laugh anyway