Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of MississippiMississippitoFlag of MichiganMichigan, Truck driver

Moving from Mississippi to Michigan as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Mississippi 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 at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Michigan resident you surrender the Mississippi 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

Mississippi and Michigan take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalaryMississippi state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,760$1,700+$60
$60,000$2,640$2,550+$90
$90,000$3,960$3,825+$135

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.

CNA: Mississippi to Michigan

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Mississippi certificate stays on the Mississippi State Department of Health, Nurse Aide 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.

RN and LPN: Mississippi to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Mississippi multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Mississippi licence stays valid for compact states.

Electrician: Mississippi 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 Mississippi hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

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.

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 Mississippi 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

CNA: Mississippi to Michigan · RN or LPN: Mississippi to Michigan · Electrician: Mississippi to Michigan · All licences: Mississippi to Michigan

From Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Tennessee · Alabama · Louisiana · Arkansas

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

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

Pick the state