Working across the border (Columbia, Greenville: credit, property taxes, health insurance)

[roxxy]

Is there anything one would need to know about living in South Carolina and working in North Carolina. Are there any additional taxes you have to pay for having this arrangement? Also, do you have to stick with doctors in North Carolina if that is where your job and therefore your health insurance is based? Thanks in advance for any info. you can provide.

[bibit612]

If you are working for a company and get your insurance there, then your medical plan would not make a distinction of where you live b/w NC or SC. If you have private insurance, some companies will underwrite you differently if you live in either state. BCBS for example will write you a BCBS of NC if you live in NC, and BCBS of SC if you live in SC. Other companies will have different networks operating out of the Carolinas (as in Aetna and United) so there could be a carve out for residents of either state as to the plan that is offered and available for residents of these states.

Hope this helps!

[groove1]

It isn't much different. My company offers BCBS of NC, but it can be used anywhere in the US as long as your doctor is "in -network" (for my plan anyway). My dr. is in NC, but my fiance's doctor is in SC, however her dr. is part of Carolinas Medical, which is NC based. Overall, it's not much of an issue. Our eye dr. is also in NC too, but it's VSP which is national. My dad has BCBS of Michigan through Teamsters and lives in NC and that's not much of an issue most of the time.

As far as taxes; you only pay income for the state in which you work/get paid. However, you must file for both states as SC needs to keep records of it for whatever reasons.

[marndt]

I live in SC and work in NC. No additional taxes and my healthplan is good through their providers. We have our Dentist in Fort Mill, SC, one doctor in Rock Hill, SC, one doctor in Columbia, SC and our ped in NC.
As for tax... you pay for the state that you live in.

[groove1]

Originally Posted by marndt

I live in SC and work in NC. No additional taxes and my healthplan is good through their providers. We have our Dentist in Fort Mill, SC, one doctor in Rock Hill, SC, one doctor in Columbia, SC and our ped in NC.
As for tax... you pay for the state that you live in.

I always get that mixed up.

[bibit612]

Group insurance provided by employers normally don't restrict where you go. How much the insurance will cover your expenses for, if at all, is going to be the difference...in-network vs out-of-network providers, HMO vs PPO vs POS vs traditional indemnity plans....

Income can come a variety of sources...wages are from where you work, but some employers can flag you as an employee of the state you live in, if they have an office there. So even if you are physically working in NC but your employer has the ability to flag you as working say in Greenville, SC, then your W-2 will reflect SC level taxes. You can have other income (e.g. unemployment income from other states) for which you have to file another state return. SC allows you to take your NC income within your SC return using some formula...check the SC.gov website for guidelines and consult with your tax professional on which would be better for you NC separate or NC with SC. I think it works the reverse also. You would still have to file a return for the state where you live for your property taxes, at least.

[RGP]

I work in NC and live in SC - have for 10 years. I always file NC taxes and SC Taxes. If I've been doing it wrong all these years, I'm in big trouble .

NC and SC are reciprocal states, so when I complete my NC taxes, SC Gives me credit on practically all I paid in NC. My employer takes taxes out of my check for NC. Of course, since it's not an exact science, I end up owing SC something ridiculous like $2.00.

If you use a program like TurboTax, it's real easy to do, you just have to pay for an additional state download.

Of course, I find this all completely unfair. How can SC tax me on income that it doesn't provide in any way shape or form, and why do I have taxation without representation in NC.

[southerngirl1994]

Yep, I've lived here for 15 years and most health providers in the area give you information on doctors in both places NC and SC. YOU HAVE TO FILE IN BOTH PLACES. My hubbie and I made the mistake of just filing NC taxes (we worked there) and lived in SC. We were audited and had to file an amended return. So make sure you file both. It's easy though.

[MysteryMT]

Still a little mixed up after reading all the post...so in the end is it cheaper to live in SC and work in NC or it really doesn't make a difference as long as you file for both NC and SC.

If it is cheaper - is there like a percentage or a ball park range someone could give about how much additional you can save or where it is that you save. My understanding is that SC doesn't have the property/vehicle tax?

[marndt]

OK:
Property taxes on your home is MUCH less that Charlotte. A $200,000 house in SC = say $1000 or less a year in property tax... In Charlotte it would be close to $3000 or more.
Car Taxs are a little higher in SC. You pay yearly based on the value of your car in SC. Starts high then goes down year after year. My VW was $600 the first year, this year it is $280... 3 years old. In NC you pay around $100 a year, but you also have to get your car inspected...$50 a year.
Sales tax is also different. In SC you will pay 6% in York county when you buy anything. In Charlotte you pay, I think 7.5%???
When you live in SC and work in NC you pay the following...
Federal tax, state tax (for the state you live in! not the state you work in), Medicare and SS.
When you file your taxes you will file a federal form and a state form for the state that you live in.
There are no additional forms/taxes that you pay for living in SC and working in NC...
Hope this helps.