Is my US job offer a good one?
A US offer is a package, and the salary is only part of it. Health insurance, a retirement plan match, stock and paid time off can be worth thousands of dollars a year, and none of them is set by national law in the way UK holiday or pension rights are.
In 30 seconds
- Compare the whole package: what you pay for health insurance, the 401(k) match and paid time off differ hugely between employers
- There is no federal right to paid holiday or paid sick leave, so the days off in your offer are the days you get (some states add sick leave)
- On an H-1B your employer must pay at least the prevailing wage and can’t charge you a penalty for leaving early. Check who pays visa and legal fees for your family
What’s in a US package
US employers often talk about “total compensation”: base salary plus bonus, stock and benefits. Ask for each part in writing.
| Part | What it means | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Your annual pay before tax | Is it exempt (no overtime) or non-exempt? See below. How often is it paid? |
| Bonus | Extra pay on top of salary, often linked to performance. Federal tax is usually withheld at a flat 22% on bonuses up to $1 million a year (37% above that), plus state tax | Is it a fixed amount or at the employer’s discretion? What did it pay out last year? Is it pro rata in year one? |
| Stock (RSUs) | Restricted stock units: shares you receive over time (they “vest”). The value is taxed as income when the shares vest, even if you don’t sell | What’s the vesting schedule? What happens to unvested shares if you leave or are laid off? |
| Sign-on bonus | A one-off payment for joining | Do you have to repay it if you leave within a year or two? |
| 401(k) | A workplace retirement plan. You choose how much to pay in from your salary, and the employer may add a “match” | How much is the match, and when does it vest (become yours for good)? |
| Health insurance | Usually the employer pays most of the premium and you pay the rest from your salary | What will I pay each month, and what are the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum? |
| Paid time off (PTO) | Vacation, sick days and holidays are set by the employer, apart from state sick leave laws | How many days, and can unused days be carried over or paid out? |
The pay calculator compares a US offer with your UK pay after federal, state and city taxes.
Health insurance: the cost the salary hides
Employer plans cover about 154 million Americans under 65, so health insurance is a central part of a US offer. You pay three kinds of cost: the premium (a monthly charge taken from your pay), the deductible (what you pay each year before the plan starts paying for most care) and copays or coinsurance (your share of each bill).
| Average (2025, KFF survey) | Single cover | Family cover |
|---|---|---|
| Total yearly premium | $9,325 | $26,993 |
| What the worker pays of that | $1,440 a year (16%), about £1,090 | $6,850 a year (26%), about £5,190 |
| Average deductible | $1,886 (for plans with a general deductible) | Not shown here; usually higher |
- 46% of covered workers are in a PPO plan (a wider choice of doctors) and 33% in a high-deductible plan with a savings account
- A high-deductible plan lets you use a Health Savings Account (HSA): in 2026 you can pay in up to $4,400 (self-only) or $8,750 (family) before tax
- A health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) lets you set aside up to $3,400 of pay before tax for medical costs in 2026
- Ask whether your partner and children are covered, and from which day. More in Healthcare and insurance
The 401(k) and its match
In 2026 you can pay up to $24,500 into a 401(k) from your salary, or $32,500 if you’re 50 or over ($8,000 extra). The employer’s match is free money, but it may vest over several years, so you could lose some of it if you leave early. See 401(k) and retirement accounts explained.
Holiday and sick pay
The Fair Labor Standards Act, the main federal pay law, doesn’t require paid vacation, paid public holidays or paid sick leave. These are a matter of agreement between you and your employer. Some states and cities require paid sick leave; see Your rights at work. This makes the PTO line in your offer one of the most important to negotiate, especially if you want long trips back to the UK. Federal holidays are in Holidays.
Exempt or non-exempt
If you’re “non-exempt”, you must be paid at least one and a half times your normal rate for hours over 40 in a week. Most professional and managerial jobs are “exempt”: no overtime pay, however long the hours. To be exempt, you must be paid a salary of at least $684 a week ($35,568 a year), and your duties must also meet the legal tests. Some states set higher limits.
Relocation
No law requires relocation help: it’s what you negotiate. Since the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025), moving costs your employer pays or reimburses are permanently taxable income for most people (members of the armed forces are the exception). Ask whether the employer will “gross up” the payment, which means adding enough to cover the tax.
- Flights for you and your family
- Temporary housing for the first weeks
- Shipping your belongings
- Visa and legal fees for your partner and children
- Help finding a home and schools
- Whether any of it must be repaid if you leave early
- Pre-tax commuter benefits: in 2026 up to $340 a month for transit passes and $340 for parking can come out of pay before tax, if the employer offers them
If you need visa sponsorship
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| H-1B wage | The employer must pay you at least the higher of what it pays similar staff and the prevailing wage for the job in that area |
| Fees | The employer can’t make you pay, directly or indirectly, the additional filing fee the law requires with an H-1B petition |
| Leaving early | An H-1B employer can’t charge you a penalty for leaving before an agreed date. “Liquidated damages” (a pre-agreed, reasonable estimate of the employer’s loss) may be allowed under state law: read any repayment clause carefully |
| If you’re dismissed | If your H-1B employer dismisses you before the end of your authorised stay, it must pay the reasonable cost of your journey home |
| $100,000 H-1B payment | A September 2025 proclamation added a $100,000 payment for some new H-1B petitions. A federal court in Massachusetts struck it down on 8 June 2026; on 24 July 2026 the First Circuit refused to reinstate it while the appeal continues, and USCIS stopped collecting it. A proclamation of 18 September 2026 extended it to 21 September 2027, but a California federal court blocked the policies behind both proclamations on 30 September 2026. The government is appealing, and a separate proposed $103,265 fee isn’t in force. Check USCIS before anyone files |
On an L-1 (intra-company transfer) or E-2 (treaty investor or employee; the UK is a treaty country), ask the same questions about who pays the visa, attorney and family fees. More in Visa routes to the USA.
Salary ranges and non-competes
- Pay transparency: New York (4 or more employees), California and Illinois (15 or more), Massachusetts (25 or more) and DC require pay ranges in job ads. Use the range to anchor your negotiation
- Non-competes: the federal ban proposed by the Federal Trade Commission was struck down, and the FTC dropped its appeal in September 2025, so state law decides
- California treats nearly all employee non-competes as void
- Massachusetts limits new non-competes to 12 months and requires “garden leave” pay of at least 50% of your highest base salary over the previous two years, or other agreed payment
- DC bans non-competes for staff earning under a salary threshold ($150,000 when it was set in 2022, raised for inflation since)
Questions to ask before you sign
- What will I pay each month for health insurance for my family, and what are the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum?
- How many days of paid time off, sick days and paid holidays do I get?
- What is the 401(k) match and its vesting schedule?
- How are the bonus and any stock calculated, and when do they vest?
- Is the role exempt or non-exempt?
- Which visa will you sponsor, and who pays the fees for my family?
- What relocation help is there, is it grossed up, and is any of it repayable?
- Is there a non-compete or repayment clause in the contract?
What to do next
- Ask for the benefits summary and health plan costs in writing
- Run the offer through the pay calculator
- Get relocation and visa promises in writing
- IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA limit increases to $7,500 (Nov 2025)
- IRS: Publication 15 (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide, supplemental wages
- IRS: Publication 15-B (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits
- IRS: Tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026, including amendments from the One Big Beautiful Bill
- Lockton: IRS releases HSA and high-deductible health plan limits for 2026
- KFF: 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey (Oct 2025)
- Taxes for Expats: RSU tax guide (2026)
- Cornell LII: 29 CFR 541.600, amount of salary required for exemption
- Cornell LII: 29 U.S.C. 207, maximum hours (overtime)
- US Department of Labor: Vacation leave
- Cornell LII: 20 CFR 655.731, H-1B wage requirement and prohibited deductions
- Cornell LII: 8 CFR 214.2(h), H-1B employer liability for return transportation
- Immihelp: H-1B $100,000 fee update after the First Circuit ruling (Sep 2026)
- Barnes & Thornburg: First Circuit denies government’s request to stay decision striking down $100,000 H-1B fee (Jul 2026)
- Mintz: Presidential proclamation extends $100K H-1B fee (23 Sep 2026)
- Forbes: Judge strikes down latest version of $100,000 H-1B fee (1 Oct 2026)
- Murthy Law Firm: DHS proposes $103,265 fee for certain H-1B petitions (24 Aug 2026)
- Clockspot: Pay transparency laws by state, salary range posting rules (May 2026)
- Mealey’s: FTC dismisses noncompete rule appeal (Sep 2025)
- Becker’s: Noncompete laws in 2026, state-by-state breakdown
- WBUR: Garden clause, new law requires pay during noncompete (Sep 2018)
- Manatt: New DC law bans non-compete agreements for employees making below $150,000 a year (2022)