Minnesotato
Maine, Truck driverMoving from Minnesota to Maine as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Minnesota has to do to work in Maine, what the move does to your pay, and who in Maine 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 Maine resident you surrender the Minnesota CDL at a Maine 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 Maine. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Maine leaves you roughly $1,134 a year more than Minnesota does, because Maine's rate is lower.
| Salary | Minnesota state tax | Maine state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,758 | $2,002 | +$756 |
| $60,000 | $4,137 | $3,003 | +$1,134 |
| $90,000 | $6,206 | $4,505 | +$1,701 |
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.
CNA: Minnesota to Maine
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Minnesota certificate stays on the Minnesota Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Registry; to work in Maine you apply to the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers 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: Minnesota to Maine
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Minnesota is not in the compact, so your Minnesota licence is single-state. Apply to the Maine 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 Maine 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: Minnesota to Maine
Reciprocity likely. Maine licenses electricians at state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, and Maine reciprocates with New Hampshire, Vermont and a few other states for journeymen. Your Minnesota licence comes from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Maine pay you to come?
- Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit: up to $2,500 a year against Maine income tax. For workers living and paying off student loans in Maine.
Going the other way? Minnesota has Harmony new-home rebate. See moving from Maine to Minnesota.
Openings filed in Maine
10 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Maine employers who could not fill them locally.
- HOUSEKEEPERDRAPERS HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT INC · SOUTH PORTLAND · $19.35/hr
- Maple Tree Tapper, Farm LaborerMaple Ridge Sugarbush, Inc. · Somerset County · $18.83/hr
- Maple tree tapper, farm laborerRPDM Sugar Camp, Inc. · Somerset County · $15.1/hr
- Relationship Banker - Maine MarketBank of America · Portland
- (USA) Pharmacy Tech Certified Sam'sWalmart · Portland
- IDI Billing Experience ConsultantUnum Group · Portland
Your own route from Minnesota to Maine
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CNA: Minnesota to Maine · RN or LPN: Minnesota to Maine · Electrician: Minnesota to Maine · All licences: Minnesota to Maine
From Minnesota to the states next to Maine
New Hampshire (no state income tax)
To Maine from the states next to Minnesota
North Dakota · South Dakota · Iowa · Wisconsin
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