Moving between states / Indiana

Flag of AlaskaAlaskatoFlag of IndianaIndiana, Truck driver

Moving from Alaska to Indiana as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Alaska has to do to work in Indiana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Indiana is hiring from out of state.

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Indiana resident you surrender the Alaska CDL at a Indiana 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 Indiana. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Indiana takes roughly $1,800 a year more than Alaska does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryAlaska state taxIndiana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,200-$1,200
$60,000$0$1,800-$1,800
$90,000$0$2,700-$2,700

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. In Indiana: counties add a local income tax, roughly 1 to 3%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Alaska to Indiana

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alaska certificate stays on the Alaska Board of Nursing (Certified Nurse Aide program); to work in Indiana you apply to the Indiana Department of Health, 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.

RN and LPN: Alaska to Indiana

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Alaska is not in the compact, so your Alaska licence is single-state. Apply to the Indiana board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Indiana is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.

Electrician: Alaska to Indiana

Licensed by the city. Indiana has no state electrician licence; the City and county building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. No state electrician licence; Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and other cities issue their own, several with reciprocity among Indiana cities. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Alaska state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.

  • MakeMyMove town offers: typically $5,000 plus local perks. For remote workers moving to participating Indiana towns (Noblesville, Greensburg and others); each offer is its own program.

Going the other way? Alaska has Permanent Fund Dividend. See moving from Indiana to Alaska.

Openings filed in Indiana

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

Your own route from Alaska to Indiana

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 Indiana employers.

Plan my move to Indiana

Same move, by trade

CNA: Alaska to Indiana · RN or LPN: Alaska to Indiana · Electrician: Alaska to Indiana · All licences: Alaska to Indiana

From Alaska to the states next to Indiana

Michigan (flat 4.25% state income tax) · Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax)

To Indiana from the states next to Alaska

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

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