US salary
Dec 23rd 2019, 10:07 pm
#31
DE-UK-NZ-IE-US... the TYP
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,854
Re: US salary
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small...-recordkeeping
but with the SALT cap and higher standard deductible raised the previous “renters penalty” has been minimized.
Dec 30th 2019, 2:35 pm
#32
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 30
Re: US salary
Where abouts are you looking to move to ? like mentioned above the rent price seems quite high unless its in California and possible LA or San fransico area .
Does he get medical with his company ? does his medical not cover the family ? he would be able to add you on for a cost which i expect is 800-1000 a month,but if your planning on working soon then you should be able to find a job which pays your medical and can reduce the cost.
I don't think you will be able to lease cars when you get here due to no credit , The US is very credit heavy with lending . In my experience I don't think you will get credit for 2 cars , if you do they % will be extreme .
If you can open Bank accounts straight away , he can apply for social security and you can apply for your social security when you apply for your EAD form to work , (there is a cost to apply for this so be prepared to pay )
Find a local school you want your kids to attend , ask if they have space and then try find something in that area to rent. You can either rent a place and use the nearby schools which might not be the best or find the best school and rent as close as possible to be in the catchment area.
we are reaching our 4th month here in the US and its been pretty good , If you need any help with getting settled let me know as I have just done most of it
Ryan
Does he get medical with his company ? does his medical not cover the family ? he would be able to add you on for a cost which i expect is 800-1000 a month,but if your planning on working soon then you should be able to find a job which pays your medical and can reduce the cost.
I don't think you will be able to lease cars when you get here due to no credit , The US is very credit heavy with lending . In my experience I don't think you will get credit for 2 cars , if you do they % will be extreme .
If you can open Bank accounts straight away , he can apply for social security and you can apply for your social security when you apply for your EAD form to work , (there is a cost to apply for this so be prepared to pay )
Find a local school you want your kids to attend , ask if they have space and then try find something in that area to rent. You can either rent a place and use the nearby schools which might not be the best or find the best school and rent as close as possible to be in the catchment area.
we are reaching our 4th month here in the US and its been pretty good , If you need any help with getting settled let me know as I have just done most of it
Ryan
We are in the last year hopefully of waiting on our F3 visa becoming current the 2nd chart is currently sitting at 8 months, so fingers crossed lol
Anyways, l have just joined this page as we have been trying to research things like schools, houses, pets etc...
I would love to ask you some questions if you have the time to answer, l could private message you if thats possible on here or i could email you..?
Thanks
Brendan
Dec 30th 2019, 2:38 pm
#33
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 55
Re: US salary
Morning , yeah no problem. Send me a dm
ryan
ryan
Dec 30th 2019, 2:43 pm
#34
Deep in the woods of CT
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 7,002
Re: US salary
Hi Ryan,
We are in the last year hopefully of waiting on our F3 visa becoming current the 2nd chart is currently sitting at 8 months, so fingers crossed lol
Anyways, l have just joined this page as we have been trying to research things like schools, houses, pets etc...
I would love to ask you some questions if you have the time to answer, l could private message you if thats possible on here or i could email you..?
Thanks
Brendan
We are in the last year hopefully of waiting on our F3 visa becoming current the 2nd chart is currently sitting at 8 months, so fingers crossed lol
Anyways, l have just joined this page as we have been trying to research things like schools, houses, pets etc...
I would love to ask you some questions if you have the time to answer, l could private message you if thats possible on here or i could email you..?
Thanks
Brendan
Dec 30th 2019, 2:51 pm
#35
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 30
Re: US salary
Thanks, l did email you but someone else has suggested starting a new thread, maybe thats best rather than specifically bothering you lol
I would really appreciate any input you have as you have just went through the process.
Thanks
Brendan
I would really appreciate any input you have as you have just went through the process.
Thanks
Brendan
Dec 30th 2019, 2:52 pm
#36
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 30
Re: US salary
Thanks
Brendan
Dec 30th 2019, 8:21 pm
#37
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 670
Re: US salary
I think the real difference (as it is most places around the world) is, are you living in the rural areas or suburbs or right in the city, this impacts rent and house prices a lot, as well as the overall desirability of the area. $4K could be high but it might also fall very short in the city, I give a concrete example above to set the scene.
the OP really needs to look online at the locations they are interested in and go from there. Luckily most things like this can be done online in advance, not much need to guess. USA is big and prices vary a lot, as always, location matters!
Dec 30th 2019, 9:18 pm
#38
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: US salary
High? Sounds potentially too low to me, it really depends where but for example here in NYC (not even central manhattan, but just humble brooklyn) you might not even find a 1 bed for that in some areas, I assume at least a 2 bed is needed, in our building they are at least 50% higher than that, and that’s not CA or the priciest of areas.
I think the real difference (as it is most places around the world) is, are you living in the rural areas or suburbs or right in the city, this impacts rent and house prices a lot, as well as the overall desirability of the area. $4K could be high but it might also fall very short in the city, I give a concrete example above to set the scene.
the OP really needs to look online at the locations they are interested in and go from there. Luckily most things like this can be done online in advance, not much need to guess. USA is big and prices vary a lot, as always, location matters!
I think the real difference (as it is most places around the world) is, are you living in the rural areas or suburbs or right in the city, this impacts rent and house prices a lot, as well as the overall desirability of the area. $4K could be high but it might also fall very short in the city, I give a concrete example above to set the scene.
the OP really needs to look online at the locations they are interested in and go from there. Luckily most things like this can be done online in advance, not much need to guess. USA is big and prices vary a lot, as always, location matters!
Jan 2nd 2020, 6:45 pm
#39
The Hamburgler Incarnate!
Joined: Aug 2014
Location: Quakertown, PA
Posts: 56
Re: US salary
I rent in PA. i don't pay property tax. OP mentioned tax for schools, etc. I think they are referring to the township/local government tax that is deducted from your paycheck. In PA I pay federal, state and township tax. I live in a really good school district so the local tax is high... i don't have kids here so really should look at moving! 
Jan 6th 2020, 4:53 pm
#40
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,439
Re: US salary
Healthcare looks to be approx $300 every 2 weeks then with a 10% co pay on top (is this good or bad?) it’s blue cross blue shield.
2 adults 2 kids. Rent looks to be $3000-$4000 pcm without property taxes. We will need to buy 2 cars when we get out there.
The offer is $135k with car allowance on top. Housing looks very expensive! I thought our house in the South East of the UK was expensive!
2 adults 2 kids. Rent looks to be $3000-$4000 pcm without property taxes. We will need to buy 2 cars when we get out there.
The offer is $135k with car allowance on top. Housing looks very expensive! I thought our house in the South East of the UK was expensive!
You said that the offer is a "pay increase", but how did you determine that? You have already been given some good advice on checking the market rate for the job in the US, not just exchanging the currency, but even looking at the salary level in isolation you should bear in mind that Sterling is currently depressed, so using the current USD/GBP exchange rate of $1.30 is not going to give you a realistic figure, any more than using $2/£1 back in 2007 would have done. The long term average over the past 35 years or so is around $1.60, so using that rate would give you a more meaningful comparison.
The matter of health insurance is a huge topic worthy of a separate thread as there are likely some choices you will have to make that will dramatically affect the cost of health insurance, as well as your tax bill (some costs can be tax deductible if you make the logical choices). Suffice to say that IMO many Americans are massively over-insured and would be significantly better off, like several $'000's/year better off, paying for basic doctor's visits and basic medications out of pocket, and then having medical insurance as a safety net for significant illnesses and catastrophic injuries - this is called "high deductible insurance", and saved us about 80% on the premium cost, and the savings we have been mostly able to salt away tax free, on a similar basis as contributions to a UK private pension.
Jan 12th 2020, 10:09 am
#41
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 13
Re: US salary
Some things to consider. If you're working in MA but living in NH, you still have to file MA taxes. It makes things more complicated.
No income tax in NH, but they make up for it in high property tax. It's reflected in the rent. The $3-4K would be for a house. Can get the same for less if you're outside the I-495 ring in MA, but also, if you don't have kids and only need an apartment, you'd pay less.
In MA, you will have a annual excise/property tax on each car, it's also the case on leases, so factor that cost in and high insurance rates. NH, have tolls everywhere and they like to hit people with speeding tickets...They might be the "Live Free and Die" state, but they don't really live up to the free bit. Don't know about NH, but you have 30 days to get a MA license, which can be difficult getting a time spot depending on location, but using a driving school will help as they tend to get block times. Don't under estimate the cost of car insurance. In MA, you can get a discount for short commutes, under 3K and 5K a year, you also get discounts for having off street parking at home/work and another for covered parking, also if you are further away from NH because NH does not require car insurance though they do need it to drive out of state and they in fact have a higher rate of insured drivers compared to NH but there you go.
If you are driving into Boston daily, having a lease might not be great. It will be inevitable that the car will get dinged or a bumper scraped and many leases have clauses for such damage. Higher rate leases gives you some exceptions to certain dings. They tend to like having new tyres by certain brand/makes on return etc, which adds to the cost of ownership. Plus buying new is a good way to building up credit history.
Commute times can be horrendous in MA, so definitely consider where you will be working and what kind of time you fancy for a commute.
Medical insurance. If you live in NH, you need to see what the in-network cover is for the policy. If the network is limited there, then it might be useless. Blue Cross, have many different policies with different levels of what they consider in-work so you need to understand that.
Due to no credit history, be prepared to put down a down payment on all your utilities, can range from $50-600 and be happy if you aren't asked. If in MA and are looking for a house to rent, be prepared to offer more for a down payment as first/last plus 1-3 months worth of rent is standard to sign the lease and it's quite competitive in many towns. Don't neglect the cost of heating/cooling a house, as oil is expensive and natural gas quite decent for heat, but a newer house will save a lot of money compared to a old one, so heating can be $100-600 a month depending on all the variables and similar for cooling in the summer. Technically in MA, a landlord is supposed to be responsible for the cost of clearing snow from the driveway and pathways to a house. It is nearly never actually covered by the landlord in practice, unless there's a shared driveway, so be prepared to do that yourself or pay someone to do it and that can be $50-300 a go, really depends on local market and size of your lot.
It is not cheap to live in MA.
No income tax in NH, but they make up for it in high property tax. It's reflected in the rent. The $3-4K would be for a house. Can get the same for less if you're outside the I-495 ring in MA, but also, if you don't have kids and only need an apartment, you'd pay less.
In MA, you will have a annual excise/property tax on each car, it's also the case on leases, so factor that cost in and high insurance rates. NH, have tolls everywhere and they like to hit people with speeding tickets...They might be the "Live Free and Die" state, but they don't really live up to the free bit. Don't know about NH, but you have 30 days to get a MA license, which can be difficult getting a time spot depending on location, but using a driving school will help as they tend to get block times. Don't under estimate the cost of car insurance. In MA, you can get a discount for short commutes, under 3K and 5K a year, you also get discounts for having off street parking at home/work and another for covered parking, also if you are further away from NH because NH does not require car insurance though they do need it to drive out of state and they in fact have a higher rate of insured drivers compared to NH but there you go.
If you are driving into Boston daily, having a lease might not be great. It will be inevitable that the car will get dinged or a bumper scraped and many leases have clauses for such damage. Higher rate leases gives you some exceptions to certain dings. They tend to like having new tyres by certain brand/makes on return etc, which adds to the cost of ownership. Plus buying new is a good way to building up credit history.
Commute times can be horrendous in MA, so definitely consider where you will be working and what kind of time you fancy for a commute.
Medical insurance. If you live in NH, you need to see what the in-network cover is for the policy. If the network is limited there, then it might be useless. Blue Cross, have many different policies with different levels of what they consider in-work so you need to understand that.
Due to no credit history, be prepared to put down a down payment on all your utilities, can range from $50-600 and be happy if you aren't asked. If in MA and are looking for a house to rent, be prepared to offer more for a down payment as first/last plus 1-3 months worth of rent is standard to sign the lease and it's quite competitive in many towns. Don't neglect the cost of heating/cooling a house, as oil is expensive and natural gas quite decent for heat, but a newer house will save a lot of money compared to a old one, so heating can be $100-600 a month depending on all the variables and similar for cooling in the summer. Technically in MA, a landlord is supposed to be responsible for the cost of clearing snow from the driveway and pathways to a house. It is nearly never actually covered by the landlord in practice, unless there's a shared driveway, so be prepared to do that yourself or pay someone to do it and that can be $50-300 a go, really depends on local market and size of your lot.
It is not cheap to live in MA.
Jan 12th 2020, 10:48 am
#42
Just Joined
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 13
Re: US salary
We moved from Chichester in 2018, lived in NH for 6 months, now in MA. I work in NH, my wife in MA. We have 1 child in preschool. It's been worth the transition for us, in UK we rented a tiny flat near the city, now we own a 4 bed detached house in a more rural area with excellent schools. I used LendBuzz to finance a used car from CarMax, and Amex gave me plenty of credit based on my UK Amex account. My wife rides the T from Lowell to Boston, it's a long commute but she gets stuff done on the train. We both work from home several times a week. We are earning jointly about $250k, compared with about £100k before we left. It feels like we're much better off over here, but we are working a lot harder too, our jobs more stressful and the house takes a fair amount of time and effort to look after. We will be upgrading our snow blower next year! My wife is dual citizen so already had good credit, if she wasn't there no doubt we'd be renting instead but our monthly housing payment is at the lower end of your range. Feel free to PM any questions!
Last edited by khris; Jan 12th 2020 at 11:07 am.
Jan 18th 2020, 1:59 pm
#43
I approved this message
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,425
Re: US salary
As a former MA resident and someone who's brother currently lives inside of 495, I'd say $135 for a family of four is possible but tight. Used cars, basic housing, no eating out, no vacations. You'll likely want a town with good schools which will add significantly to the expense. The Boston area is one of the most expensive in the country: think of it as a Silicon Valley East and you're on the right track.
To answer your other question, if the BCBS health insurance you're being offered has a PPO option (look up the differences between HMO and PPO), it's expensive but very good. IMO, PPO policies are the gold standard of US healthcare insurance. I have BCBS PPO coverage with every option turned on through my employer that covers me and my family of four. We are all very happy with this coverage. I've got access to all of the best specialists, non of the "you must go through your PCP and get a referral" frustration, very low co-pays and no hassle on getting in to see any doctor or filling any prescription. Of course, I pay dearly for this and my employer subsidy is also large. You get what you pay for.
To answer your other question, if the BCBS health insurance you're being offered has a PPO option (look up the differences between HMO and PPO), it's expensive but very good. IMO, PPO policies are the gold standard of US healthcare insurance. I have BCBS PPO coverage with every option turned on through my employer that covers me and my family of four. We are all very happy with this coverage. I've got access to all of the best specialists, non of the "you must go through your PCP and get a referral" frustration, very low co-pays and no hassle on getting in to see any doctor or filling any prescription. Of course, I pay dearly for this and my employer subsidy is also large. You get what you pay for.
