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India → US · Field Guide Early access 2026

The guide nobody
gave you on arrival.

A 90-day playbook for Indian engineers on H1B / L1. The money, visa, and life stuff your offer letter conveniently left out.

Free · No spam · Built by someone who made these mistakes

90 Day plan 6 Chapters $23K Avg. gap · RSU tax 240 On waitlist
⚠ Tax alert

Your company withholds 22% on RSUs. Your real rate? 35%+. That $10K–$23K gap shows up as an IRS bill in April.

$23K
The problem · №01

Google answers questions you already know to ask. Nobody gives you the questions. ArrivalKit does — in the right order, before the deadlines pass.

— ArrivalKit Built by someone who moved countries three times
22%
RSU withholding
What your company deducts. Not what you owe.
35%+
Real bracket
Your actual rate at $150K+ total compensation.
$23K
The gap
Average surprise IRS bill, year one. Avoidable.
90
Day plan
Week by week. Not all at once. In order of urgency.

01

Stock & Tax Traps

The decisions that determine whether April is a refund or a crisis.

Before day one

Your HR will never send you this chapter. What you do before your first vest date sets your tax bill eighteen months later. You’ll also want Wise ↗ or Remitly ↗ for international transfers, and an expat-specialist CPA ↗ who knows FBAR, FATCA, and India–US treaty rules.

The core problem
22% vs 35%+
What your company withholds vs. what you actually owe. Nobody explains this before your first vest.
What to do first
File a new W-4
Request extra withholding in week one. Highest-leverage money move of year one.
Cost basis at vest
Income, not gain
RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at vesting. Fair market value that day is your cost basis. Most people get this wrong.
ESPP
Two tax events
Purchase and sale are both taxable. The discount counts as ordinary income. Most CPAs miss this for H1B holders.

State taxes change everything. Two $180K offers are not equal — California nets you $15K–$20K less per year than Texas or Washington. Always factor state tax into offer comparisons.

TX
0%
WA
0%
FL / NV
0%
CA
13.3%

02

Benefits Windows

Thirty days. One chance. Everything else waits a year.

Week 1–2

401k, HSA, FSA — not optional reading. You have a 30-day enrollment window from your start date. Miss it and you wait until November. This window closes and does not reopen.

401k — do this first
Day one contribution
Capture employer match immediately. Adjust later. You can’t reclaim missed match.
HSA — triple advantage
Pre-tax in, grows free
On a high-deductible plan? The HSA is the best tax vehicle in the US. Tax-free in, tax-free growth, tax-free out for medical.
The 30-day rule
One window only
Health, dental, vision, FSA — all must be enrolled within 30 days. Miss it? Next chance is November.
Roth vs Traditional
Early career → Roth
Income going up? Roth is often better. H1B holders have considerations standard guides don’t cover.

03

Banking & Credit

No SSN for 2–6 weeks. Every bank needs one. Here’s the workaround.

Week 1–6

You can’t apply for an SSN until day 10 after entry, and it takes 2–6 weeks to arrive. Most banks need one. So you’re stuck — unless you open a Wise account ↗ from India before you fly. No SSN needed, and it can receive US payments while you wait.

The SSN gap
2–6 weeks, no banking
Can’t apply until day 10. SSA offices are backlogged. Most banks reject you without one. Plan before you fly.
Bridge: Wise account
Open from India
No SSN required. Hold USD, receive ACH, get a US debit card. Your bridge for the first 2–6 weeks.
Week 1: branch banking
Chase or BofA, in person
Chase ↗ and BofA ↗ let you open in-branch with passport + offer letter. No SSN. Must be in person.
Once SSN arrives
Upgrade everything
Link SSN to your bank, apply for a Discover It Secured card ↗. Reports to all 3 bureaus. Best starter card for H1B holders.

Credit building timeline:

Month 1
Secured card
Small purchases only. Pay in full every month. Never miss a payment.
Month 3
Score appears: ~650–680
First FICO score generated. Enough for utilities and most landlords.
Month 6
Unsecured card eligible
Real credit cards and better car loan rates. Keep old card open for history.
Month 12
Chase Sapphire eligible
Premium cards, no apartment deposit, competitive auto loans. The payoff of month-1 discipline.

04

Housing Without Credit

US landlords run credit checks. You have none. Solvable — if you know how.

Week 1–3

Every landlord runs a credit check. You have no US credit history. Solvable — but only if you know before you need the apartment, not from a hotel lobby. Search listings on Apartments.com ↗ and grab renter’s insurance via Lemonade ↗ before move-in — most landlords require it.

The workaround
Offer 2–3 months upfront
Most landlords accept this instead of credit history. Offer letter + Indian bank statement usually works in tech hubs.
Where engineers land
Know the clusters
Fremont/Sunnyvale (Bay), Bellevue (Seattle), Edison/Jersey City (NYC). Community matters in year one.
Average rents 2026
$2,400–$4,200
1BR in tech hubs. SF highest, Austin/Seattle mid-range. Budget max 30% of take-home.
Start credit now
Secured card, week 1
Get a secured card the week you land. Your month-6 credit score depends entirely on what you do in month 1.

05

Getting Around

Driver’s license, car, insurance — the mobility stack nobody explains.

Week 2–4

Most US cities require a car. No US license, no credit for a loan, no clue on insurance. Every state has different deadlines for when your international license expires — miss it and you’re driving illegally. Get REAL ID on your first DMV visit (required for domestic flights since May 2025). Once SSN arrives, get pre-approved via DCU ↗ before visiting any dealership. Compare insurance on The Zebra ↗ first.

No SSN yet? You still have options for buying a car before your SSN arrives:

Option 1
Cash purchase
Buy a reliable used car for $8K–$15K outright. No credit check, no SSN, drive off same day.
Option 2
Buy-here-pay-here
Dealer finances directly. Higher rates (15–25% APR) but no SSN needed. Refinance via DCU once SSN arrives.
Option 3
Wait (transit cities)
SF, NYC, Seattle, Chicago: transit works. Wait for SSN, then finance at a real rate.

Driver’s license deadlines by state:

California
10 days
No SSN required
Texas
90 days
SSN required
New York
On residency
No SSN required
Washington
30 days
No SSN required
REAL ID
Required for flights
Mandatory for domestic flights since May 2025. Bring passport, visa, I-94, and two proofs of address to DMV.
Buying a car, no credit
DCU or 20–35% down
DCU pre-approves auto loans for new arrivals. Some dealerships also accept offer letter financing or a 20–35% down payment.
What to buy & when
City-dependent
SF/NYC: delay, transit works. Suburbs: buy month 1. Used Toyota/Honda holds value. Don’t lease with no credit.
Car insurance basics
$40–$200/month
Required before you drive off the lot. No US history means higher premiums. Compare quotes — rates vary 3–4x between providers.

06

Visa Realities

What your visa actually restricts — before a layoff forces you to find out.

Ongoing

L1 ties you to your company. H1B gives more flexibility. Know the rules before a layoff forces you to learn them in 60 days.

L1 → H1B
Not automatic
L1 doesn’t lead directly to a green card. To switch companies, you need an H1B transfer.
If you’re laid off
60-day grace period
60 days to find a new sponsor, change status, or leave. Know this now, not when it happens.
Green card timeline
EB-2/3: 10–40 years
Per-country caps create extraordinary backlogs for Indian nationals. Start PERM as early as possible. Not exaggerated.
Travel on H1B
Stamp expires
Your passport stamp expires separately. Visiting India? Renew it there — you can’t renew inside the US.
The 90-day plan 4 phases · 22 actions · 🔒 = requires SSN
Before you land
Prepare
Week 1–2
Land & Register
  • Apply for SSN (day 10+ after entry)
  • Open Chase/BofA account in branch (no SSN)
  • Enroll in health insurance (30-day window)
  • Set 401k to capture employer match
  • File new W-4 with additional withholding
  • Visit DMV for driver’s license + REAL ID
Month 1–2
Settle In
Month 3+
Optimize
R
P
A
S
V

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ArrivalKit · arrivalkit.app · 2026 India → United States