Moving between states / Arkansas

Flag of MaineMainetoFlag of ArkansasArkansas, CNA

Moving from Maine to Arkansas as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Maine has to do to work in Arkansas, what the move does to your pay, and who in Arkansas is hiring from out of state.

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Maine certificate stays on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers; to work in Arkansas you apply to the Arkansas Office of Long Term Care, 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Arkansas leaves you roughly $1,365 a year more than Maine does, because Arkansas's rate is lower.

SalaryMaine state taxArkansas state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,002$1,092+$910
$60,000$3,003$1,638+$1,365
$90,000$4,505$2,457+$2,048

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.

RN and LPN: Maine to Arkansas

Works on day one. Both Maine and Arkansas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Maine is valid in Arkansas the day you arrive. Once Arkansas is your primary residence, apply there for a Arkansas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

Electrician: Maine to Arkansas

Reciprocity likely. Arkansas licenses electricians at state level through the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Electrical Section, and reciprocal agreements with a group of neighbouring and western states for journeymen with the required experience. Your Maine licence comes from the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Maine to Arkansas

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

  • Life Works Here (Northwest Arkansas): up to $10,000 plus a bicycle. For remote and tech workers moving to the Bentonville and Fayetteville region; runs in rounds.

Going the other way? Maine has Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit. See moving from Arkansas to Maine.

Openings filed in Arkansas

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

Your own route from Maine to Arkansas

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 Arkansas employers.

Plan my move to Arkansas

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Maine to Arkansas · Electrician: Maine to Arkansas · Truck driver: Maine to Arkansas · All licences: Maine to Arkansas

From Maine to the states next to Arkansas

Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Mississippi (flat 4.4% state income tax) · Louisiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Texas (no state income tax) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%)

To Arkansas from the states next to Maine

New Hampshire

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

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