When you move to the Philippines, one of the important things you need to consider is how you will get your mail from “back home” after you are here. I use a service called “MyUS,” which is part of Access USA, a company that has been in the mail forwarding business for many, many years already. I personally have been using MyUS for about 6 or 7 years now, and have always been very happy with their service.
LiP Web Magazine has partnered with MyUS.com to offer convenient, fast international shipping to expats who live in the Philippines. MyUS.com members receive deeply discounted shipping rates, exceptional customer service, 24/7 online access to their account, and access to other services.
Sign up with MyUS.com and receive your own U.S. street address to receive merchandise and regular mail. Purchases can be made from any website or store within the U.S. Those items are shipped to your U.S. address, where MyUS.com provides specialized international package forwarding services from your new U.S. address to your Philippine address.
Note: Use MyUS.com’s Personal Shopper service to make a purchase from websites that do not accept international credit cards or those with international billing addresses. MyUs.com accepts all major credit cards and also accept wire transfers, and will make the purchase on your behalf.
Follow these two steps for international delivery:
1. Get your own U.S. address in America at www.MyUS.com.
2. Use your new U.S. address, provided by MyUS.com, when placing your order on U.S. websites.
If you are ordering multiple items, you’ll enjoy the most savings by using MyUS.com Premium Service. This gives you the ability to consolidate packages, which saves you even more on international shipping.
If you would like magazines, letters and catalogs from the U.S. the Premium+Mail service is for you.
I am happy to personally endorse the services of MyUS, and I am sure that you will be as happy with their services as I have been. In short, unless service is good… I don’t stick with a company for the long term!
This is good to know Bob.
Can you use this service as your US mailing address for residency? ie. can I get a Nevada mailing address if I want? Will this work for Income tax purposes?
Hi Bob – Been thinking of moving my "mail moving" chores from my eldest son to a forwarding service. Will look into it.
For Hudson – For income (and other) tax purposes, an address is nothing more than a means for tax agencies to contact you. Your tax residence is your abode – where you actually live and have lived for a certain number of months over the previous certain number of years (those "certain numbers" will vary depending on tax agency).
Right now, I have a mailing address in the USA and a place where I physically reside in the Philippines. For state and local income tax purposes, I am a non-resident since I am resident here in the Phils. For federal income tax purposes, I'm a citizen living outside the boundaries of the US and its Territories.
As a result, I would only pay income taxes to states and local municipalities only if the income I received passed their "sourcing" requirements (i.e., the earned or unearned income was obtained in the particular state and/or municipality). I would still pay federal income tax on all of my world-wide earned and unearned income.
Nope – it's not simple; if it was, everyone would be a "mailing address resident" of a tax haven somewhere.
Hi hudson – I don't really think you could establish residence with this service. But, maybe there is a way, I'm not certain.
This particular service would give you an address in Florida. There may be similar services in Nevada, though.
Hi Paul – I tried using my Mom for forwarding my mail, but it didn't work out well. Nothing against my Mom, but she is not a professional, and would forward when she was able to. These people forward when I want them to do it, thus, it's more professional, and efficient for me.
Hi, Paul- I know you're tax guy in a previous life. I know I would have to file my federal income tax, but how would I deal with the state tax if I were to reside in the Philippines for 3 separate monthly incomes I receive from the U.S. government: OPM annuity, VA disability, and Social Security.
Hi John – Not knowing which state we're talking about, I'll give you a general answer that fits those states that have personal income taxes.
Most states have means for "partial year residents" to pay that state's income taxes. Normally, there are two methods for computation: one difficult (of course) and one easy.
The difficult one requires you to match items of income and deductible expenses to set periods of time involved (e.g., 12 separate months, 52 separate weeks, 365 separate days) and allocate those items to wherever you have your "tax" residence (e.g., lived in state X in May, allocate May's income and deductible expenses to state X.)
The easy allows you to prorate your items of income and deductible expenses using a simple ratio (e.g., you lived in state X for 1 month, you allocate 1/12 of your total items of income and deductible expenses to state X).
All of this sounds so easy. It's not. Where's the hook? It's meeting the state's definition of part-year resident. A number of states would look upon living outside of that state for 3 months as the vacation of a full-year resident and not that of a part-time resident. States truly differ in their definitions, so you'd have to check on your particular situation.
Ow. That hurt. No wonder I retired.
Btw, John – the way around that last issue (part-year vs. full-year resident) is not so hard (and is acceptable by the states). You move your tax residence/home to your out-of-state location on a permanent basis, and look upon your return to that state as a vacation.
It would requite some legal dancing – turning your residence in the state into a "vacation property" vs. an "abode" and a few other little two-steps. These concerns normally only deal with properties that received some form of state benefit (e.g., Homestead deductions, state loan assistance, etc.) that will lock that property in as a state residence until the total benefit received over the years was paid back to the state.
A regular home-owner who didn't accept any such benefits would simply say – hey, this is my second home/vacation home. Of course, any deductions employed to calculate federal income tax would have to be adjusted as of the date of change (e.g., possibly the deductible mortgage interest paid, and other items).
Ow. Ow. Ow.
Bob,
This service sounds great and I could probably use them as their monthly fee is reasonable but, I need a shipper that can also send stuff for me balikbayan style. I am wondering if MyUS could consolidate my purchases and pack them in balikbayan boxes and then transfer them to a reputable balikbayan shipper like LBC for an additional fee?
Hey Bob
This is a timely topic, as per out emails you know I have alot of planning to do in the coming months. I guess it depends on how much Mail you will really need access to would determine if the monthly fee is worth it.
Bob/Others A close friend recently became a agent for LBC. I am located in Coventry RI and would be willing to help any Expats with LBC Balikbayan Boxes if they need stuff shipped to RP. This is not a plug I just I figured I would offer.
Paul
Would your State of residence be determined by what State you was a resident of when you began drawing FERS Disability income?
Does anyone know the cheapest and safest way to send a letter to the Philippines, with out taking weeks and getting rifled or stolen by the postal mail men?
Hi PaulK: Excellent topic. I have a question regarding my tax situation . Currently my wife and I pay federal and state Taxes (CALIFORNIA) for the whole year. Based on your comments above, since we stay in PI from 5 to 6 months every year, could I just file a state income tax just for 5-6 months. My wife is a dual citizen, I am US. We also pay real estate taxes in PI. It is indeed confusing! ow, ow. ow!
Hi Bob;
This mail service is something I'm going to look into. I now have a RAO (Retired Affaires Office) address. It’s an FPO (Fleet Post Office) and a lot of companies will not accept it online, as there is no State listed in the address. Also no packages are allowed (I believe it’s a one once rule, as all our mail comes through the U.S. Embassy) so,thanks for the heads up!
Hi Neal – Yeah, it was your e-mail that pushed me to post this information for those who need a reliable mail forwarding service. I have been using these folks for years now, and been very happy with their service.
Hi Readers –
We're getting far, far off topic with tax questions! I recommend clicking the "Contact Us" button at the top of the page and getting my attention that way.
This topic of Mail Services is too important to smear with tax grafitti.
Hi Bob
Funnily enough I was just thinking about this same subject before I logged on to LiP. Do you know of anything similar for people in the UK? What is the cost of this, is it expensive? Can they filter out the obvious junk mail?
{sorry PaulK, I don’t have any tax questions to ask you} 🙂
Hi Bacolod Barry – I am not sure if there is such a service in the UK, but I would imagine that there must be. The UK, I believe, has more expats than the US does, and they must get their mail some way! Maybe somebody else will chime in with some information.
Hi all.
I just started my own blog about 3 weeks ago and am trying to connect and get readers. Clearly Bob’s blog has some intelligent readers on it. The MYUS service concept is great. I use a very similar that has personal shopper, consolidation, etc. called Bongo International. Using a parcel forwarding service is one of the best decisions I ever made, especially when I started Christmas shopping. I can order for different people in my family and have the items sent to up to 5 different locations which saves me time and money from having to ship items twice.
Great topic Bob! Keep up the good work, and if you guys want to check out my blog, I would greatly appreciate it!
PaulK, sorry I ask the question. I was pretty sure I can not do it, but just want your opinion. Let us talk on more happy topics, maybe your current projects in Paradise? As for me, I am just counting the days. We will be flying to Manila next week, stay there for 4 days, then fly to Marinduque and hopefully hibernate there for 5 months, then fly back to California by mid-April just to be in time to pay for my income taxes.( State and Federal) Oowww, ouch, ouch…
Thanks a million Paul, I know I should not ask that question! Cheers!
Hi David – No problemo here. I just don’t like being the bearer of bad (tax) news! 😉
Overlaying your schedule with the calendar, I see you’re trying to avoid the “rainy season” and simply enjoy the holidays and summer here. Well, we’re currently saving a Tropical Depression (Urduja) out there east of Surigao just for you! 😆
Bob, are you still using this service?
No, I am not.