Getting everything organised

[LukeU 413]

Hey, 

 

So our interview is fast approaching and we've started discussing the remaining items that I need to sort out before my departure on 11th May (all being well):

• Ensuring Income Tax adjusted after I leave for a refund,
• Cancelling Phone/iPad contracts (probably be selling these prior to leaving),
• Cancelling Life/Car Insurance,
• Selling the remaining electronic items, donating the surplus clothes/books, 
• Organised next section of Open University,
• Double check medical documentation/records - is it worth getting my full medical history electronically to take to the USA?,
• Ensure all documentation/paperwork (Birth certificate/Change of Name Deed etc etc) all organised and safe and easily reachable,
• Last and certain not least, binning, geez binning so much stuff.

 

Is there anything major/required that any one else can think of that's needed?

 

I understand it's hugely based on the individual but required actions maybe  

 

Thankfully my fianceé is visiting just after the interview for a couple of weeks so we're going to purchase additional baggage and she'll return to the US with x2 suitcases and then I'll fly out with x2 a month later

 

Thank you in advance for any feedback and I'm aware of the post at the top regarding permanently moving to the USA, but the last post was years ago 

 

Edited February 26, 2019 by LukeU

[Wuozopo 4,285]

You don't want the phone and iPad in the US? Curious about that. 

 

Full medical records--I would say probably not unless you have some delicate medical condition that needs continued management and meds. Each new doctor you see will will have a medical history form to fill out with the "have you ever suffered from"....

. And they will want a list and dates of surgeries. But they never want to read old records. They will do new testing, blood work, scans they think are pertinent.  (Ahh...my wife reminded me her mammogram people wanted to see her previous one for comparison. She picked it up on cd from the previous hospital across the street. So have you had a mammo? Didn't think so. She said that's the first time in her long life here she was asked for actual records.)

Edited February 26, 2019 by Wuozopo

[LukeU 413]

3 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

You don't want the phone and iPad in the US? Curious about that. 

 

Full medical records--I would say probably not unless you have some delicate medical condition that needs continued management and meds. Each new doctor you see will will have a medical history form to fill out with the "have you ever suffered from"....

. And they will want a list and dates of surgeries. But they never want to read old records. They will do new testing, blood work, scans they think are pertinent.  (Ahh...my wife reminded me her mammogram people wanted to see her previous one for comparison. She picked it up on cd from the previous hospital across the street. So have you had a mammo? Didn't think so. She said that's the first time in her long life here she was asked for actual records.)

 

 

The phone is out of contract like 2-3 months before I leave (and I don't fancy keeping a UK bank account etc to pay for it), I may just pay it off and take it with me but I was looking at a new one anyways when I arrive there. I don't really have much use of a iPad any longer.

 

 

Thanks as always Wuozopo! I have not had a mammo you're correct! Perfect then seems majority of it I'm set with. 

[akfamilyjourney 77]

What wil you do with your debit/credit cards? Will you keep them open? Notify of the name change? I am a bit confused about what to do with mu accounts.

Pay off any credits you might be having.

I closed one of my credit card accounts.

Think of any direct debits.

 

Same with uk driving licence and hmrc. How will you notify them about your name/address change?

[Wuozopo 4,285]

I thought of something else.  A record of how much you earned in 2019 in the UK. Pay slips or bank deposits to help you piece together a figure for your US tax return a year from now.  Worldwide income has to be reported. Your UK income will qualify for the foreign income exclusion and won't be taxed, but they ask for the amount. No paperwork is filed as proof but it will help you to have something to go by. I half made up something that was a general guess, so maybe prepare better than I did. The IRS never questioned my figure, but you will feel better having some kind of paperwork to go by when the time comes. 

[LukeU 413]

11 minutes ago, theafons said:

What wil you do with your debit/credit cards? Will you keep them open? Notify of the name change? I am a bit confused about what to do with mu accounts.

Pay off any credits you might be having.

I closed one of my credit card accounts.

Think of any direct debits.

 

Same with uk driving licence and hmrc. How will you notify them about your name/address change?

 

Credit cards/accounts are all paid off I will close the accounts after the interview, sorry I forgot to enter that bit. 

Debit card accounts again, I'll be closing them down. 

HMRC - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-leaving-the-uk-getting-your-tax-right-p85

 

Just googled regarding the license address change and:

You only need to change the address on your UK driving licence, if you are a resident in the UK. If you live abroad, but you still have your UK driving licence, then you don't need to notify DVLA of your new address (they can't handle foreign addresses anyway). ... You'll get your new licence in 1-2 weeks.26 Aug 2014

 

5 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

I thought of something else.  A record of how much you earned in 2019 in the UK. Pay slips or bank deposits to help you piece together a figure for your US tax return a year from now.  Worldwide income has to be reported. Your UK income will qualify for the foreign income exclusion and won't be taxed, but they ask for the amount. No paperwork is filed as proof but it will help you to have something to go by. I half made up something that was a general guess, so maybe prepare better than I did. The IRS never questioned my figure, but you will feel better having some kind of paperwork to go by when the time comes. 

As I'll be leaving with x1 pay slip in 2019's Tax year this should be quite easily done. I'll print out all the ones of 2019 though thank you.

Edited February 26, 2019 by LukeU
License amendment

[Wuozopo 4,285]

As for my 10 yrs in US...

I got a refund from HMRC using the P85.

I use my mum's address when needed and she opens any important mail and informs me.

I still have my UK driving license.

I still have a UK bank account and find it very useful for many things.

i dropped my last UK credit card just two years ago because it had a yearly fee that was going up each year. 

I brought my phone with me and got a SIM card, but am several phones later now. Laptop/ phone chargers were cheaply replaced on eBay until I needed updated equipment.

I have US and UK passports, as well as both US and UK PayPal and eBay accounts. I still use both versions of all of those occasionally.

 

 

 

[LukeU 413]

2 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

As for my 10 yrs in US...

I got a refund from HMRC using the P85.

I use my mum's address when needed and she opens any important mail and informs me.

 I still have my UK driving license.

I still have a UK bank account and find it very useful for many things.

i dropped my last UK credit card just two years ago because it had a yearly fee that was going up each year. 

I brought my phone with me and got a SIM card, but am several phones later now. Laptop/ phone chargers were cheaply replaced on eBay until I needed updated equipment.

 I have US and UK passports, as well as both US and UK PayPal and eBay accounts. I still use both versions of all of those occasionally.

 

 

 

You sir are a diamond! 

I may just keep my credit card running I don't think it has a fee or it's very nominal actually. 

Thanks Wuozopo, again

[Lil bear 3,831]

17 minutes ago, LukeU said:

You sir are a diamond! 

I may just keep my credit card running I don't think it has a fee or it's very nominal actually. 

Thanks Wuozopo, again

Like other posters, I keep my Australian drivers licence, bank account ( less than 10k usd to abound FBAR filing in the US), a no fee credit card... I use a family members address as my home address and changed all needed addresses prior to leaving. Made sure I had e-access to all accounts,  records etc 

Obtained multiple copies of my birth certificate etc as getting them once overseas is more difficult 

[yuna628 9,527]

If you have a UK bank account with an ISA, drop it. But any normal bank account in the UK might be of some use. Getting the addresses changed can be a pain, depending on the bank but can be done.

Do you have any student loans? That's a big one to sort out.

Not all UK phones will work properly stateside, even with a new sim. Something to do with a lock on it. Might be worth keeping the ipad though as it should work. Other devices like laptops and even video game consoles work just fine in the US, provided you have easily purchased converter plugs.

 

Also don't forget you can still vote in UK elections while residing in the US for many years (but not forever). That process is fairly simple.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

56 minutes ago, LukeU said:

You sir are a diamond! 

I may just keep my credit card running I don't think it has a fee or it's very nominal actually. 

Thanks Wuozopo, again

Then you may want to keep a bank account to pay the credit card bill. My card was a fancy gold card with things like access to all airline clubs and such at airports. No  foreign transaction fees, etc. Just didn't use it enough for the fees so finally remembered to close it. 

 

Things I use my bank account for.  

• Getting ££ cash from the ATM when we travel. Paying for gifts we buy for family in UK. Cheaper than buying here and mailing. Amazon.co.uk is useful.
• Paying Ebay, PayPal, Amazon in UK (and formerly the credit card)
• Transferring money back and forth with relatives like when I pre-paid for things for a NYC meetup and got reimbursed. 
• Paying for rental accommodations when we go to the UK. Often get a reduced rate if I transfer cash directly to the owner of the vacation home. 
• Depositing a big check i got issued in ££ . I checked out depositing in my bank here and the cost was really expensive. So I deposited in the UK and then transferred funds here for my Mustang using Transferwise which is much less expensive and a better exchange rate.

Everybody is in a different position in life. I didn't need all my money in the US for us to get by. Younger people probably will. I've been there.

 

Concerning the comment above on FBAR. It is a yearly report of foreign bank accounts if you hold more than $10k abroad at anytime during a calendar year. I have filed it every year. It is easily done online simply telling the name, address, account number of your foreign bank and your highest balance during the year. It has nothing to do with the IRS or taxes. It is just a report to the US treasury. I think I have finally dropped below the reporting threshold and won't do it this year. It's far easier than applying for immigration benefits and doesn't cost you a penny.😂

Edited February 26, 2019 by Wuozopo

[LukeU 413]

3 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Then you may want to keep a bank account to pay the credit card bill. My card was a fancy gold card with things like access to all airline clubs and such at airports. No  foreign transaction fees, etc. Just didn't use it enough for the fees so finally remembered to close it. 

 

Things I use my bank account for.  

• Getting ££ cash from the ATM when we travel. Paying for gifts we buy for family in UK. Cheaper than buying here and mailing. Amazon.co.uk is useful.
• Paying Ebay, PayPal, Amazon in UK (and formerly the credit card)
• Transferring money back and forth with relatives like when I pre-paid for things for a NYC meetup and got reimbursed. 
• Paying for rental accommodations when we go to the UK. Often get a reduced rate if I transfer cash directly to the owner of the vacation home. 
• Depositing a big check i got issued in ££ . I checked out depositing in my bank here and the cost was really expensive. So I deposited in the UK and then transferred funds here for my Mustang using Transferwise which is much less expensive and a better exchange rate.

Everybody is in a different position in life. I didn't need all my money in the US for us to get by. Younger people probably will. I've been there.

 

Concerning the comment above on FBAR. It is a yearly report of foreign bank accounts if you hold more than $10k abroad at anytime during a calendar year. I have filed it every year. It is easily done online simply telling the name, address, account number of your foreign bank and your highest balance during the year. It has nothing to do with the IRS or taxes. It is just a report to the US treasury. I think I have finally dropped below the reporting threshold and won't do it this year. It's far easier than applying for immigration benefits and doesn't cost you a penny.😂

That's perfect thank you. 

 

 

Yeah we'll probably be swaying close to it being a welcome addition over there. I don't think for a few years we'll be hitting that mark of $10k abroad in another bank account so it should be fine. 

 

I will definitely keep my UK bank account though that's for sure, now that you've mentioned it regarding family/trips/presents and what not it definitely makes sense. Especially for presents and what not. 

 

Transferwise is something to look at for us also  

 

[Zoeeeeeee 795]

Oooh, what about your pension (if you have one)? 

 

I’m with Fidelity, who exist in the US and have confirmed my pension savings can be transferred over (which is very helpful) - so maybe worth checking with your pension company if you can do the same? Or withdraw the money?

[Zoeeeeeee 795]

You car - are you selling or scrapping it? Either way, send off the change of ownership document to the DVLA before you go...

[Meisha&Jake 869]

I kept my UK bank account open; Im with Barclay's bank & they said aslong as my account has a UK address attached to it, theres no issue keeping it open.. so I put the address as my mum's

only medical records from my GP that i brought with me was letters from specialists for a medical condition, i didnt bring every single medical record as i agree, i dont think its necessary

I also kept my iPhone; I bought myself out of my EE contract as it was due for renewal in 5 months anyways & I liked how my phone was... I got it unlocked so i could use a AT&T sim on my husband's plan

Good luck at your interview @LukeU! enjoy the day & the feeling afterwards