Marching Into the Peace Corps, Pt 35: the Peace Corps Web Ex Meeting

“I would not encourage you to focus on a country though, as this can be construed as you wanting to serve in Jordan, and not in Peace Corps.”

I understand, but at the same time, I don’t. It’s typical governmental double-speak. You don’t want someone who’s going to shoot off their mouth and create a mess in the community – there has to be some level of conformity for cultural and safety reasons. I don’t understand what’s the difference between serving in Jordan and serving in the Peace Corps – the commitment, the job, the service is all the same.

Roadblocks In My Future

If there’s anything that scares me most about the Peace Corps process, it’s the bankruptcy that’s hanging over my head. It’s important to know how that’s going to be viewed for a legal clearance. I hated to ask, but I knew I had to.

“If you are able to adequately cover your costs while serving in the Peace Corps, it should not be a problem. If you are trying to leave debt, financial, and legal obligations, behind, then you would not be able to successfully do so with the Peace Corps.”

The recruiter said the Peace Corps does not put any weight against a past financial history, but they do want to make sure your current situation is in order. This is good news for me – many who try to apply for governmental jobs are turned down if there’s a bankruptcy in their past. I can understand the motivation because they’re afraid the person in question could be easily compromised with a financial incentive. Then again, what’s the purpose of bribing a broke person who’s stationed out in a mud puddle – there’s no place to spend it!

The Proverbial Forgotten Questions

I had a couple of questions on my mind that I forgot to ask was about the readjustment salary of approximately $6,000 and re-enlistments. I wanted to know if you choose not to re-enlist at the end of your 27 month tour, if you use the readjustment salary to buy your own ticket home, or if you get to pocket the cash. I’ve read some conflicting information regarding it, and I still don’t know the answer.

The other question I had was if you re-enlist for a second tour of service, at the end of your 54 month period, do you receive $6,000 or $12,000, or do they tax your $6,000 and issue you the remaining amount while you’re still stationed?

Speaking of taxes and how you deal with it because you’re drawing a stipend, I did ask this through email awhile ago to another recruiter, and here is her answer:

“Peace Corps volunteers do not pay taxes to the host country because you are getting the “salary” from the US government. The IRS does not tax you on your stipend, however there is other monies that you will be taxed on. On our website it tells you that you will receive $6075 at the end of service. This is basically $225 for every month you serve. You will be taxed on this income. There is also “walk around money” for conferences and official visits to the Peace Corps office/other parts of the country. This amount will differ from country to country, but it was about $10/day in Romania. This is in addition to your stipend. Just taking into consideration Peace Corps service, your taxes will be very small. In fact you probably will not make more than $6000.”

Above it says the IRS does not tax you, but it doesn’t say you do not have to file your income tax report. Maybe the Peace Corps does this for you, or perhaps they send you the W2 in your email or to the nearest local PC office where you’re stationed. I guess this requires a follow up with more details to avoid a big mess later on down the road.

If you don’t like trying to find all the segments of this series, you can locate the links to them here and they will return you the exact spot on the appropriate site.