Moving between states / Montana
Californiato
Montana, RN or LPNMoving from California to Montana as a registered or practical nurse
What a registered or practical nurse licensed in California has to do to work in Montana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Montana is hiring from out of state.
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. California is not in the compact, so your California licence is single-state. Apply to the Montana 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 Montana 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.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Montana leaves you roughly $3,108 a year more than California does, because Montana's rate is lower.
| Salary | California state tax | Montana state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $3,724 | $1,652 | +$2,072 |
| $60,000 | $5,586 | $2,478 | +$3,108 |
| $90,000 | $8,379 | $3,717 | +$4,662 |
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 California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: California to Montana
Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; 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: California 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 California licence comes from the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10), a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: California 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 California 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.
Does Montana pay you to come?
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.
- Farm WorkerSilverado Farms II · Geraldine · $18.62/hr
- Ag Equipment OperatorIronhorse Ag & Excavation, Inc · Shelby · $13.46/hr
- General Farm RanchAmos Enterprises · Havre · $13.46/hr
- Livestock WorkerHuntsman Ranch Company · Dell · $13.46/hr
- General Farm/RanchValley View Charolais Ranch, Inc · Polson · $13.46/hr
- Farm/Irrigation/Livestock WorkerPancost Cattle Co. · Twin Bridges · $13.46/hr
Your own route from California 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 MontanaSame move, by trade
CNA: California to Montana · Electrician: California to Montana · Truck driver: California to Montana · All licences: California to Montana
From California 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 California
Everything about working in Montana · All moves between states · All 50 states