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| Cheap as Chips |
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Save with HI-USA Hostels!
Get a great start to your trip with HI-USA, the largest network of quality hostels in America. Receive a 10% discount on your stay of up to 14 nights*. Simply book online at www.hiusa.org and enter "TB" into the promo code box when making a booking at any of the following participating HI-USA hostel locations:
New York, Boston, Washington DC, Chicago, San Diego and
Los Angeles - Santa Monica.
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| Living Large |
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If you're still not sure where to settle down in the US, take some advice from the thousands of taxback.com customers who go to America every year - here are the top states they go to work and play and the USA:
In the summer...
New York: 28%
California: 20%
Massachusetts: 20%
Hawaii: 8%
New Jersey: 6%
Maryland: 5%
Illinois: 3%
Delaware: 2%
In the winter...
Colorado: 60%
Florida: 16%
Vermont: 8%
West Virginia: 8%
New Hampshire: 4%
Montana: 4%
The Top Five Cities
our customers go to are:
New York City, New York
Long Island, New York
San Francisco, California
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts
Licensed to Drive?
A valid driver's licence (in English) from your home country will allow you to drive in the US but it is recommended that you get an International Driver's Permit (IDP). If you want to rent a car in the US you'll need an IDP. You have to get your IDP before you leave your home country and you can get it at your local motoring association - such as the AA.
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| Culture Shock |
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Here's ten fun terms for you to learn so you'll fit in with the locals:
Barf/puke/heave
Vomit
Bombed
Intoxicated
Cut out
Leave
Do a snow job on
Deceive
Hang loose
Relax
Pop for something
Buy
Rack out
Sleep
Reem someone out
Got angry with them
Scarf
Eat quickly
Schmuck
Jerk
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| Your Space |
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Taxback.com Online!
Become a fan of taxback.com on Facebook - get your questions answered, write a comment about us and meet other like-minded travellers!
Taxback Tweets:
Why not send a quick tweet here to let your mates know about taxback.com's top tax refund and travel services.
Email us at pocketwatch@taxback.com
with your travel stories and tips and we'll put them on our website or in our next ezine.
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| Get a Great Start in the US |
Welcome to taxback.com's Pocket Watch e-zine - US edition. This electronic magazine gives you heaps of information about working and living in the US, as well as some sweet deals to help keep more cash in your pocket. Check out our Cheap as Chips section for this e-zine's specials! Enjoy your trip!
Janine Bennetts, Pocket Watch editor
If you'd like to contribute to Pocket Watch email me on
pocketwatch@taxback.com
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Lots of people who go to the US temporarily for work don't know where to start looking for a job, so we asked our some of our customers about working in the US and found that 38% organised their jobs before they got to the US.
Most found theirs online through websites such as www.craigslist.org or www.j1jobs.com; by googling jobs in the area they're heading to or by looking up the websites of retails stores they'd like to work in.
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Worked in the US Before?
If you've worked in the US before, make sure you apply to get back the tax you paid - temporary workers usually get US tax refunds of about $800!
Register online here to apply for your refund or try out our FREE tax refund calculator to see how much you could be owed.
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Top jobs taxback.com customers work in the US:
In the summer...
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Waitressing: 24%
Internships: 11%
Retail: 9%
Cleaning/maintenance: 5%
Themepark: 5%
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Food services: 11%
Tourism: 10%
Bar work: 8%
Construction: 5%
Reception: 4%
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In the winter...
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Waiter: 28%
Ski Lift Operator: 12%
Call Centre: 8%
Housekeeping: 4%
Ski Instructor: 4%
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Retail: 24%
Hotel Receptionist:12%
Valet Parking: 4%
Pre-school Teacher: 4%
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US Minimum Wage:
Federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour. Many states have their own minimum wage laws and if you're subject to both, you are entitled to the higher of the two.
The federal minimum wage rate applies in the following states: Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia.
Other popular states have the following minimum wage rates:
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California: $8.00
Delaware: $7.25
Illinois: $8.00 and will increase to $8.25 on July 1, 2010
Maryland: $7.25
New Jersey: $7.25
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Colorado: $7.28
Hawaii: $7.25
Maine: $7.50
Massachusetts: $8.00
New York: $7.25
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| Tips: If you earn tips your employer is only required to pay you $2.13 an hour in direct wages, provided that wage plus tips equals at least the federal minimum wage and that you regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips.
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First time working in America? Once you start working and earning in the US you will have to pay taxes on your earnings. Generally your employer will withhold taxes from your earnings and pay them to the government. Here are a few key tax terms you'll need to know when you start work:
Social Security Number (SSN): In the US, a social security number is a 9-digit number issued to citizens, permanent residents and temporary workers. It allows you to get a job and pay taxes. We'll need it to get your US tax back at the end of the year.
W4 Form: When you are hired for a job in the US you will have to fill out a W4 form to let your employer know how much income tax to withhold from your earnings. If the form isn't completed your tax will be set at the highest rate. You can download one from your taxback.com online account. Make sure you put your home address in your home country on your W4 form as this is the address your W2 form (see below) will get sent to in January. Or to speed up your tax refund you can put our US address (at the bottom of this email) on your W4 and your W2 will come straight to us.
W2 Form: The W2 form is the official government form that you'll receive from your employer(s) in January after the tax year ends. It shows your earnings and taxes paid for that employer. We'll need your W2 to get your tax back at the end of the year but if you lose it, we can get a replacement for you.
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ABOUT US:
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Taxback.com provides tax services to people working at home and abroad all over the world.
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- Our customers get an average tax refund of $800 from the US.
- If you're a non-resident such as a J1 visa holder in the US and you earn more than $3650 in 2009 or 2010 you are required by US tax law to file a tax return.
- If you don't file a tax return it might affect your ability to get a visa in the future.
We have lots of innovative services that make getting your US tax back fast and stress-free. One of our most popular is our online tracking system which allows you to follow the step-by-step process of your tax return. You can also update your personal and employment details while you're away to make the process even easier. You should have received your online tracking account from us by email recently so log on and check out the online system. If you haven't received yours Chat Live online with our staff today to organise getting one.
Visit www.taxback.com for more information
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