The better offer is the one that leaves you with more usable wealth after taxes, immigration, moving and city-specific living costs—not the one with the larger headline salary. Compare both jobs over the same period and in the locations where you will actually work. Start with after-tax cash, add only a conservative value for bonuses and equity, subtract unreimbursed one-time costs, then deduct recurring household expenses.
First-year net value = after-tax cash compensation + conservative variable compensation − unreimbursed immigration costs − unreimbursed relocation costs − essential recurring expenses. Recalculate the model for years two, three and five, when one-time move costs disappear and compensation, tax residence and immigration status may change.
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What a US–India job-offer comparison should measure
A national salary comparison cannot answer “Which offer leaves me with more after taxes and moving costs?” The result depends on the exact US and Indian cities, your household, tax year, immigration route, benefits, expected tenure, exchange rate and the portion of compensation that is actually collectible.
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Keep the time horizon consistent
Prepare at least three views:
- Year one: includes signing payments, the move and immigration costs.
- Three years: shows whether recurring savings outweigh the initial outlay and captures a meaningful portion of equity vesting.
- Five years: tests a longer commitment, changing tax residence and the possibility that immigration or relocation obligations are repaid if you leave early.
Do not add an employer benefit twice. A relocation package that pays a documented moving invoice is a reduction in your cost, not extra cash that can also be counted as salary.
Collect the two offers in a comparable format
Ask each employer for written terms. Put every item in the same annual and currency format before calculating taxes.
| Offer element | What to record | How to value it |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Annual amount, currency, pay frequency and guaranteed review date | Use the contractual amount; do not convert a target increase into current pay. |
| Sign-on payment | Gross amount, payment date and any clawback | Include in the year paid, net of tax and repayment risk. |
| Annual bonus | Target, maximum, payout history and eligibility rules | Use a conservative probability-weighted amount, not the target by default. |
| Equity | Share or unit type, grant value, vesting schedule, strike price where relevant, tax withholding and sale restrictions | Model a range. Treat unvested or illiquid value as contingent, not cash. |
| Benefits | Health cover, retirement contributions, leave, meals, transport and life or disability insurance | Count only benefits you would otherwise buy, using a realistic replacement cost. |
| Work location | Office city, remote-work rules and the employing legal entity | Use that location for tax and household-cost estimates; do not use a country average. |
For equity, show a low, central and high case. State whether the value is based on a quoted market price, a private-company valuation or an assumption. Liquidity, vesting and tax withholding can make a nominally large grant worth little in the first year.
Confirm where you will work and what authorization is required
Questions for a US offer
An offer letter does not itself grant work authorization. Ask the employer to identify the proposed immigration category and to state, in writing:
- who files and pays the petition, government charges and legal fees;
- which costs you must pay personally, including consular processing, document work and travel;
- whether a spouse or children are covered and what their status and fees will be;
- the expected filing, approval, interview and start-date assumptions;
- what happens if the petition is delayed, denied or you change jobs; and
- whether any sign-on, legal or relocation payment must be repaid, and under what trigger.
The US Department of State lists a $205 nonimmigrant visa application processing fee for petition-based categories that include H visas. That is one consular charge, not an all-in immigration price. The India reciprocity schedule separately sets category-specific issuance fees, number of entries and validity. Petition charges, employer legal work, travel, dependents and other expenses must be verified for your case.
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Questions for an India offer
Confirm the payroll entity, work city, whether any duties will be performed outside India and how the employer handles cross-border work. A job advertised in one city may be paid by an entity in another jurisdiction, which can change withholding and reporting. If you expect to split time between countries, obtain advice before accepting; the place where services are physically performed can matter even when the contract is signed elsewhere.
Tax residency is not the same as immigration status
The Internal Revenue Service states: “Generally, for United States (U.S.) tax purpose, a nonimmigrant or immigrant visa status under U.S. immigration law is different from U.S. tax residency status under U.S. tax law (nonresident alien, resident alien, or dual-status alien).” Determine tax residence separately from the visa decision.
US tax items to model
For the relevant tax year, determine whether you meet the green-card test, the substantial-presence test or neither, and whether a dual-status year applies. Then include federal income tax, employee payroll taxes and any applicable state and local income taxes. The IRS notes that H-1B employees providing services in the United States are generally subject to FICA in the same way as US citizens. A treaty-based income-tax exemption generally does not remove FICA or FUTA obligations.
State rules can differ from federal treatment. A state may tax a resident independently, and moving between states during the year can create part-year filing issues. Use the actual work and residence locations, not the state associated with company headquarters.
US–India treaty cautions
The employment article of the US–India tax treaty generally permits taxation where the employment is exercised. Its exception has multiple conditions, including a presence requirement of no more than 183 days and additional employer and remuneration tests. Being an Indian national—or spending fewer than 183 days in the United States—does not, by itself, establish treaty relief. Check the exact year, income item and coordination rules before excluding income.
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India tax items to model
India liability depends on residential status, the assessment year, the tax regime, deductions and the character of each payment. The Income Tax Department’s new-regime page for assessment year 2026–27 lists slabs beginning at ₹4,00,000, with rates from 0% through 30% for income above ₹24,00,000. Those slabs are not a personal bill: status, regime choice, surcharge, cess, deductions and other income can change the result.
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Build the one-time immigration and relocation budget
Make a line-item budget for each destination. Subtract only support that is documented in the offer, available when you incur the expense and not subject to repayment.
| Cost category | US move examples | India move examples | Evidence to obtain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government and filing | Application fee, issuance charge, petition-related charges and dependent applications | Applicable registration, documentation or cross-border filing costs | Current government fee pages and the employer’s written responsibility schedule |
| Professional services | Immigration lawyer or document services that you are responsible for | Tax or immigration advice for a cross-border arrangement | Engagement letter and invoice estimate |
| Travel and documents | Interview travel, flights, medical or biometric appointments, translations and certified records | Flights, document certification and required appointments | Current quotes for your household and dates |
| Housing transition | Temporary accommodation, security deposit, first month’s rent and utility deposits | Temporary accommodation, deposit and setup costs | Destination-specific rental and hotel quotes |
| Household move | Shipment, excess baggage, storage and transport from the port or airport | Shipment, storage and local delivery | Itemized mover quotes based on volume, route and timing |
| Family costs | Dependent applications, travel, schooling or childcare transition | Dependent travel, schooling or childcare transition | Written employer policy and provider estimates |
No dependable “typical” India-to-US relocation amount is established here. Obtain quotes for your inventory, origin, destination, season and delivery service. A tax gross-up can change the net value of employer-paid benefits, so ask whether reimbursement is taxable and whether the employer covers the resulting tax.
Check for clawbacks
Read repayment language for sign-on bonuses, visa legal fees and relocation. Record the amount, repayment window, whether it is prorated, and what events trigger repayment. Model an early-departure scenario in which you leave before the window expires. A nominally higher offer can be inferior if a short tenure creates a large, immediately due obligation.
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Estimate recurring costs in the actual cities
Compare like with like: similar housing quality, commute, healthcare access and schooling. At minimum, estimate:
- rent or mortgage, deposit and recurring building charges;
- health insurance premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket care and prescriptions;
- transport, vehicle ownership, fuel, parking or public transit;
- childcare, school fees and dependent-care arrangements;
- utilities, telecommunications and routine household spending; and
- travel needed to maintain family ties, including visas or renewals where applicable.
Use a monthly budget and multiply by the months you expect to live there. Keep one-time deposits and furnishing separate from recurring spending so the first-year penalty is visible without inflating later years. If your household may remain in India while you work in the United States, model two households and the travel between them rather than assuming one rent.
Make exchange-rate risk visible
Choose a dated base exchange rate and add at least a stronger- and weaker-home-currency case. Convert salary, taxes, rent, remittances and equity proceeds consistently. If your savings goal is in rupees, judge the US offer by rupee savings under each rate; if it is in dollars, do the reverse. Do not hide currency risk inside a rounded salary conversion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use a worksheet that separates certainty from risk
Create one column for each offer and one row for each cash flow. A practical layout is:
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- Enter guaranteed gross salary and guaranteed employer contributions.
- Estimate federal, state or local, payroll and India taxes for the correct year and status.
- Subtract taxes from guaranteed cash to obtain spendable recurring cash.
- Add a conservative value for bonus and equity. Keep target, expected and downside cases in separate columns.
- Subtract unreimbursed immigration costs and unreimbursed relocation costs in year one only.
- Subtract essential recurring expenses for the actual household and city.
- Repeat for years two, three and five, updating salary, vesting, tax residence, exchange rate and expected expenses.
- Run an early-exit case that includes any repayment obligation and the cost of returning or moving again.
For year n, the structure is:
Net valuen = after-tax guaranteed cashn + conservative variable compensationn − one-time costsn − essential recurring costsn.
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One-time costs should be zero after the year in which they are paid, unless a later visa renewal or move is genuinely expected. Keep retirement contributions, equity and non-cash benefits in separate lines so you do not mistake restricted value for liquid savings.
Compare more than the tax-adjusted salary
Reliability and liquidity
Rank compensation by how likely and how quickly it becomes spendable: base salary first, documented employer-paid costs next, then historically paid bonuses, and finally equity that is unvested or difficult to sell. A lower but reliable package may produce more usable savings than a higher package dominated by contingencies.
Immigration feasibility and continuity
Consider sponsorship willingness, dependent status, processing timing, ability to change employers and what happens if employment ends. A job that cannot keep your household authorized or leaves you without a practical transition plan carries a financial risk that does not appear in gross compensation.
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Ask how easily you can return, switch countries or unwind a lease. Include deposits that may not be recoverable, shipment costs for a return move and any repayment clause. The more uncertain your tenure, the more weight to give liquidity and low exit costs.
Common comparison mistakes and fixes
- Using visa type as a tax answer: determine tax residence under the applicable tests instead.
- Showing only federal income tax: add payroll taxes and relevant state or local taxes.
- Treating $205 as the full US immigration cost: add the applicable issuance, petition, legal, travel and dependent items separately.
- Assuming treaty relief: test every treaty condition and the income item; do not rely on nationality or a day count alone.
- Using country-average living costs: price the actual city, household and housing standard.
- Counting a target bonus or grant at face value: use conservative scenarios and show liquidity and vesting.
- Ignoring employer repayment terms: model the amount and trigger in an early-exit case.
- Applying one exchange rate forever: show a dated base rate and sensitivity range.
- Comparing different time horizons: put first-year, three-year and five-year results side by side.
When professional advice is worth the cost
Consult a qualified US–India cross-border tax practitioner when you may be dual-status, split work between countries, claim treaty benefits, receive equity across borders or rely on a foreign tax credit. Consult an employment immigration lawyer for sponsorship category, dependents, filing timing, status continuity, employer changes and repayment language. Ask both professionals to work from the written offer, planned work locations, household facts and the exact tax year. Itemized international moving and destination-service quotes can improve the relocation line without pretending that a generic estimate is reliable.
How to decide when the numbers are close
Choose the offer with the higher downside-case, after-tax five-year value only after confirming that the immigration path is feasible. If the central cases are close, prefer the package with more guaranteed and liquid cash, documented employer-paid costs, fewer clawbacks and a reversible move. Record the assumptions that would change the decision—exchange rate, bonus payout, rent, tax residence, equity price and tenure—and set a date to update the worksheet before signing and again before the move.
Without the two offers, cities, household details, visa route and tax years, no defensible numerical winner can be named. The worksheet is designed to make those missing facts explicit so your decision reflects what you can actually keep.
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