Moving between states / Washington

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Moving from New York to Washington for work

What moves with you from New York to Washington: 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 Washington leaves you roughly $4,578 a year more than New York does, because Washington has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryNew York state taxWashington state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,052$0+$3,052
$60,000$4,578$0+$4,578
$90,000$6,867$0+$6,867

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 Washington: no tax on wages; a 7% tax on large capital gains and a payroll premium for long-term care. In New York: New York City adds up to 3.876%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: New York to Washington

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 Washington you apply to the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program for reciprocity. Washington certifies nursing assistants (NA-C) and credentials out-of-state CNAs by endorsement. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: New York to Washington

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. New York is not in the compact, so your New York licence is single-state. Apply to the Washington board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Washington is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.

Electrician: New York to Washington

Exam likely. Washington licenses at state level through the Washington Department of Labor and Industries and reciprocates with other state boards, but New York licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Washington journeyman exam.

CDL: New York to Washington

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

No statewide program in Washington 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 Washington

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

Your own route from New York to Washington

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 Washington employers.

Plan my move to Washington

Same move, by trade

CNA: New York to Washington · RN or LPN: New York to Washington · Electrician: New York to Washington · Truck driver: New York to Washington

From New York to the states next to Washington

Oregon (progressive, top rate 9.9%) · Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax)

To Washington from the states next to New York

Vermont · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New Jersey · Pennsylvania

Everything about working in Washington · 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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