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Possible move to Virginia
Hello
My husband works for a company in the UK that have recently made a deal with an American company. They would like my husband to relocate to Virginia to lead the project over there. This is a big thing for us as we own our house here in the UK and have a 1 year old daughter but its also a massive opportunity for my husband and us as a family. I have a few questions if anyone can help? we want to make sure we are getting the best relocation package from the company I am trying to work out would my husbands take home pay would be but when i use state calculators they come out different (sometimes $100's difference) can anyone tell me roughly what take home pay would be on $100,000 per year? We have a friend who has recently relocated to USA and she has advised that spouses of people who move for work are struggling to get working visa's so his pay would have to be high enough to support the whole family Does anyone have any advice on the spouse getting a working visa? The office will be in Washington but we are looking at living just outside of there in the centerville, manassas area, anyone have any experience of living in this area? There are so many questions i would like to ask but i will keep it at this for now, any advice will be greatly appreciated especially if you have relocated with a young child Georgette |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Hi, welcome to BE.
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665258)
We have a friend who has recently relocated to USA and she has advised that spouses of people who move for work are struggling to get working visa's so his pay would have to be high enough to support the whole family. Does anyone have any advice on the spouse getting a working visa?
I can't help with your other questions but I'm sure those in the Virginia area will be along to help later. Best of luck. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Thank you,
We will ask what kind of Visa he will be on |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Obvious one is an L1 if it is a intra-company transfer. L2 visa holders can get an EAD which allows them to work, but it will take a few months after arrival to get it.
Please let us know when you have confirmed. You need to ensure that you investigate the cost of healthcare through the employer - what the monthly cost for a family is (likely to be hundreds of $) and the coverage limits, copays and deductibles are. This is the one thing that people sometimes overlook and it will bite you if you do. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Thanks for your advice
My husband is more than likely going to have healthcare included in his new contract, we are hoping they will add us on as well but if not i have budgeted $1000 per month for myself and my 1 year old. Does this sound reasonable? i got the figure from getting a few online quotes from different insurance companies |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
If he doesn't have health coverage included for you and the family, I would not be accepting this position. That's a red line. They should and will offer a family coverage plan.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Okay thank you i will add that to the list of things they must provide for us, there would still be a cost towards it though i presume? sorry this is all new to us and i'm just trying to get as much info as possible
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Oh yes there will be!
You will have a monthly premium (likely $100s) plus also co-pays and deductibles every time you use the service. As an example, I pay just for myself (wife has her own through her employer) and I pay $145 per month as a premium, then $30 every time I see my Dr ($60 for a specialist, $400 for an ER visit) and 10% co-pay on prescriptions, depending on if they are generic or brand name. If I use the ER for anything other than a true emergency, they won't pay a dime, and if they do pay we share the cost 80/20 after I have met my $2k yearly deductible. So I walk into an ER and it's going to cost me $2,400 minimum before I've even received any treatment. Healthcare in the US is extremely complicated and is responsible for a large number of bankruptcies every year. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Ouch, I'm not a person that goes to the doctors/hospital unless i really need to here in the UK anyway but that would surely put people off going! I think i will put the healthcare budget as $600 per month, if our cost is less we will put the rest of the budget into a pot for doctors visits ect. Thank you this has been very helpful
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
$100,000 in the Northern Virginia / DC area is not that much. $6,000 a month take home, with $2,000/$3,000 going toward rent. The DC area is an extremely expensive place to live, with everything from food to child care costing a bit more than the rest of the country. Of course you can get by on $100k a year--plenty do, but you might do better on a similar salary back home.
Traffic in Centerville to DC is going to be quite tiresome, but if you live closer in you'll be looking at considerably more in rent. Is he working in DC-proper? Is it on a Metro station? Right now as I'm typing (8:15am) the ride in, using the flexible toll I-66 is 75 minutes and would cost $38.50 one way (yes, they have obscene flexible tolls on that road). Other routes in take more time and have more traffic. I would be shocked if the health care didn't include dependents (i.e. you and the kid) but if it doesn't I would really take a moment to think if you want to work for this company. Kind of a low-budget not to pay for dependents and doesn't speak well of the company. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
We don't know what they are going to offer him but from my research for his role the average in DC was around the 100k mark, hopefully we can push for more but that's why i'm doing lots of research so we can have a counter proposal for them. i am worried about the commute for my DH, the company is currently in Tyson's but is looking for a permanent base, ( we have heard that it wont be directly in DC it will be just outside) which would help with traffic, but maybe a closer location like Alexandria would be a better choice? I have budgeted $2500 for rent including tax, i look at property's every hour of every day :lol: and i am happy with what that amount of money could get us
Childcare is not an issue for the time being as i wont be working, we will definitely now be asking for healthcare for all of us. We were also thinking about asking them to add at least 1 car into the contract (paid by us by leased through them?) is something that is normal for expats? |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
A vehicle could potentially be a taxable benefit, so that's not something I would consider since you can get it taken care of yourself. I would do through International Auto Source to secure vehicles before you arrive.
You will need 2 cars unless you intend to literally be stuck at home all day, and then what happens if something happens to the kids? Personally I think potentially spending 40% of take home pay on rental is a bad idea. It suggests to me he needs to be getting more in the negotiation. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Yes i think we would definitely need 2 cars i just didn't think we would be able to get them without credit, thank you for the advice will definitely look into that, i also think his wage should be higher to accommodate for the higher rent in DC. Originally it was going to be Ohio and we were looking at 90k there so i think only a 10k increase isn't enough compared to how expensive it is. I want him to push to 120k personally to feel secure enough to not struggle with money in a country were we don't have any support from friends/family
His work hasn't actually offered any wage as of yet this is all just from my research, so they would offer way more than what we expect |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
My guess would be net take home of around $5,500, probably not less, but not much more either.
I wouldn't take a position for less than $100k in the DC area, the cost of living, especially housing, is high in that area. If you're used to living in a flat or terraced house then you'll do OK, but houses are expensive in the DC area, and $100k probably isn't enough. In any case, I would suggest that $100k is at the lowest end of what would be acceptable. You/ your husband should look very carefully at what the going rate is for the job in that specific area, not just for Virginia, as Virginia is itself a large state with some relatively low cost areas, though a long way from DC. Some jobs pay a lot more in the US that the UK, especially technology and engineering jobs, so be sure that company is paying him fairly for the job. I myself took a job in NYC that I thought was decent money, but later realized that my colleagues with similar experience were probably being paid about 50% more than I had accepted!
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665350)
Yes i think we would definitely need 2 cars i just didn't think we would be able to get them without credit, thank you for the advice will definitely look into that, i also think his wage should be higher to accommodate for the higher rent in DC. Originally it was going to be Ohio and we were looking at 90k there so i think only a 10k increase isn't enough compared to how expensive it is. ….
And BTW used cars are stooopid expensive in the US - a $5k vehicle is probably only marginally road-worthy, even at $10k you're likely looking at vehicles with 80,000-100,000 miles on them, which isn't that high be US standards - it isn't uncommon for vehicles to reach 200,000 miles or more! |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
And BTW used cars are stooopid expensive in the US - a $5k vehicle is probably only marginally road-worthy, even at $10k you're likely looking at vehicles with 80,000-100,000 miles on them, which isn't that high be US standards - it isn't uncommon for vehicles to reach 200,000 miles or more! It's got 158,000 on is still going strong. It struggles to do more than 70 of course since the horses have all run disappeared from the engine, but I digress. Of course this car lived in GA it's whole life, so has never seen any rust. Unlike the frequent snow storms that you'll get in VA. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
We live in a terraced 3 bed house now so looking at 3 bed townhouses over there, he is senior engineer and will be basically leading a team to create what they have created here in the UK. will do some more research on it, but most jobs advertised dont have salary on them and when i google it the pay is from 80-130k with 98k being the average which is why i choose 100k as the starting point. I will show him this thread and see how he feels about it
We are also used to used cars, we have never owned a new car, will just have to accept american ways :lol: |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Doesn't sound to bad, i think we will have 1 cheap run around and 1 better family car for the long trips when we go exploring the states
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 12665353)
I would suggest that $90k in Ohio should be $135k in the DC area. And BTW used cars are stooopid expensive in the US - a $5k vehicle is probably only marginally road-worthy, even at $10k you're likely looking at vehicles with 80,000-100,000 miles on them, which isn't that high be US standards - it isn't uncommon for vehicles to reach 200,000 miles or more! As mentioned, two cars are essential. If you live close enough into DC though there are 'on the spot' rental cars if you need one (pay by the mile). They are parked all over from companies like Car2Go. Can help you in the short term, but only if you are close in to the city or inner suburbs. One thing you might do well to ask for as part of the negotiations is a temporary apartment for 30-60 days (paid for by the company). They put you in a serviced apartment so you can get over here, relax and then start looking for houses on the ground rather than having to guesstimate stuff online. It's actually quite a common benefit with executive expat moves. Also worth noting that pretty much every benefit you get, from moving expenses or airline tickets home will be considered "income" for the purposes of taxation. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Okay that's something i will do, didnt know that kind of salary calculator exsisted!
Yes we couldnt live without 2 cars, we are close to everything were we live now and still need 2 cars. Temporary accommodation is something i have listed as a must as well as, paying for packing our house, moving costs, any costs incurred to sell our house, healthcare and retaining UK holiday allowance (i have heard USA holiday time is awful) my husband gets 25 days so we want to keep that When you say they will be taxable expenses how do we pay tax on them? will it come out of my husbands wage? |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665379)
….. When you say they will be taxable expenses how do we pay tax on them? will it come out of my husbands wage?
For every $100 they "give" you for expenses, or pay on your behalf, hold back $33 to meet your tax bill. It is apparently common for moving expenses to be "grossed up" by around 50% to meet the tax bill. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Here is an example of what your budget might look like, updated from a post I made several years ago.
Net pay of $5,500/mth might go something like this: you might get lucky and find somewhere that is acceptable for $2,000, but you won't get much for that. Then vehicles: finance on a couple of vehicles say $1,000/mth in loans, but insurance is pricy to start with, so could be $300/mth, then tax, serving, inspection and registration another $25/mth (average), petrol is cheap, but you'll find you use a lot more, so a tank full per vehicle every two weeks would be $300/mth. Food and household consumables cost more, for three of you probably around $750/mth. Utilities: tend to be more than in the UK, in northern Virginia you're probably looking at heating for five months of the year at a minimum $75/mth (assuming an apartment), and AC for six months of the year for around the same, (these would be a good bit more in a house, around twice as much). Health insurance isn’t quite what it seems, so allow $300/month for copays and deductibles (your share of the premiums comes straight out of your pay, which is probably why I am showing “net pay” of around $5.5k, compared to $6k others are estimating). If my mental arithmetic is correct we have got a total of $4,750/mth, leaving $750/mth for clothing, meals out/ entertainment, holidays/ traveling home to the UK, and everything else, including cell phones, and cable TV! Honestly rent on an acceptable home is the biggest issue you may face - you can "go cheap" but might not like it, or pay more and risk a budget crisis. :unsure: |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Thank you for taking so much time so that!
They are quite similar to what i have put down but we have a few more things like a loan we took our here that we would still have to pay which would be another $150 a month so yes definitely think he needs to be on more than 100k With the tax return, would his company pay for that as technically they should 'cover the costs of what it would take for us to move' if they don't then somewhere down the line its actually going to cost us money? So if it cost them say $5000 to move us (flights, packing, shipping container, temp accommodation ect) it would end up costing us $1666? |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
This is an estimate. Most of the US companies pay their employees bi-weekly. Hence, there will be 26 pay periods. 100k divided by 26 is $3,847 every two weeks. The amount of taxes paid may vary. If you do not work, than your husband can claim two dependents, otherwise only one can be claimed for your child. Either way tax will be somewhere between 20% - 25% which makes $700 - $1,000 deduction. Net payment should be close to $2,900 bi-weekly.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Yes and health insurance is likely to be another $200+ per pay period too, which reduces it further to $2,700.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by talkto_menow
(Post 12665398)
This is an estimate. Most of the US companies pay their employees bi-weekly. Hence, there will be 26 pay periods. 100k divided by 26 is $3,847 every two weeks. The amount of taxes paid may vary. If you do not work, than your husband can claim two dependents, otherwise only one can be claimed for your child. Either way tax will be somewhere between 20% - 25% which makes $700 - $1,000 deduction. Net payment should be close to $2,900 bi-weekly.
That said, your number is very close to my $5,500/mth because I assumed that health insurance is deducted in reaching "net pay". |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Thank you, this is all so baffling, just really don't want to make the wrong decision, move my daughter away from all her other family and get over there and be tight for money!
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665404)
Thank you, this is all so baffling, just really don't want to make the wrong decision, move my daughter away from all her other family and get over there and be tight for money!
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
I'd suggest, given you say the mean pay is a smidge under $100k, that your husband should be seeking more towards the top end anyway. As you explain it, the responsibility is not just to do the job, but to drive a new function in the USA. Is he in a Management role, or a Technical expert?
I don't know the area well enough to comment on those aspects, but if he were to end-up around the $130k mark, you'd be looking at at $3.4k ish per two week pay period take home, after Healthcare and other benefits are removed on top of tax. That gives you a little more to play with. The biggest question is how it compares to what you live like today I guess? If you end-up swapping like for like, is the experience going to be worth it? are you seeing this as a short term 3 year approach, or a path to something longer? |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Yes they have transferred employees before, they are currently putting together a relocation package and new contract to go over with my husband but they are currently in appraisal month so its slowing things down, I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible so he doesn't go into the meeting blind if that makes sense
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
I'm unclear.
Have they actually made an offer yet? Or had a meaningful conversation? You say they want him to move...but is that the only statement so far. Nothing more from HR? I can see you're doing good research but what's coming from the employers side? |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Yes he is in a management role now, and also on the technical side of things (don't ask me too much his job goes over my head lol) At the moment we both work full time and just about survive, we can afford all bills ect and still eat out every now and again but dont earn enough to save or go on a holiday for example
I would obviously prefer to be in a better situation as we would like to travel around america whilst we are there, but i will also be at home full time with my daughter which is a huge benefit. We initially see it as a few years but if we get settled and enjoy living there we would stay indefinitely |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665412)
Yes they have transferred employees before, they are currently putting together a relocation package and new contract to go over with my husband but they are currently in appraisal month so its slowing things down, I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible so he doesn't go into the meeting blind if that makes sense
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
It is unusual in the UK ti get long holidays so travel is limited.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Georgette
(Post 12665417)
We initially see it as a few years but if we get settled and enjoy living there we would stay indefinitely
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Boiler
(Post 12665420)
It is unusual in the UK ti get long holidays so travel is limited.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 12665401)
Does that calculation allow for 5.492% VA state income tax on $100,000?
That said, your number is very close to my $5,500/mth because I assumed that health insurance is deducted in reaching "net pay". 100k salary is not ideal, but the cost of living in that area is different than in big cities like NY or LA. |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Boiler
(Post 12665420)
It is unusual in the UK ti get long holidays so travel is limited.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by Hotscot
(Post 12665414)
I'm unclear.
Have they actually made an offer yet? Or had a meaningful conversation? You say they want him to move...but is that the only statement so far. Nothing more from HR? I can see you're doing good research but what's coming from the employers side? So no, no plan set or anything yet i'm just doing lots of research as i dont want them to think we are definitely going to go and then say no, i want to have as much info as possible |
Re: Possible move to Virginia
I suggest to do a simple test. You entire monthly net pay should be close to $5,800. One third of this amount which is $1,900 can be safely used for rent expense. Check out what type of property you can rent in this area.
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Re: Possible move to Virginia
Originally Posted by christmasoompa
(Post 12665421)
In which case, make sure you get written in to his contract that they'll sponsor his 'green card'.
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