Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of CaliforniaCaliforniatoFlag of MichiganMichigan

Moving from California to Michigan for work

What moves with you from California to Michigan: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Michigan leaves you roughly $3,036 a year more than California does, because Michigan's rate is lower.

SalaryCalifornia state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,724$1,700+$2,024
$60,000$5,586$2,550+$3,036
$90,000$8,379$3,825+$4,554

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 Michigan: Detroit and some cities add a local income tax. In California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: California to Michigan

Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; to work in Michigan you apply to the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) 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: California to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Neither California nor Michigan is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your California licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.

Electrician: California to Michigan

Exam required. Michigan licenses electricians through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Electrical Administrative Board and does not reciprocate with any state. Your California hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10) before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

CDL: California to Michigan

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

No statewide program in Michigan 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 Michigan

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

Your own route from California to Michigan

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 Michigan employers.

Plan my move to Michigan

Same move, by trade

CNA: California to Michigan · RN or LPN: California to Michigan · Electrician: California to Michigan · Truck driver: California to Michigan

From California to the states next to Michigan

Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Indiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%)

To Michigan from the states next to California

Oregon · Nevada · Arizona

Everything about working in Michigan · 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.

Pick the state