Moving between states / Washington

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Moving from Oregon to Washington as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Oregon has to do to work in Washington, what the move does to your pay, and who in Washington is hiring from out of state.

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

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Washington leaves you roughly $4,158 a year more than Oregon does, because Washington has no state income tax on wages.

SalaryOregon state taxWashington state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,772$0+$2,772
$60,000$4,158$0+$4,158
$90,000$6,237$0+$6,237

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 Oregon: Portland metro adds local taxes on higher incomes. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Oregon to Washington

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Oregon certificate stays on the Oregon State Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant registry; 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: Oregon to Washington

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Oregon is not in the compact, so your Oregon 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: Oregon to Washington

Reciprocity likely. Washington licenses electricians at state level through the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, and reciprocity with a short list of states for general journeymen with recent hours. Your Oregon licence comes from the Oregon Building Codes Division, Electrical and Elevator Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

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 Oregon 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.

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Same move, by trade

CNA: Oregon to Washington · RN or LPN: Oregon to Washington · Electrician: Oregon to Washington · All licences: Oregon to Washington

From Oregon to the states next to Washington

Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax)

To Washington from the states next to Oregon

Idaho · Nevada · California

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

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