Moving from Montana to Texas for work
What moves with you from Montana to Texas: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Texas leaves you roughly $2,478 a year more than Montana does, because Texas has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Montana state tax | Texas state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,652 | $0 | +$1,652 |
| $60,000 | $2,478 | $0 | +$2,478 |
| $90,000 | $3,717 | $0 | +$3,717 |
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: Montana to Texas
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Montana certificate stays on the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Texas you apply to the Texas Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. Reciprocity for an active, unencumbered CNA from another state registry; Texas adds you to its registry rather than issuing a certificate. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Montana to Texas
Works on day one. Both Montana and Texas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Montana is valid in Texas the day you arrive. Once Texas is your primary residence, apply there for a Texas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Montana to Texas
Reciprocity likely. Texas licenses electricians at state level through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and TDLR reciprocates journeyman and master licences with a handful of states and otherwise waives the exam for nobody. Your Montana licence comes from the Montana State Electrical Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: Montana to Texas
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident you surrender the Montana CDL at a Texas 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 Texas. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Texas pay you to come?
No statewide program in Texas 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 Texas
609 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Texas employers who could not fill them locally.
- Application Support Engineer - Mid LevelUSAA · San Antonio
- Materials PlannerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Expediting SpecialistBechtel · Houston
- Labor Relations SpecialistBechtel · Houston
Your own route from Montana to Texas
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 Texas employers.
Plan my move to TexasSame move, by trade
CNA: Montana to Texas · RN or LPN: Montana to Texas · Electrician: Montana to Texas · Truck driver: Montana to Texas
From Montana to the states next to Texas
New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Louisiana (flat 3% state income tax)
To Texas from the states next to Montana
North Dakota · South Dakota · Wyoming · Idaho
Everything about working in Texas · All moves between states · All 50 states