Moving between states / Minnesota

Flag of MichiganMichigantoFlag of MinnesotaMinnesota, Truck driver

Moving from Michigan to Minnesota as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Michigan has to do to work in Minnesota, what the move does to your pay, and who in Minnesota 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 Minnesota resident you surrender the Michigan CDL at a Minnesota 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 Minnesota. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Minnesota takes roughly $1,587 a year more than Michigan does.

SalaryMichigan state taxMinnesota state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,700$2,758-$1,058
$60,000$2,550$4,137-$1,587
$90,000$3,825$6,206-$2,381

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 Michigan: Detroit and some cities add a local income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Michigan to Minnesota

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 Minnesota you apply to the Minnesota Department of Health, Nursing Assistant 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.

RN and LPN: Michigan to Minnesota

Endorsement needed. Neither Michigan nor Minnesota is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Reciprocity likely. Minnesota licenses electricians at state level through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and reciprocity with a group of states for journeymen licensed by exam who worked a year in the trade. Your Michigan licence comes from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Electrical Administrative Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

  • Harmony new-home rebate: $5,000 to $12,000. For anyone building a new home in the city of Harmony.

Openings filed in Minnesota

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

Your own route from Michigan to Minnesota

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 Minnesota employers.

Plan my move to Minnesota

Same move, by trade

CNA: Michigan to Minnesota · RN or LPN: Michigan to Minnesota · Electrician: Michigan to Minnesota · All licences: Michigan to Minnesota

From Michigan to the states next to Minnesota

North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · South Dakota (no state income tax) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%)

To Minnesota from the states next to Michigan

Ohio · Indiana · Wisconsin

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

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