[Curtis Rutland]

Hmm. I did not know that. Learn something new every day.

[xclite]

Most people don't realize that - I mean like discussed it would suck if getting paid more actually resulted in a decrease in your income.

[lordofduct]

That's why it's called 'tiered brackets'.

Though I will admit it's not like it's impossible for your 'take home' to drop. Which technically could happen because the projections made for your W2 follow a different algorithm to 'estimate' over the entire year.

But usually in this case 1 of 2 things occurs.

1) there is a low chance of actually falling into these small cracks

2) most accountants in your payment dept would highlight to your employer any possibilities of this occurring before selecting your actual pay raise. So unless you have a shitty employer/accountant in your office... (keep in mind more taxes you pay means more taxes your employer pays, so yes accountants try to optimize raises)


These minor cases really only occur in small changes in pay and only when you're hopping an estimated bracket line. And I mean like 200 a year raises when you're right on the tax bracket fence... That's like a 8 cent/hour raise. Where do you work, McDonalds!? I think you have bigger worries if you're just now crossing into the 2nd tax bracket, which ended up costing you 3 cents a week.



I'd be more concerned about state taxes. For example Florida may pay programmers less than Cali, DC, and New York. But Florida has ZERO state tax, no emissions, and a relatively average cost of living. And you're always 10 minutes from the beach. WIN!

This post has been edited by lordofduct: 23 May 2011 - 12:00 PM

[hookiethe1]

Win indeed. I'd rather live comfortably in a nice place for 50k, than somewhere I hated with nothing good to do for 100k.

[Curtis Rutland]

lordofduct, on 23 May 2011 - 01:41 PM, said:

Florida has ZERO state tax

I think they have a sales tax. But I'm just being pedantic.

[lordofduct]

yes we have a sales tax

we were in the context of income tax so I was referring to that. So for those who may have gotten confused, yes I was not referring to sales tax.

And the sales tax isn't that bad. 6% plus possible local city taxes. Here in Palm Beach county it's 6.5.

This post has been edited by lordofduct: 23 May 2011 - 01:25 PM

[Curtis Rutland]

I just like being "that guy" sometimes.

[lordofduct]

My biggest selling point for Florida (and namely South Florida because it has been invading the likes of the panhandle). We have a very low meth pandemic here... I think the blues and blow keep the meth at bay.

This post has been edited by lordofduct: 23 May 2011 - 01:29 PM

[Curtis Rutland]

Well, I would give you some meth stats about my area, but I honestly don't know any. I'm fairly certain meth isn't that big of a problem in South Texas. Then again...how the hell would I even know? I do know my brother's friend recently ruined his life over it, but he's a kid, like 19.

If you don't mind the (very) warm weather, South Texas is great. Very cheap cost of living, very cheap gas, very cheap housing. Great food (Tex Mex is the best). Also, business taxes are very low, so lots of businesses base themselves here.

[Topher84]

If you want another reference, people in my graduating graduate class have been offered ~$62k per year WITH a M.S. in NE TN.

Average household income here is ~$30k per year

This post has been edited by Topher84: 25 May 2011 - 05:23 PM

[KYA]

Baltimore/DC Area starting salaries for a CS major [undergrad] have ranged [in the last two years] from ~50-65k depending on whether you're government or private sector.

Boise, ID is ~63k private sector

[Topher84]

KYA, on 25 May 2011 - 07:08 PM, said:

Baltimore/DC Area starting salaries for a CS major have ranged [in the last two years] from ~50-65k depending on whether you're government or private sector.

Boise, ID is ~63k private sector

50-65k in DC is complete garbage. How would you ever save anything on that living there?
as a comparison, what people got out of my class this year is equal to $100,850 in DC. I'd tell them to either come up with some real money or go away.

This post has been edited by Topher84: 25 May 2011 - 06:41 PM

[baavgai]

It's honestly hard to gage the relative costs of locales. The costs that vary wildly by location are property values and taxes. Everything else is on a gentler curve. Some day to day expenses, like certain groceries, are pretty standard no matter where you are.

Where I am, property is obscene. However, certain staples and even gas, are cheaper due to how supply lines work.

[KYA]

Topher84, on 25 May 2011 - 07:40 PM, said:

50-65k in DC is complete garbage. How would you ever save anything on that living there?
as a comparison, what people got out of my class this year is equal to $100,850 in DC. I'd tell them to either come up with some real money or go away.

Didn't you just finish a master's degree? My post was referencing recent undergrad graduates.

[xclite]

Even somebody with a B.S. can easily net 80k or more in DC. I'm considering making the switch to a position up there and remaining in my current location just for the pay raise. Loans aren't cheap!