Moving between states / Washington

Flag of MichiganMichigantoFlag of WashingtonWashington

Moving from Michigan to Washington for work

What moves with you from Michigan to Washington: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Washington leaves you roughly $2,550 a year more than Michigan does, because Washington has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryMichigan state taxWashington state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,700$0+$1,700
$60,000$2,550$0+$2,550
$90,000$3,825$0+$3,825

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 Washington: no tax on wages; a 7% tax on large capital gains and a payroll premium for long-term care. In Michigan: Detroit and some cities add a local income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Michigan to Washington

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 Washington you apply to the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program for reciprocity. Washington certifies nursing assistants (NA-C) and credentials out-of-state CNAs by endorsement. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Michigan to Washington

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Michigan is not in the compact, so your Michigan licence is single-state. Apply to the Washington 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 Washington 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: Michigan to Washington

Reciprocity likely. Washington licenses electricians at state level through the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, and reciprocity with a short list of states for general journeymen with recent hours. 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.

CDL: Michigan to Washington

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

No statewide program in Washington 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 Washington

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

Your own route from Michigan to Washington

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 Washington employers.

Plan my move to Washington

Same move, by trade

CNA: Michigan to Washington · RN or LPN: Michigan to Washington · Electrician: Michigan to Washington · Truck driver: Michigan to Washington

From Michigan to the states next to Washington

Oregon (progressive, top rate 9.9%) · Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax)

To Washington from the states next to Michigan

Ohio · Indiana · Wisconsin

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

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