Moving between states / Wisconsin

Flag of MinnesotaMinnesotatoFlag of WisconsinWisconsin, RN or LPN

Moving from Minnesota to Wisconsin as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Minnesota has to do to work in Wisconsin, what the move does to your pay, and who in Wisconsin is hiring from out of state.

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Minnesota is not in the compact, so your Minnesota licence is single-state. Apply to the Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Wisconsin leaves you roughly $924 a year more than Minnesota does, because Wisconsin's rate is lower.

SalaryMinnesota state taxWisconsin state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,758$2,142+$616
$60,000$4,137$3,213+$924
$90,000$6,206$4,819+$1,387

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 Wisconsin

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Minnesota certificate stays on the Minnesota Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Registry; to work in Wisconsin you apply to the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry (Department of Health Services) 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.

Electrician: Minnesota to Wisconsin

Exam required. Wisconsin licenses electricians through the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services 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 Wisconsin exam early.

CDL: Minnesota to Wisconsin

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

No statewide program in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin to Minnesota.

Openings filed in Wisconsin

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

Your own route from Minnesota to Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin employers.

Plan my move to Wisconsin

Same move, by trade

CNA: Minnesota to Wisconsin · Electrician: Minnesota to Wisconsin · Truck driver: Minnesota to Wisconsin · All licences: Minnesota to Wisconsin

From Minnesota to the states next to Wisconsin

Michigan (flat 4.25% state income tax) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax)

To Wisconsin from the states next to Minnesota

North Dakota · South Dakota · Iowa

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

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Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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