Moving between states / Montana

Flag of ArizonaArizonatoFlag of MontanaMontana, RN or LPN

Moving from Arizona to Montana as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Arizona has to do to work in Montana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Montana is hiring from out of state.

Works on day one. Both Arizona and Montana are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Arizona 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Montana takes roughly $978 a year more than Arizona does.

SalaryArizona state taxMontana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,000$1,652-$652
$60,000$1,500$2,478-$978
$90,000$2,250$3,717-$1,467

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.

CNA: Arizona to Montana

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Arizona certificate stays on the Arizona State Board of Nursing (CNA and LNA certification); 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.

Electrician: Arizona to Montana

Exam likely. Montana licenses at state level through the Montana State Electrical Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Arizona licenses locally through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Montana journeyman exam.

CDL: Arizona 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 Arizona 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.

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 Arizona 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

CNA: Arizona to Montana · Electrician: Arizona to Montana · Truck driver: Arizona to Montana · All licences: Arizona to Montana

From Arizona 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 Arizona

California · Nevada · Utah · Colorado · New Mexico

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

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

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