I am Austrian Citizen and just received an European Fellowship Award that allows me to conduct my postdoc 2 years in the US and 1 year in Barcelona.
The fellowship is administered via a Spanish Research Institution, which employs me for the whole period of 3 years.
Currently my residency is in Austria and starting in June 2011 my residency will be in the US (California) for the first 2 years of the program. I have registered for a NIE and Social Security in Barcelona (for non-residents). Currently I have no physical address in Spain nor will I for the next two years.
As I am not familiar with the social security system here in Spain, I have a couple of questions and it would be fantastic, if you could help me finding an answer for the following:
The questions I have now are the following:
1. First of all, do I have to pay the 32.10 % tax, which is taken from my salary, for the first two years even though I am not a resident in Spain as I will be living and working in the US.
2. For my stay in the US I will have to take out a private comprehensive medical/dental insurance. It seems that I am paying double then for my medical cover, especially if I am not able to access it or benefit from the one in Spain as I will not be living there. Is there a way to claim this back or are there insurances provided by the Spanish government or providers that would offer me such a medical cover in the US (that is maybe linked to the Spanish SS)?
3. Although I am yet not aware of the full benefits of the social security, I have heard that it covers invalidity and work accidents - does that also work for work related accidents that happen in the States?
4. How can I access my retirement money after the contract in Spain ends? Is there a way to roll over this fond tax-free to another retirement fond within Europe (for my future employment)?
5. Are there benefits, which I am not able to access in the first two years, which I can claim back with a tax return? How can I do a tax return, if I dont have a physical address in Spain?
6. Where do I pay income tax for the first 2 years ?
I really hope you are able to answer my questions. This is very new for me and I have not other contact points that can give me an expert opinion on these issues.
