Zep1988

Hi, pleased to meet all of you!

I've just had my non-immigrant h1-b visa confirmed, and will be moving to Columbus in February 2013 to work for at least three years. I'm only 24 and single so at least I don't have to worry about spouses making things complicated!

Obviously there are a lot of things going through my mind right now. The one that springs to mind the most is to do with money and tax. I tried to figure out my tax rate (salary: $60 000), but got really confused with State and Federal taxes. Is there anybody that can give me an estimate of how much I'll be getting taxed? Additionally, if I'm getting taxed less (unsure how likely this is) than I would be in the UK, do I then still owe the HMRC the difference?

With relation to this, how expensive is America/Ohio to live? The current exchange rate puts me on about £37000, which would be a pretty decent amount for somebody my age in England, even in London, but I have no idea how rich or poor I will really be on that salary in the states. I should probably mention that my employer subsidises healthcare, I think I pay about $30-60 a month or something for full medical and dental coverage.

Other than that, if anybody has any advice/guidance for me what so ever it would be very much appreciated. Is anybody on here from or living in Columbus?

Thanks in advance.

Noorah101

In general, figure about 20% of your income will go to taxes. Very rought estimate, of course.

Perhaps your employer pays the majority of the premium (leaving you with the $30 - $60 portion of the premium to pay. But you need to find out what the coverage is like. Will there be a co-pay each time you visit the doctor/dentist? Or is it the type where you pay 20% of the office visit? Is there a deductable you have to meet, and if so how much is it? What about prescriptions, how much will they run? In the USA, there's a lot of hidden costs in health care...it's not just the premium payment you have to think about.

Rene

AlbaTivo

Hi!

I have been living outside Columbus now for 12 years. Send me a PM if you want to get in touch with questions, etc.

Steven

IPM

I live in DC but have spent a bit of time in Columbus with clients.

My observations would be that its a small town that has been working hard over the years to re-develop the downtown areas - especially along the river where there are some pleasant new developments. You probably want to live there given your youth; in the suburbs you may die of boredom.

In terms of things to do, there is OSU football and a good arts/music scene.
The airport has reasonable connections to other parts of the US for exploring. Other than that, I don't know.

rachiea2610

Hi, no idea about how much taxes will be taken, but I do know that being a single woman you can live pretty well on $60000 a year. Will you be living in an apartment? You can expect to pay between $800 and $1500+ a month depending on the area. Just to give you sort of an idea my husband makes around $50000 a year and we have 3 children, 2 of which are in private preschool, we pay a mortgage, car note and all other normal bills and still have money left over to save and even have some fun. You should be fine

Noorah101

The OP will need a minimum of 3 posts in order to send a PM.

Rene

ian-mstm

So, you work for a non-profit or a university?

Ian

Zep1988

Thanks to for all the replies so far! I'll be sure to investigate further into my healthcare.

I'm not working for a non-profit or a university. Just a regular for profit company. The at least three years part may have been misleading, I intend to stay for at least that long but I can leave if I really hate it.

Still no indication of whether I will owe any tax to the UK. Anybody?

Noorah101

I thought so at first, too, but evidently they don't need him to start in October 2012. I guess they are willing to wait until Feb 2013.

Rene

ian-mstm

Ah, so you already have the visa... that explains why you're able to move in February. Okay then, no worries.

Ian

Sally Redux

When you leave the UK, you submit a form to the Inland Revenue (sorry I can't remember the number) to tell them you are leaving. You may get a rebate depending on where you are in the tax year. You will then henceforth file taxes in the US, assuming all your income is coming from the US.

jjones0828

Hi - I'm from Columbus originally (well, one of the suburbs), lived there until I was 18. Been living in UK with British husband last 10 years, but we are planning on returning with our son before the end of 2012.

Not positive about the tax for Ohio. But yes there is an HMRC form you file to say you're leaving, just give them a call they are pretty helpful and will explain it to you. I'm pretty sure you won't owe HMRC tax on your US income...I know I don't owe the IRS tax on my UK income (up to $90k ish) as they have some sort of treaty so you don't get taxed twice. But definitely ask! I think central Ohio is a pretty reasonably priced place to live, but it's a surprisingly big city with lots of variation in terms of costs of living. The healthcare thing is baffling and is something we're really worrying about, but most people get cover through their employer so it's not so bad (we won't likely have jobs straight away until we get over there).

I'd say expect that you'll need to run a car - the city is quite spread out and not very pedestrianised. OSU football (& basketball) is big, Columbus Crew soccer, the Short North in downtown is a hip area with lots of arts & culture stuff going on. And OSU's campus is huge so it can be young place. Yes it's like Average City USA, but there is lots of cool stuff to do. People mentioning about downtown being regenerated is definitely true, I'm amazed how much changes every time I go home to visit. Best of luck with your move, and maybe we might even cross paths there one day!

Bink

The exclusion you're talking about applies to American Citizens earning outside of the US.

The UK only taxes on residents, so if you're a UK Citizen earning money in the US, you don't owe HMRC anything and would only pay US tax.

For US citizens abroad, it gets a bit more complicated...

penguinsix

Health insurance is a significant expense that you need to research immediately.

There are a number of paycheck calculators online that you can use to estimate your taxes.

http://www.paycheckcity.com/calculat...alculator.html

wvmtnr

I have several family members who live in Columbus. It's a decent town. About the taxes, you will have to complete a W4 IRS form. On this form you can claim yourself as a dependent which will mean the government will withhold less tax from your paycheck but you may owe some tax at the end of the year. If you claim zero dependents they will withhold more from your check but you may get a tax refund.

Health care isn't as scary as everyone in the UK make it out to be. Unless you're self-employed or you work in low end service industry your employer will most likely subsidize your health care and you will pay a small portion of the premium. This is how the vast majority of Americans get their healthcare. Usually if your employer doesn't offer health insurance then you most likely have a low wage or unconventional job such as a contractor or self employed. If you're a low wage earner there is a program called Medicaid that pays for healthcare 100% but that would not apply to you. Nothing is free in America.

$60,000/ yr will be a really good income for a single person. $60,000 would be a middle class income for a family of three.

I've never lived in the UK but I love to visit there. Do not have any illusions about public transportation. You will need a car! American cities and towns are nowhere as condensed as town/cities in the UK. Columbus is within a half day to a days drive to many large American cities. Gas as of Sept 2012 is averaging about $3.70/gal. Which would be about £1.00/liter (or litre) haha.