Moving between states / Maine

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Moving from Arkansas to Maine as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Arkansas certificate stays on the Arkansas Office of Long Term Care, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Maine you apply to the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers 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 Maine takes roughly $1,365 a year more than Arkansas does.

SalaryArkansas state taxMaine state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,092$2,002-$910
$60,000$1,638$3,003-$1,365
$90,000$2,457$4,505-$2,048

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: Arkansas to Maine

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

Electrician: Arkansas to Maine

Reciprocity likely. Maine licenses electricians at state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, and Maine reciprocates with New Hampshire, Vermont and a few other states for journeymen. Your Arkansas licence comes from the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Electrical Section, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Arkansas to Maine

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

  • Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit: up to $2,500 a year against Maine income tax. For workers living and paying off student loans in Maine.

Going the other way? Arkansas has Life Works Here (Northwest Arkansas). See moving from Maine to Arkansas.

Openings filed in Maine

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

Your own route from Arkansas to Maine

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 Maine employers.

Plan my move to Maine

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Arkansas to Maine · Electrician: Arkansas to Maine · Truck driver: Arkansas to Maine · All licences: Arkansas to Maine

From Arkansas to the states next to Maine

New Hampshire (no state income tax)

To Maine from the states next to Arkansas

Missouri · Tennessee · Mississippi · Louisiana · Texas · Oklahoma

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

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