Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of ConnecticutConnecticuttoFlag of MichiganMichigan, Electrician

Moving from Connecticut to Michigan as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Connecticut has to do to work in Michigan, what the move does to your pay, and who in Michigan is hiring from out of state.

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 Connecticut hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Michigan leaves you roughly $386 a year more than Connecticut does, because Michigan's rate is lower.

SalaryConnecticut state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,957$1,700+$257
$60,000$2,936$2,550+$386
$90,000$4,404$3,825+$579

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. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Connecticut to Michigan

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Connecticut certificate stays on the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Nurse Aide Registry; 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: Connecticut to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Connecticut multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Connecticut licence stays valid for compact states.

CDL: Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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: Connecticut to Michigan · RN or LPN: Connecticut to Michigan · Truck driver: Connecticut to Michigan · All licences: Connecticut to Michigan

From Connecticut 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 Connecticut

New York · Massachusetts · Rhode Island

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

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