# Is it enough in US for expat?



## Abu_Anas (May 2, 2011)

Hi American Expats,

My brother has received an offer from a petroleum company in West Virginia to be Site Supervisor. He is single and holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and experienced in the oil & gas industry.

The package includes:

Basic Salary: $ 8,000.00
House Rent Allowances: $ 1,200.00
Medical Allowances: $ 400.00
Conveyance Allowances: $ 600.00
Other Allowances: $ 200.00
Leave Salary: $ 800.00
*Total Pay (Per month): $ 11,200.00*

Is it enough? How are the income taxes?

Thx


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## tcscivic12 (Jul 2, 2008)

Abu_Anas said:


> Hi American Expats,
> 
> My brother has received an offer from a petroleum company in West Virginia to be Site Supervisor. He is single and holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and experienced in the oil & gas industry.
> 
> ...


That amount is more than enough to live in the US.


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## philobert (Apr 9, 2011)

Abu_Anas said:


> Hi American Expats,
> 
> My brother has received an offer from a petroleum company in West Virginia to be Site Supervisor. He is single and holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and experienced in the oil & gas industry.
> 
> ...


these amounts prolly put him the top 10% of all wage earners in the US.

Wish i could get a job like that!

phil


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## Jen114 (Mar 5, 2011)

Nice one!!!!


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Abu_Anas said:


> Hi American Expats,
> 
> My brother has received an offer from a petroleum company in West Virginia to be Site Supervisor. He is single and holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering and experienced in the oil & gas industry.
> 
> ...


Let's take this apart.
Basic 8k is nice minus 1/3 taxes
Are benefits grossed up or will he have to pay tax on them?
Rental 1.2k - Depending on where in WV it will not cover rent/utilities/deposits
Medical 400 - does the company not cover medical/disability/life insurance? If not - it will not be enough to purchase coverage in line of work.
Conveyance 600 - It will not cover a rental car. He will have to purchase/register/insure and upkeep a vehicle. For at least he first year or two he will be upside down.
Other - is it a flat rate or reimburseable expenses?
Leave 800 - a nice perk 

11.2k minus roughly 1/3 brings him down to 7.7k
Medical coverage - no info yet. How about vacation/sick days; not to mention 60hr weeks. Paid round trip tickets. Household move both ways. 401k. Running insurances/retirements benefits in the UK. House/vehicle in the UK. Employment contracts in WV are considered "at will". 

Philobert
This is a long way from top 10%.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

twostep said:


> This is a long way from top 10%.


Frightening thought -- but seems about right even with these outdated figures.
Household income in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## philobert (Apr 9, 2011)

> Philobert
> This is a long way from top 10%.


well I looked it up and according to a couple of semi-serious looking web pages on such (university studies) those with incomes over $100k are 15% of americans, i rounded it up a bit for the $134k stated, it's more likely to be in the top 7%-8%.

easy


fyi 

phil


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Fatbrit said:


> Frightening thought -- but seems about right even with these outdated figures.
> Household income in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


 I may have left Corporate America but keep up with what is going on in my old world. a) the numbers are outdated b) they are based on base pay c) would you want to move to the Realm of Duelling Banjos and if so for how much:>)


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

twostep said:


> I may have left Corporate America but keep up with what is going on in my old world. a) the numbers are outdated b) they are based on base pay c) would you want to move to the Realm of Duelling Banjos and if so for how much:>)


If anything, I'd guess pay for the middle and the bottom has probably gone down since the boom years.


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## Britangel (May 16, 2011)

That is more than enough for West Virginia. Keep in mind West Virginia is different from Virginia (kind of like night and day) but yes you'll do just fine


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## philobert (Apr 9, 2011)

Britangel said:


> That is more than enough for West Virginia. Keep in mind West Virginia is different from Virginia (kind of like night and day) but yes you'll do just fine


maybe more like afternoon and evening.

not quite like the diff 'tween LA and Queens....





phil


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## Abu_Anas (May 2, 2011)

Thanks a lot for your advices.
I need to know if the US income tax will be applied to the whole package or only the basic salary?


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Abu_Anas said:


> Thanks a lot for your advices.
> I need to know if the US income tax will be applied to the whole package or only the basic salary?


??? State/Federal, Social Security, unemployment - the whole kid and kaboodle will be taxes. Should he get a sign on bonus it will probably fall into 40-50%.
irs.gov


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