Tesco

1 hour ago, Melancholic Mage said:

 

Thank you @SL2024. It's nice to know my efforts aren't entirely wasted. We are saving for our own home and don't have ownership over bills where we are, hence our personal circumstances being more complicated than others and older folks on here quick to judge. I'm sure we're not the only ones reliant on kind family as a stopgap. 

 

In the end, in the mess of everything, it turns out we didn't pay our fee for my green card when we thought we did. USCIS sent us a payment notice, and it was the proof of address we absolutely needed to get everything rolling. We have a joint bank account now, I now have a State ID, and I've passed through my US driving theory yesterday all off the back of it. Mistakes into miracles. 

 

I would suggest anyone in a similar position getting set up this way not to pay the green card fee until a notice is sent. It doesn't even delay the green card, which I also now have. 

 

Regarding HMRC I reported not having my P45 and explained why. They will ask at the end of the form if you go through it online regardless of the warnings. It took some time and an error on their part making me resubmit the form again, but I got a message on my online account a few days ago saying the tax has been calculated and they owe me half a grand. They should be sending a cheque in the post. (Here or within the UK remains to be seen.)

 

It all got sorted out in the end. But they didn't make it easy. What happened with my employer refusing to give me my paperwork, who's to say. I can't say I care anymore. 

Another superb update, thank you! All very useful information …

59 minutes ago, jons_wifey said:

Parents got their interview scheduled for Feb 5 next year.

What date is acceptable to do the medical - is that decided upon Knightsbridge? i.e i read 5 days PRIOR to the interview, so can they not have it any earlier than 5 days before the interview?

Visa medical will let you know the earliest date. Got mine a week and two days before the interview. The minimum was 7 days. So if you had a Wednesday interview for example, the earliest would be the previous Wednesday for medical.

Trying to reschedule an interview today. I see that the appointment website is down though.

23 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Curious as to why you are trying to schedule your own interview?

Cancelled the first, now rescheduling.

Trying to book an IR1 appointment for January, but on the U.S. Embassy website there are no appointments at all showing. Only 10th /12th December are available. Is it perhaps due to the new year, as in the past there’s usually 4 to 6 weeks of appointments showing to book.

Thanks in advance.

All standard with APIS data being captured and transferred to CBP at check in. Nothing to worry about.

Just awaiting January appointments to come

Online. Then to sale the house and make the move. Hopefully it will be sold quickly!

Good luck with the move -)

If you use a CPA they may question your address change for your 2024 IRS tax return, especially if you file jointly. By far the easiest option is to just have your post forwarded. Any U.S. employer will have no interest or understanding of a P45. Ultimately just sign up for an HMRC account and view income and deductions.

Pleased that you’re getting somewhere with this now. The P45 really shows earnings from April 6th and the final tax code and tax paid. Do you have an HMRC account? Handy for this sort of thing, as it’s in real time with your employer, so all up to date earning etc will be documented. I understand you wanted to get this sorted ASAP so you can then ascertain how much you can transfer to the U.S. 

hope your are starting to find your feet and settle. Oh btw,  it’s the December 31st exchange rate used for form FinCEN114. You may use the average exchange rate for uk sourced income, or the spot rate for the day if a single transaction. 

SRT stands for Statutory Residency Test. It’s a series of tests HMRC makes to consider if you are still UK resident for taxation. For example if you work outside the UK for an average of 35 hours a week, then you’re a non UK resident straight away. You’ll only then be taxed on UK income. MFJ means Married filling Jointly, your US husband will know what to do with the annual 1040

As for FinCEN114, if all your assets are over $10k, then you need to file. Pensions are a little murky, but generally if a private pension then it’s reportable. Company pensions are not held in your name and therefore not normally reportable. Hope this helps and that

you’re settling in ok…

As an employee, your former employer is obliged to send you a P45, (3 parts). This can be emailed to you, (password protected) soon after your final payment. You should be able to do a rough estimate of your tax liability from worldwide income to the date your left the UK, (providing you meet HMRC's SRT as a non resident). Your UK earnings will have no impact on the IRS return for 2024, as you only became a 'U.S. Person' on arrival, (unless you voluntarily opted to file MFJ with your U.S Spouse). As such however, you now declare your worldwide income to Uncle Sam, to include FinCEN114 if you hold more than $10,000 outside the U.S, even for a day (simple form).

9 minutes ago, Melancholic Mage said:

Thanks for that, all makes sense. Do pension amounts above £10k need filing as well? I plan to empty two of my accounts but given this I'm wondering if it's best to close them now to avoid the paperwork. I'll never keep £10k in them let alone more than that, however. It's all meant to be spare chump change incase I need it in future back in Blighty. 

 

I do have over £10k but that is all going to be transferred to my husband: probably once I land in the US. I imagine at that point it's fine since it's in a monitored US account. His family don't use accountants and manage to file their finances without issue so I'm sure I can too, immigrant or no. We got through the mess of immigration forms and filing alone so confident we'll be okay. 

 

Just when I think I have things prepared in my head though I hear things I didn't at all consider. Thank you for all the info. 

These forms can catch people out. The fines and penalties for failure to file can be life changing. The rule of thumb is if you have a total of under $10k in non US assts then you’re fine. Yes this does include pension funds owned by you. If you have any trusts then your file form 3520, (complicated and beyond the scope of this topic). Not sure of your age, but the pension funds grow tax deferred. Don’t take an HMRC hit for nothing.

Absolutely astonishing, thank you very much!

The US authorities will need you to report any foreign bank accounts on an annual basis. Take a look at those forms I mentioned, (you can Google them). You US accountant will know what to do though. Once a UK bank knows you’re a US resident, the balances are reported to the IRS. The Treasury form is straight forward, and is only needed if you have over $10,000 in non US bank deposits or retirement savings.

11 minutes ago, Melancholic Mage said:

Thanks for all the tips.

 

As it stands my one-way flight is booked for October 1st. It's coming up fast!

 

I have one online bank account with Starling, then two accounts with NatWest which I've had since I was young. I mulled over all options and ultimately something @OldUser said in another thread resonated with me. 'Don't burn any bridges.'

 

I've downgraded my accounts to ensure they're fee free but ultimately I've decided I'm going to let them sit there. Most of my transactions should I need to make them will be with Starling, and my NatWest accounts which hold the majority of my life's savings will be used to finalize any outstanding payments. Then I'm going to move over all my money to Wise, then from Wise, to my husband.

 

It's a tad messy and in the future I may close the accounts for good if the banks don't wise up and do it themselves, but it's good to have them as options for now. I appreciate all the advice though and admit I was tempted to just shut down shop entirely with everything in the UK. But it's proving more a headache than I thought so...

 

When I transfer via Wise I'll let you all know how that goes. Right now though I'm stuck in financial limbo.

Wishing you well for next Tuesday, will be here before you know it! Keeping UK accounts is best, as you’ll not be able to open another in the future as a UK non resident. The banks will report you to the IRS under FACA, once you become a US resident. (They cross reference with Treasury form FinCEN114 and IRS form 8938, (if threshold exceed)). Your CPA will know what to do when you file your 1040 for 2024.

On 9/20/2024 at 8:57 PM, Big Papa Zone said:

Been reading this thread, I'm curious - is there any reason a 3rd party transfer company needs to be used at all? Can't you simply transfer money from the UK bank account to the US bank account? That's what I do.🤔

It’s easy to transfer from your UK bank to the US, but not visa versa. To transfer from a US account the UK, you must present yourself before the banking officer at a local branch and then they will set up the ‘wire’ it’s a bit like banking of the 1980’s (have a well know major US bank too). Wise uses peer to peer transfer, so no international transaction per se. If you transfer from your UK account to the US with Wise for example, then the funds are simply credited to you from their US bank to your own, (same in reverse). Credits to the UK are made within seconds, to the US about a day. It uses ACH, so once set up it’s a dream to use. For international banking, I’ve found Wise to be invaluable. Another important note is the massive savings with exchange rate and fees against traditional banks.

Some network providers block their app from overseas. If you can do it from your CC or Debit Card that would circumvent. Be carful and check their T&C’s with regards the time period to make and receive a text or phone call. It can catch you out, (as it did me). You then loose your number. So make sure you use the number and make a note on your calendar to do so. We loose much more then just a number, WhatsApp authentication, MFA etc.

Think about getting a Sim only contract, they’re very inexpensive. You can then have MFA for your UK banking and other apps. Change to a local relatives address as they won’t allow you to have a contract with a Stateside address.

We’re both in the UK. House sell stalled,(really want it sold first) and job pushed back. All these little things that add to the move! As it’s over 6 months out, didn’t want the chance of the process timing out.

Had to push back to the Spring sadly…

Have a look at Norse Airlines, (used to be called Norwegian). Flying from London Gatwick to several U.S. hubs. I see one into Orlando for around £180, although I did see one for £80 the other day! Aer Lingus have good prices with the actual U.S. POE being Dublin, then an internal onward flight.

1 hour ago, tunaqueen25 said:

i suppose - but what’s pricier, a last minute ticket or a refundable that’s further out 😅

It depends on the cabin, (Y Class). If you’re going to fly a cheap no frills airline, then often fares will remain constant. Depending where your final POE will be, some flights are as low as £80.

Best to only make travel plans once you’ve actually secured your visa. If something went wrong, (denied/delayed), then you’ve not gone to the expense of purchasing a more expensive refundable ticket. 

Best to have a good understanding of SRT and the 16 day rule. Also form R43, SA106. Don’t get caught that you pay to the UK, tax on US earnings also. This would

lead to the filing of IRS form 1116, (not for the faint hearted).