Moving between states / Massachusetts

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Moving from New York to Massachusetts as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your New York certificate stays on the New York State Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Department of Health); to work in Massachusetts you apply to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 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 Massachusetts leaves you roughly $1,578 a year more than New York does, because Massachusetts's rate is lower.

SalaryNew York state taxMassachusetts state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,052$2,000+$1,052
$60,000$4,578$3,000+$1,578
$90,000$6,867$4,500+$2,367

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 Massachusetts: plus 4% on income above about $1 million. In New York: New York City adds up to 3.876%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: New York to Massachusetts

Endorsement needed. Neither New York nor Massachusetts is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Massachusetts Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your New York licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.

Electrician: New York to Massachusetts

Exam required. Massachusetts licenses electricians through the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians and does not reciprocate with any state. Your New York hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the City and county building departments before you move and book the Massachusetts exam early.

CDL: New York to Massachusetts

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

No statewide program in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

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

Your own route from New York to Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts employers.

Plan my move to Massachusetts

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: New York to Massachusetts · Electrician: New York to Massachusetts · Truck driver: New York to Massachusetts · All licences: New York to Massachusetts

From New York to the states next to Massachusetts

New Hampshire (no state income tax) · Vermont (progressive, top rate 8.75%) · Connecticut (progressive, top rate 6.99%) · Rhode Island (progressive, top rate 5.99%)

To Massachusetts from the states next to New York

Vermont · Connecticut · New Jersey · Pennsylvania

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

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