Registration, banking and utilities in New York

Social Security number, or an ITIN

The SSN is applied for in person at a Social Security Administration field office, and it is the number that banks, landlords, employers and utilities all index you by. People who are not eligible for an SSN but have US tax obligations apply instead for an ITIN from the IRS, which serves for tax filing but is accepted for fewer other purposes. Eligibility depends entirely on your status, and status rules change — confirm with the agency itself.

• Apply at an SSA field office with your passport and immigration documents; appointments help.
• The card arrives by post; nothing else in your setup should be scheduled before it.
• IDNYC is a free municipal identity card available to city residents regardless of status, and is widely accepted locally.

Banking and building credit

Opening an account generally needs a passport, proof of a New York address and an SSN or ITIN, though some banks open accounts for new arrivals without the number and add it later. Credit is the harder half: a secured credit card, or a card from an issuer that will import a foreign credit history, is the standard way to start a file. Pay it in full every month and expect the score to take six to twelve months to become useful.

• A secured card, backed by your own deposit, is the usual first line on a file.
• Some issuers will consider a foreign credit report from your previous country.
• Utilities and phone contracts may demand a deposit until you have a score.

Three layers of income tax

You are potentially liable to federal income tax, New York State income tax and — if you live in one of the five boroughs — New York City resident income tax on top. That last one is the reason the same salary goes measurably further across the river, and it is charged on residence rather than on where you work. Tax residency for people arriving mid-year is genuinely complicated; this is a question for an accountant, not a search engine.

• NYC resident income tax applies to residents of the five boroughs; New Jersey does not levy a city equivalent.
• The federal tax year is the calendar year, with filing due the following spring.
• Get advice in your first months if you have income or assets outside the US.

Identification and utilities

A New York State driver licence or non-driver ID card is issued by the DMV under a points-based document test, and it is the identification Americans actually expect to see day to day. Electricity and gas are supplied through Con Edison across most of the city, with National Grid supplying gas in parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Start the account a week before move-in; same-day transfers are not reliable.

In order

1. 1Apply for an SSN as soon as you are eligible, or an ITIN if you are not.
2. 2Open a bank account and get a secured credit card in the same month.
3. 3Get a New York State ID or driver licence for everyday identification.
4. 4Register with Con Edison before your move-in date.
5. 5Take out renter's insurance — most leases now require it.
6. 6Speak to an accountant about your first US tax year, especially with foreign income.