Moving between states / Michigan

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Moving from Minnesota to Michigan as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Minnesota certificate stays on the Minnesota Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Registry; to work in Michigan you apply to the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) 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 Michigan leaves you roughly $1,587 a year more than Minnesota does, because Michigan's rate is lower.

SalaryMinnesota state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,758$1,700+$1,058
$60,000$4,137$2,550+$1,587
$90,000$6,206$3,825+$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.

RN and LPN: Minnesota to Michigan

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

Electrician: Minnesota to Michigan

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

CDL: Minnesota to Michigan

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

No statewide program in Michigan 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? Minnesota has Harmony new-home rebate. See moving from Michigan to Minnesota.

Openings filed in Michigan

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

Your own route from Minnesota to Michigan

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 Michigan employers.

Plan my move to Michigan

Same move, by trade

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

From Minnesota to the states next to Michigan

Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Indiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%)

To Michigan from the states next to Minnesota

North Dakota · South Dakota · Iowa · Wisconsin

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

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