Moving between states / Maine

Flag of HawaiiHawaiitoFlag of MaineMaine, Truck driver

Moving from Hawaii to Maine as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Hawaii 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 at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Maine resident you surrender the Hawaii 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Maine leaves you roughly $1,617 a year more than Hawaii does, because Maine's rate is lower.

SalaryHawaii state taxMaine state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,080$2,002+$1,078
$60,000$4,620$3,003+$1,617
$90,000$6,930$4,505+$2,425

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: Hawaii to Maine

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Hawaii certificate stays on the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric); 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.

RN and LPN: Hawaii to Maine

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Hawaii is not in the compact, so your Hawaii licence is single-state. Apply to the Maine 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 Maine 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.

Electrician: Hawaii 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 Hawaii licence comes from the Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

  • 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.

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 Hawaii 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

CNA: Hawaii to Maine · RN or LPN: Hawaii to Maine · Electrician: Hawaii to Maine · All licences: Hawaii to Maine

From Hawaii to the states next to Maine

New Hampshire (no state income tax)

To Maine from the states next to Hawaii

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

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