Moving between states / Maine

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Moving from New Jersey to Maine as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your New Jersey certificate stays on the New Jersey Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Maine you apply to the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers 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 Maine leaves you roughly $1,512 a year more than New Jersey does, because Maine's rate is lower.

SalaryNew Jersey state taxMaine state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,010$2,002+$1,008
$60,000$4,515$3,003+$1,512
$90,000$6,773$4,505+$2,268

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: New Jersey to Maine

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

Electrician: New Jersey to Maine

Reciprocity likely. Maine licenses electricians at state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, and Maine reciprocates with New Hampshire, Vermont and a few other states for journeymen. Your New Jersey licence comes from the New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: New Jersey to Maine

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

  • Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit: up to $2,500 a year against Maine income tax. For workers living and paying off student loans in Maine.

Openings filed in Maine

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

Your own route from New Jersey to Maine

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 Maine employers.

Plan my move to Maine

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: New Jersey to Maine · Electrician: New Jersey to Maine · Truck driver: New Jersey to Maine · All licences: New Jersey to Maine

From New Jersey to the states next to Maine

New Hampshire (no state income tax)

To Maine from the states next to New Jersey

New York · Pennsylvania · Delaware

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

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