Housing Info

Apr 15, 2017

Hello,

First I want to say thanks to the people who take time to answer questions!

You've given me a lot of peace of mind while applying.

We are in the process of packing and trying to downsize at the same time.

My question is about the size of housing.

My husband and I have two kids who will be in college in the United States.

Are they considered part of our family, or will we get stuck with a 1 bedroom?

Also, I read that some places do not allow you to take your own car.

We are going to Iwakuni. Does anyone know if you can take your car to Iwakuni?

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haha Family size does affect LQA. I think there is a jump from 2-3 dependents to 4-5 dependents. If they are all on your orders you should get a little more in your LQA. Either way you will be fine.

Apr 15, 2017

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Teach Yes, LQA does increase slightly if you have more dependents, but it is still quite a bit that will cover rent on a nice place and utilities. You will also receive a cost-of-living allowance which is 25% of a certain amount of your pay, and that is determined by the number of dependents. I'd say it probably averages $500-1000 a month depending on yo...See More

Apr 15, 2017

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haha Post allowance for that location should be around $500-600 per month (it fluctuates as it's tied to cost of living, local currency vs the dollar etc). Our is around that with around the same size family and a higher salary step.

It's a nice little tax free benefit every pay check.

Apr 15, 2017

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wanderer College students over 21 cannot be on your orders. My oldest son turned 21 three days after I arrived on site so he was dropped from my orders just after they gave him a red passport. Full time college students will get one round trip a year to Japan to reunite the family. I forget what age limit…until 23? Be careful when you book that first annu...See More

Apr 16, 2017

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SandArt Thank you for responding. All good info. That 25% sounds amazing! We have some money saved, but I am also concerned about costs for settling in a new location. Thanks again.

Apr 18, 2017

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