Moving between states / Montana

Flag of AlabamaAlabamatoFlag of MontanaMontana, CNA

Moving from Alabama to Montana as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Alabama has to do to work in Montana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Montana is hiring from out of state.

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alabama certificate stays on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry (Alabama Department of Public Health); to work in Montana you apply to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Montana takes roughly $378 a year more than Alabama does.

SalaryAlabama state taxMontana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,400$1,652-$252
$60,000$2,100$2,478-$378
$90,000$3,150$3,717-$567

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: Alabama to Montana

Works on day one. Both Alabama and Montana are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Alabama is valid in Montana the day you arrive. Once Montana is your primary residence, apply there for a Montana multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

Electrician: Alabama to Montana

Reciprocity likely. Montana licenses electricians at state level through the Montana State Electrical Board, and reciprocity with the western group of states for journeymen with an equivalent licence. Your Alabama licence comes from the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Alabama to Montana

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Montana resident you surrender the Alabama CDL at a Montana driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in Montana. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Montana pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.

Going the other way? Alabama has Remote Shoals. See moving from Montana to Alabama.

Openings filed in Montana

72 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Montana employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Alabama to Montana

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for Montana employers.

Plan my move to Montana

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Alabama to Montana · Electrician: Alabama to Montana · Truck driver: Alabama to Montana · All licences: Alabama to Montana

From Alabama to the states next to Montana

North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · South Dakota (no state income tax) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax)

To Montana from the states next to Alabama

Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Florida

Everything about working in Montana · All moves between states · All 50 states

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Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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