Re: How to calculate take home pay
You can go to salary.com and type in RN for the zip code of the hospital (or use 92101), then click on the tab for Net Paycheck Estimate, and it will give you the info you need. Even though the example is set for the median salary, you can adjust the net paycheck for the gross you'll be making.
As far as deductions... you can claim from 0 on up. Others will know much more about this than me, but you can typically claim 1 deduction per dependant. The more deductions you claim, the less tax is taken from your gross pay. As for me, I don't have any kids or own a home, so I claim 0. That means I have the most possible tax taken out of my paycheck, and when it comes time to file for annual taxes, it ends up about even (meaning I don't get a refund or owe a payment). This all may be obvious to you... I don't know how taxes in the UK work.
Salary.com also has a cost-of-living adjustment which will compare cost-of-living vs. typical salaries for two locations.
Good luck! San Diego's a great place to live.
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