od6600

Thanks everyone, lots of useful stuff here.

Good point about deposits; will have to budget for them too.


I'll be allowed to buy into the employer's scheme which is $250 pcm for the family with minimal overheads; I think this is pretty good though waiting to hear how they deal with pre-existing illness.

I'm on/going to be on a J1 visa which I think means I'm non-resident and should only have to pay tax in the UK. I take your point about getting good advice but I've struggled so far to find much guidance as most experience seems to be on outright emigration rather than temporary moves.

Driving test- I'm too old for that! Will start reading up now and will somehow find a way to break the news to my Wife... Thanks for the links Taffie, I'll start exploring now. (Hope you enjoyed this week's Rugby too!)

od6600

So I'm talking crap and meant non-immigrant... Really need to find an accountant who can handle all this sort of stuff soon. Only 2 months till we move and have managed to organise precisely nothing so far.

Duncan Roberts

A J-1 only exempts you from certain taxes like social security and medicare, it doesn't exempt you from federal, state and city taxes. I'm guessing you wont be earning enough to be double taxed but it's better to check and see. On a side note, you would probably be better off being paid in dollars in the US because being on the J-1 you will be taxed less and you wont have the hassle of money conversion which over the course of the year will add up and will fluctuate based on the exchange rate.

On the healthcare side. If you really can buy into the companies policy then you will be covered for pre-existing conditions since you have NHS coverage and can use the last 12 months (or 18 months) of coverage to credit against any pre-existing condition exclusions. I would also double check about the actual coverage, $250 per months sounds very cheap for a family plan with little overheads. Unless it's being heavily subsidized (like 75%) or that figure is bi-weekly (which is normal) then you may find that you will actually be paying a lot more than you expect in health expenses.

od6600

Just called the IRS who told me i'm exempt from everything, as I was neither a citizen, nor resident alien; seems too good to be true really. I might call back and double check and this time take a name for record.
Sadly being paid in dollars isn't an option so I'm going to have to find a US bank who will give me an account without a SSN and I'll do my forex with XE.

AddyLaddy

I worked in NM for a year on a B1 (and later J1) visa (no SSN etc) and was paid only in the UK where I continued to pay full taxes. I was surprised to then receive a tax bill for over $17000 (Fed and State) on my return to the UK. This was covered by the double taxation treaty, so I eventually got refunds back in the UK (my company accountants filed all the paperwork for me for 2 years in both the UK and USA).

So be warned you will probably have to pay the tax bill in the USA after your return. I would seek professional advice on this whole area.

Bob

You aren't required to have a SSN to open a bank account, so just ask to speak to a supervisor.

They only need to have a copy of something that identifies you, so your passport is good enough.