Moving between states / Colorado

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Moving from Ohio to Colorado as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Colorado you apply to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, 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 Colorado takes roughly $1,170 a year more than Ohio does.

SalaryOhio state taxColorado state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$1,760-$780
$60,000$1,470$2,640-$1,170
$90,000$2,205$3,960-$1,755

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 Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: Ohio to Colorado

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

Electrician: Ohio to Colorado

Exam likely. Colorado licenses at state level through the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA) and reciprocates with other state boards, but Ohio licenses locally through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractors) and city building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Colorado journeyman exam.

CDL: Ohio to Colorado

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

No statewide program in Colorado 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.

Going the other way? Ohio has Hamilton Talent Attraction Program. See moving from Colorado to Ohio.

Openings filed in Colorado

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

Your own route from Ohio to Colorado

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 Colorado employers.

Plan my move to Colorado

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Ohio to Colorado · Electrician: Ohio to Colorado · Truck driver: Ohio to Colorado · All licences: Ohio to Colorado

From Ohio to the states next to Colorado

Wyoming (no state income tax) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Kansas (progressive, top rate 5.58%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax) · Utah (flat 4.5% state income tax)

To Colorado from the states next to Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · West Virginia · Pennsylvania

Everything about working in Colorado · 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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