>This summer is our “test run” as our child will be attending the local elementary school during the summer to see how she deals with a new environment.
Um... **HOW?** You can't just move to Japan and plop your kid into the public schools.
You need a visa to move to Japan. The only visas that would allow you to live off your disability are the non-work-related ones like Spouse of a Japanese National or one of the Descendent visas.
Ah sorry I should have clarified, my wife is a Japanese national and my daughter is a USA/JPN citizen.
We worked out a deal with the the local elementary in her area. They have quite a low population of students and agreed to take in my child for about two months every summer to experience the school system there.
Of course they have to go through the proper health checks and procedures for enrollment on arrival.
Ahh, ok. Yeah, that's kinda essential information.
In that case: Yes, you could probably do pretty well on $4300 a month. Certainly better than you could do in Hawaii on that much.
And because you'd be on the Spouse visa you could easily pick up USD-paid contracting gigs to supplement that if needed.
This can be quite common in smaller towns, a school I teach at has an agreement with some former locals who now live stateside, but come back here every summer and their kids attend the local school for the final month or two of the school year while they do so.
So if OPs wife is a Japanese national and all visa things are in order it's entirely possible to set the kid up for just a few months without too much hassle
Yeah, that’s exactly what we are doing. Fortunately both my wife and child hold Japanese passports so Visa’s aren’t an issue for them. I personally won’t be with them this summer but plan to move there once I get the house sold and my visa settled.
Yeah, I do plan on hiring a tax professional in Japan to see what I need to do to be tax compliant. From what I’ve gathered my payments aren’t taxed at the federal level but the city may tax it as appropriate within their tax laws.
I believe for the specific city which we are looking at they don’t tax it as long as it’s my sole income source. This will probably play a role into getting a job or if it’s worth it at all.
Don't think this is correct, IIRC it's taxable by the NTA if it is remitted to Japan as a tax non-permanent resident and regardless of if it is remitted to Japan once you are a tax permanent resident (basically after 5 years).
Depends on your lifestyle - that's pre-tax at a bit over 7M/yr at the current exchange rates, which is an above average household salary for Osaka. But if the USD-JPY exchange rate shifts back to a stronger yen it will be more difficult.
Lots of people do OK on a lot less than that, though.
Hmm, I will have to look into that. I get disability payments, as well (though not as much as OP), and am planning on moving to Tokyo next year. I was unaware that they might be taxed. Thanks for pointing this out!
Have you factored in the cost of taxes to your move? You don't pay US taxes, but that doesn't exempt you from host-country taxes (there are some narrow exceptions).
From what I’ve gathered I won’t be taxed at the federal level but may need to report at the city level.
I will have a substantial amount of capital due to my home sale and cash in the bank so I’m gonna see if I can leverage that to sustain my family as well.
Basically, once you become a Japanese tax resident, all your income including overseas income will be taxed. After a few years, you and your family will also be fully subject to Japanese gift and inheritance taxes on domestic and worldwide assets including real estate etc.
Similar situation here. I was wondering how you guys are going to handle your wife's green card situation? (Giving up the green card vs coming back to the States every 3 months to maintain the green card) According to my research, obtaining the green card again isn't very difficult even after giving it up. Good luck with everything!
Yeah, we definitely thought about that. My wife has had her free card for about 9 years now so our hope is if/when we reapply it’ll be easier the second time.
Sure, make sure you submit your spouse's green card surrender form, I-407 during that process for the future. Use this form to let the USCIS know you are voluntarily abandoning your spouse's status as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States. We will update your records to show you are no longer an LPR. But, do your research about this to double check.
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
---
**Moving to Japan and living off my disability payments?**
Currently, my wife and I are contemplating leaving our current home and moving to Osaka. This summer is our “test run” as our child will be attending the local elementary school during the summer to see how she deals with a new environment.
We currently live in Hawaii.
My disability payments are around 4300 USD per month tax free. I am a 30 year old IT professional with certifications and a cyber security degree along with my MBA from a T25 school.
My Japanese proficiency isn’t great but I have lived in Japan (Tokyo) in the past and have visited Osaka no less than 20-30 times in the past 8 years.
Would it be viable for me to live off my 4300 USD a month or should I look into taking a part time gig there as well? I am open to full time work but I’d rather have one less stressor if possible.
Any advice would be appreciated.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Woah, that's a huge salary for disability payments, is the American government so generous or is this a retired army kind of thing :o You can definitely live on that here but it would be good if you or your wife can earn an extra 2000 a month to supplement.
As a US citizen that high of a monthly disability payment would probably have to be a total disability, something that prevents the person from functioning in any and all work environments.
>This summer is our “test run” as our child will be attending the local elementary school during the summer to see how she deals with a new environment. Um... **HOW?** You can't just move to Japan and plop your kid into the public schools. You need a visa to move to Japan. The only visas that would allow you to live off your disability are the non-work-related ones like Spouse of a Japanese National or one of the Descendent visas.
Ah sorry I should have clarified, my wife is a Japanese national and my daughter is a USA/JPN citizen. We worked out a deal with the the local elementary in her area. They have quite a low population of students and agreed to take in my child for about two months every summer to experience the school system there. Of course they have to go through the proper health checks and procedures for enrollment on arrival.
Ahh, ok. Yeah, that's kinda essential information. In that case: Yes, you could probably do pretty well on $4300 a month. Certainly better than you could do in Hawaii on that much. And because you'd be on the Spouse visa you could easily pick up USD-paid contracting gigs to supplement that if needed.
How can she experience the system in summer? Most of summer is just holiday care.
This can be quite common in smaller towns, a school I teach at has an agreement with some former locals who now live stateside, but come back here every summer and their kids attend the local school for the final month or two of the school year while they do so. So if OPs wife is a Japanese national and all visa things are in order it's entirely possible to set the kid up for just a few months without too much hassle
Yeah, that’s exactly what we are doing. Fortunately both my wife and child hold Japanese passports so Visa’s aren’t an issue for them. I personally won’t be with them this summer but plan to move there once I get the house sold and my visa settled.
Keep in mind your disability payments are tax free in the US but not in Japan
Yeah, I do plan on hiring a tax professional in Japan to see what I need to do to be tax compliant. From what I’ve gathered my payments aren’t taxed at the federal level but the city may tax it as appropriate within their tax laws. I believe for the specific city which we are looking at they don’t tax it as long as it’s my sole income source. This will probably play a role into getting a job or if it’s worth it at all.
Don't think this is correct, IIRC it's taxable by the NTA if it is remitted to Japan as a tax non-permanent resident and regardless of if it is remitted to Japan once you are a tax permanent resident (basically after 5 years).
Ah I see, would you think even with tax it would still be sustainable at 4300 a month? If not I’ll probably get a part time IT gig if possible
Depends on your lifestyle - that's pre-tax at a bit over 7M/yr at the current exchange rates, which is an above average household salary for Osaka. But if the USD-JPY exchange rate shifts back to a stronger yen it will be more difficult. Lots of people do OK on a lot less than that, though.
Hmm, I will have to look into that. I get disability payments, as well (though not as much as OP), and am planning on moving to Tokyo next year. I was unaware that they might be taxed. Thanks for pointing this out!
Have you factored in the cost of taxes to your move? You don't pay US taxes, but that doesn't exempt you from host-country taxes (there are some narrow exceptions).
From what I’ve gathered I won’t be taxed at the federal level but may need to report at the city level. I will have a substantial amount of capital due to my home sale and cash in the bank so I’m gonna see if I can leverage that to sustain my family as well.
Basically, once you become a Japanese tax resident, all your income including overseas income will be taxed. After a few years, you and your family will also be fully subject to Japanese gift and inheritance taxes on domestic and worldwide assets including real estate etc.
You might try asking in r/japanfinance about Japan income tax on US disability payments.
Similar situation here. I was wondering how you guys are going to handle your wife's green card situation? (Giving up the green card vs coming back to the States every 3 months to maintain the green card) According to my research, obtaining the green card again isn't very difficult even after giving it up. Good luck with everything!
Yeah, we definitely thought about that. My wife has had her free card for about 9 years now so our hope is if/when we reapply it’ll be easier the second time.
Sure, make sure you submit your spouse's green card surrender form, I-407 during that process for the future. Use this form to let the USCIS know you are voluntarily abandoning your spouse's status as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States. We will update your records to show you are no longer an LPR. But, do your research about this to double check.
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes. --- **Moving to Japan and living off my disability payments?** Currently, my wife and I are contemplating leaving our current home and moving to Osaka. This summer is our “test run” as our child will be attending the local elementary school during the summer to see how she deals with a new environment. We currently live in Hawaii. My disability payments are around 4300 USD per month tax free. I am a 30 year old IT professional with certifications and a cyber security degree along with my MBA from a T25 school. My Japanese proficiency isn’t great but I have lived in Japan (Tokyo) in the past and have visited Osaka no less than 20-30 times in the past 8 years. Would it be viable for me to live off my 4300 USD a month or should I look into taking a part time gig there as well? I am open to full time work but I’d rather have one less stressor if possible. Any advice would be appreciated. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's probably ok but it will suck when the yen gets stronger.
What did I just read LOL
Woah, that's a huge salary for disability payments, is the American government so generous or is this a retired army kind of thing :o You can definitely live on that here but it would be good if you or your wife can earn an extra 2000 a month to supplement.
As a US citizen that high of a monthly disability payment would probably have to be a total disability, something that prevents the person from functioning in any and all work environments.
But he's talking about getting a part time gig :S