Moving between states / Pennsylvania

Flag of North DakotaNorth DakotatoFlag of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania, CNA

Moving from North Dakota to Pennsylvania as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your North Dakota certificate stays on the North Dakota Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Pennsylvania you apply to the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Credentia) 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 Pennsylvania takes roughly $792 a year more than North Dakota does.

SalaryNorth Dakota state taxPennsylvania state taxDifference a year
$40,000$700$1,228-$528
$60,000$1,050$1,842-$792
$90,000$1,575$2,763-$1,188

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 Pennsylvania: municipalities add an earned income tax, 1% in most places and 3.75% in Philadelphia. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: North Dakota to Pennsylvania

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

Electrician: North Dakota to Pennsylvania

Licensed by the city. Pennsylvania has no state electrician licence; the City and county building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. No state electrician licence; Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and many municipalities license locally. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your North Dakota state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.

CDL: North Dakota to Pennsylvania

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

No statewide program in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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

Your own route from North Dakota to Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania employers.

Plan my move to Pennsylvania

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: North Dakota to Pennsylvania · Electrician: North Dakota to Pennsylvania · Truck driver: North Dakota to Pennsylvania · All licences: North Dakota to Pennsylvania

From North Dakota to the states next to Pennsylvania

New York (progressive, top rate 10.9%) · New Jersey (progressive, top rate 10.75%) · Delaware (progressive, top rate 6.6%) · Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%) · Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%)

To Pennsylvania from the states next to North Dakota

Minnesota · South Dakota · Montana

Everything about working in Pennsylvania · 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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