Has anybody worked out of state on a non-contract (permanent) job?

[lilcoop03]

Looking for experiences from people who have worked out of state..

I am looking at a job near Charlotte, NC but live in upstate SC about 2.5 hrs away.

I would come home on the weekends and stay in Charlotte during the week..

My main questions are:

Did you rent a place?
Buy a second home there?
What kind of tax deductions/incentives did you get, etc?

I don't know if the company will give me an allowance for living expenses yet or not. For the sake of this topic, lets assume they don't. I am trying not to move my family (yet) because my wife has a year left in nursing school. I hate the thought of wasting money on rent, so maybe buy a small place to live in while in the area then rent it out and buy my family a place we really want in 2-3 years if we decide to relocate? I really love where we live now and would prefer SC to stay our home either way if possible.

Thanks

 

[lilcoop03]

Wow, tough crowd. Surprised nobody has any experience with this to share..

 

[CompOrange04GT]

Done it multiple times. North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico.

Told them “ you pay 6 months of living expenses if you want me to move “

Fortunately ND, and Wyoming was less than a 6 month stay. Colorado I ended up staying for 2 years, New Mexico was 6 years.

I basically used the 6 months to save up a nest egg to decide if I wanted to continue renting.. or to buy

 

[BLOWN PONY]

My father worked and lived out of state for around 10 years.
Has your job not offered for living expenses?
Dads company flew him back and fourth every other weekend and paid for his furnished apartment.
Can't imagine working out of state and not having at least those items included.

 

[Black Gold 380R]

I've done this once.

Live in El Paso, TX and my employer's contract was running out/expiring. The only employment I could find was in Albuquerque, NM (4 hours away). I knew from the jump I was always coming back to El Paso once I found another job here. So, I left everything in El Paso (i.e. home, wife, kids, possessions, etc.),

I knew I didn't want to buy a home and I didn't want to get into a long term contract with an apartment complex. So, I stayed in an extended stay hotel that allowed me to rent by the day, week or month as I needed.

With my job in NM, during in processing, I informed them that my residence was TX. TX has no state TX and NM does. So, since my address/home of record was listed as TX I did not have to pay NM state taxes.

I never informed my employer in NM that I was going back to TX ASAP. So, I never asked for moving expenses or cost of living expenses or any incentives. My NM employer was under the impression I was taking the job permanently and moving there. I was doing what I needed to do to ensure my expenses were paid and my family was taken care of.

On the flip side, I was summoned for jury duty in TX. I explained my work situation and since I worked out of state I was placed on the jury duty exempt list.

In the end I worked in NM for 5 months. I worked M-F and then drove back to TX Friday night and then back to NM Sunday night.

In the end 5 months of this back and forth life wasn't bad. I was in the military for 22 years, so I've been separated from my wife and kids for much longer than 5 months. Besides, when I was in the military it wasn't like I could see my wife and kids every weekend. So, it wasn't bad at all.

My only advice is pick a place and live there with your family ASAP. So, if you're going to be in NC and let your wife finish nursing school in SC then once her schooling is completed pick a place you can both live and work. 2.5 hours might not seem far and driving every weekend back and forth might not seem difficult, but it gets old fast.........

Good luck.....

 

[big reg]

I worked in Maine for about 20-21 months about a year ago. I got GSA rates for per diem and mileage to and from the job site. I got a brand new apartment with the 2 other guys on the project. 1 week of per diem covered my living expenses and I pocketed the rest tax free.

I came home to NY on the weekends. Would never do it again as I’m a single dad and it’s just too tough. Loved the money though.

 

[jshen]

Not to muddy the water...but your family will reside in two states..In which state will you pay state income tax?- both? If you buy a place in NC, you may be domiciled there and would pay car tag taxes, vote there, etc. I don't have an answer but you may want to run this by your lawyer..

 

[Machdup1]

Working out of state comes at a great personal cost. Know that going into it.

The next thing you know ten years has gone by and your life revolves around alcohol and random waitresses at Applebees.

 

[CompOrange04GT]

Working out of state comes at a great personal cost. Know that going into it.

The next thing you know ten years has gone by and your life revolves around alcohol and random waitresses at Applebees.

Wait a second

 

[cobracide]

Working out of state comes at a great personal cost. Know that going into it.

The next thing you know ten years has gone by and your life revolves around alcohol and random waitresses at Applebees.

 

[quad]

FTFY

 

[cobracide]

FTFY
View attachment 1730992

i see what u did there.

: D

 

[C2tuck]

Definitely get a housing allowance and per diem if you can.

RV’s suck to live in but half the oilfield guys do it…

 

[lilcoop03]

I've done this once.

Live in El Paso, TX and my employer's contract was running out/expiring. The only employment I could find was in Albuquerque, NM (4 hours away). I knew from the jump I was always coming back to El Paso once I found another job here. So, I left everything in El Paso (i.e. home, wife, kids, possessions, etc.),

I knew I didn't want to buy a home and I didn't want to get into a long term contract with an apartment complex. So, I stayed in an extended stay hotel that allowed me to rent by the day, week or month as I needed.

With my job in NM, during in processing, I informed them that my residence was TX. TX has no state TX and NM does. So, since my address/home of record was listed as TX I did not have to pay NM state taxes.

I never informed my employer in NM that I was going back to TX ASAP. So, I never asked for moving expenses or cost of living expenses or any incentives. My NM employer was under the impression I was taking the job permanently and moving there. I was doing what I needed to do to ensure my expenses were paid and my family was taken care of.

On the flip side, I was summoned for jury duty in TX. I explained my work situation and since I worked out of state I was placed on the jury duty exempt list.

In the end I worked in NM for 5 months. I worked M-F and then drove back to TX Friday night and then back to NM Sunday night.

In the end 5 months of this back and forth life wasn't bad. I was in the military for 22 years, so I've been separated from my wife and kids for much longer than 5 months. Besides, when I was in the military it wasn't like I could see my wife and kids every weekend. So, it wasn't bad at all.

My only advice is pick a place and live there with your family ASAP. So, if you're going to be in NC and let your wife finish nursing school in SC then once her schooling is completed pick a place you can both live and work. 2.5 hours might not seem far and driving every weekend back and forth might not seem difficult, but it gets old fast.........

Good luck.....

Excellent insight.. Thank you!