Moving between states / Massachusetts

Flag of MichiganMichigantoFlag of MassachusettsMassachusetts, CNA

Moving from Michigan to Massachusetts as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Michigan certificate stays on the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs); to work in Massachusetts you apply to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 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 Massachusetts takes roughly $450 a year more than Michigan does.

SalaryMichigan state taxMassachusetts state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,700$2,000-$300
$60,000$2,550$3,000-$450
$90,000$3,825$4,500-$675

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 Massachusetts: plus 4% on income above about $1 million. In Michigan: Detroit and some cities add a local income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: Michigan to Massachusetts

Endorsement needed. Neither Michigan nor Massachusetts is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Massachusetts Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your Michigan licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.

Electrician: Michigan to Massachusetts

Exam required. Massachusetts licenses electricians through the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Michigan hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Electrical Administrative Board before you move and book the Massachusetts exam early.

CDL: Michigan to Massachusetts

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

No statewide program in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

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

Your own route from Michigan to Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts employers.

Plan my move to Massachusetts

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Michigan to Massachusetts · Electrician: Michigan to Massachusetts · Truck driver: Michigan to Massachusetts · All licences: Michigan to Massachusetts

From Michigan to the states next to Massachusetts

New Hampshire (no state income tax) · Vermont (progressive, top rate 8.75%) · New York (progressive, top rate 10.9%) · Connecticut (progressive, top rate 6.99%) · Rhode Island (progressive, top rate 5.99%)

To Massachusetts from the states next to Michigan

Ohio · Indiana · Wisconsin

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

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