Moving between states / Montana

Flag of FloridaFloridatoFlag of MontanaMontana, RN or LPN

Moving from Florida to Montana as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Florida 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 Florida and Montana are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Florida 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 $2,478 a year more than Florida does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryFlorida state taxMontana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,652-$1,652
$60,000$0$2,478-$2,478
$90,000$0$3,717-$3,717

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: Florida to Montana

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Florida certificate stays on the Florida Board of Nursing (CNA certification by endorsement); 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: Florida 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 Florida licence comes from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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: Florida to Montana · Electrician: Florida to Montana · Truck driver: Florida to Montana · All licences: Florida to Montana

From Florida 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 Florida

Georgia · Alabama

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

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

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