Moving between states / Arkansas

Flag of MississippiMississippitoFlag of ArkansasArkansas, CNA

Moving from Mississippi to Arkansas as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Mississippi certificate stays on the Mississippi State Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Arkansas you apply to the Arkansas Office of Long Term Care, Nurse Aide 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Arkansas leaves you roughly $1,002 a year more than Mississippi does, because Arkansas's rate is lower.

SalaryMississippi state taxArkansas state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,760$1,092+$668
$60,000$2,640$1,638+$1,002
$90,000$3,960$2,457+$1,503

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.

RN and LPN: Mississippi to Arkansas

Works on day one. Both Mississippi and Arkansas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Mississippi is valid in Arkansas the day you arrive. Once Arkansas is your primary residence, apply there for a Arkansas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

Electrician: Mississippi to Arkansas

Reciprocity likely. Arkansas licenses electricians at state level through the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Electrical Section, and reciprocal agreements with a group of neighbouring and western states for journeymen with the required experience. Your Mississippi licence comes from the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Mississippi to Arkansas

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

  • Life Works Here (Northwest Arkansas): up to $10,000 plus a bicycle. For remote and tech workers moving to the Bentonville and Fayetteville region; runs in rounds.

Openings filed in Arkansas

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

Your own route from Mississippi to Arkansas

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 Arkansas employers.

Plan my move to Arkansas

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Mississippi to Arkansas · Electrician: Mississippi to Arkansas · Truck driver: Mississippi to Arkansas · All licences: Mississippi to Arkansas

From Mississippi to the states next to Arkansas

Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Louisiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Texas (no state income tax) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%)

To Arkansas from the states next to Mississippi

Tennessee · Alabama · Louisiana

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

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