Thread 519277087

While you pay 7.65% FICA tax on every paycheck...
Foreign workers on OPT/STEM OPT pay $0 for 3 years

THE MATH:
You: $200k salary - $13,818 FICA = $186,182
Them: $200k salary - $0 FICA = $200,000

That's $41,454 extra over 3 years
Your tax money becomes their down payment advantage
Even 100 foreign workers with this advantage = $4.1 MILLION in extra buying power

They outbid you on starter homes
They pay off student loans faster
They build wealth during your most critical years

This is why housing feels impossible
This is why you're always playing catch-up

>>519277087 (OP)
THE GASLIGHTING PLAYBOOK:

They'll say:
>"It's just tax optimization!"
>"We pay more tuition!"
>"You're just a loser!"

They can't argue the $41,454 math, so they attack you personally.

Stay focused on the numbers.

>>519277131
THEY ADMIT IT THEMSELVES:

Foreign worker on Blind: "Should I delay my H1B to avoid $10k in taxes?"

Response: "Just don't file it and save on taxes"

They see your Social Security taxes as optional.
You see them as mandatory.

https://www.teamblind.com/post/got-h1b-in-first-year-skip-applying-to-avoid-fica-p3w52rnv

>>519277177
Here's a foreign worker on Reddit, complaining about finally having to pay the same taxes as you:

>"I just won the H1B visa lottery. Now that I have to start paying Social Security and Medicare taxes like an American, should I ask my company for a RAISE to cover it?"

The responses are even more telling:

>"Don't mention FICA... Just ask for a raise based on your performance... you can bring this up on the side."
>"Correct, nothing wrong in asking... but expect BIG eyerolls from HR. Gotta pay US taxes now unfortunately."

FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. This U.S. federal law mandates that employers withhold taxes from employee paychecks to fund Social Security and Medicare programs.

LET THAT SINK IN:

1. They get a multi-year tax break you never see.
2. The moment they're forced to contribute like everyone else, their first thought is, "How do I make my American employer cover my new tax bill?"
3. They strategize on how to hide the real reason and pretend it's about "performance."

They see paying into the system that funds our retirees and healthcare as a personal financial loss to be recovered. Not a civic duty. Not the cost of living in a first-world country. A pay cut.

This is the entitled mindset you're competing against.

https://www.reddit.com/r/h1b/comments/1cmqwc0/salary_increase_because_fica_taxes/