Moving between states / Alaska
Pennsylvaniato
Alaska, CNAMoving from Pennsylvania to Alaska as a certified nursing assistant
What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Pennsylvania has to do to work in Alaska, what the move does to your pay, and who in Alaska is hiring from out of state.
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Pennsylvania certificate stays on the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Credentia); to work in Alaska you apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing (Certified Nurse Aide program) 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 Alaska leaves you roughly $1,842 a year more than Pennsylvania does, because Alaska has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Pennsylvania state tax | Alaska state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,228 | $0 | +$1,228 |
| $60,000 | $1,842 | $0 | +$1,842 |
| $90,000 | $2,763 | $0 | +$2,763 |
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: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Endorsement needed. Alaska is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Pennsylvania multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Pennsylvania licence stays valid for compact states.
Electrician: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Exam likely. Alaska licenses at state level through the Alaska Department of Labor, Mechanical Inspection and reciprocates with other state boards, but Pennsylvania 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 Alaska journeyman exam.
CDL: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Alaska resident you surrender the Pennsylvania CDL at a Alaska 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 Alaska. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Alaska pay you to come?
- Permanent Fund Dividend: roughly $1,000 to $1,700 a year. For every resident after a full calendar year in the state; not a relocation grant, but paid every year.
Openings filed in Alaska
11 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Alaska employers who could not fill them locally.
- Fish Roe TechnicianNorth Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Kodiak · $20.62 to 37/hr
- Shop HelperInterior Alaska Roofing, Inc. · Fairbanks · $21.43 to 30/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianPremier Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Bering Sea and North Pacific · $21.31/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $24.65 to 40/hr
- Pollock Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $18.23/hr
- Assistant Store Manager Aurora CenterAT&T · Fairbanks
Your own route from Pennsylvania to Alaska
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