Moving between states / Michigan

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Moving from New York to Michigan for work

What moves with you from New York to Michigan: 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 Michigan leaves you roughly $2,028 a year more than New York does, because Michigan's rate is lower.

SalaryNew York state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,052$1,700+$1,352
$60,000$4,578$2,550+$2,028
$90,000$6,867$3,825+$3,042

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. In New York: New York City adds up to 3.876%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: New York to Michigan

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 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: New York to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Neither New York nor Michigan is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Michigan 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 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 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 Michigan exam early.

CDL: New York to Michigan

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Michigan resident you surrender the New York 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.

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 New York 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: New York to Michigan · RN or LPN: New York to Michigan · Electrician: New York to Michigan · Truck driver: New York to Michigan

From New York 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 New York

Vermont · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New Jersey · Pennsylvania

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

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

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