Moving between states / Georgia

Flag of MaineMainetoFlag of GeorgiaGeorgia, CNA

Moving from Maine to Georgia as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Maine has to do to work in Georgia, what the move does to your pay, and who in Georgia 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 Georgia you apply to the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry (Georgia Department of Community Health, administered by Credentia) 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

Maine and Georgia take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalaryMaine state taxGeorgia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,002$2,076-$74
$60,000$3,003$3,114-$111
$90,000$4,505$4,671-$166

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 Georgia

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

Electrician: Maine to Georgia

Exam required. Georgia licenses electricians through the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Maine hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Maine Electricians' Examining Board before you move and book the Georgia exam early.

CDL: Maine to Georgia

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

No statewide program in Georgia 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.

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

Openings filed in Georgia

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

Your own route from Maine to Georgia

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 Georgia employers.

Plan my move to Georgia

Same move, by trade

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

From Maine to the states next to Georgia

Florida (no state income tax) · Alabama (progressive, top rate 5%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · North Carolina (flat 4.25% state income tax) · South Carolina (progressive, top rate 6.2%)

To Georgia from the states next to Maine

New Hampshire

Everything about working in Georgia · 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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