Moving between states / Kansas
Pennsylvaniato
Kansas, RN or LPNMoving from Pennsylvania to Kansas as a registered or practical nurse
What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Pennsylvania has to do to work in Kansas, what the move does to your pay, and who in Kansas is hiring from out of state.
Works on day one. Both Pennsylvania and Kansas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Pennsylvania is valid in Kansas the day you arrive. Once Kansas is your primary residence, apply there for a Kansas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Kansas takes roughly $502 a year more than Pennsylvania does.
| Salary | Pennsylvania state tax | Kansas state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,228 | $1,562 | -$334 |
| $60,000 | $1,842 | $2,344 | -$502 |
| $90,000 | $2,763 | $3,515 | -$752 |
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.
CNA: Pennsylvania to Kansas
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Pennsylvania certificate stays on the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Credentia); to work in Kansas you apply to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 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.
Electrician: Pennsylvania to Kansas
Licensed by the city. Kansas 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; Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City and most counties license locally and many reciprocate with each other. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Pennsylvania local licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
CDL: Pennsylvania to Kansas
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Kansas resident you surrender the Pennsylvania CDL at a Kansas 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 Kansas. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Kansas pay you to come?
- Choose Topeka: up to $15,000. For people who take a job in Shawnee County or move there as remote workers; the employer matches part of it.
- Rural Opportunity Zones: student loan repayment up to $15,000 over five years, plus an income tax waiver in some counties. For graduates moving to one of the designated rural counties.
Openings filed in Kansas
67 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Kansas employers who could not fill them locally.
- Bilingual Pharmacy Technician - Spanish (Call Center)McKesson · Overland Park
- Pharmacy Technician (Call Center)McKesson · Overland Park
- Ag Equipment OperatorJohn Young Trust · Burrton · $19.71/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorN and A Farms · Atwood · $15.18/hr
- Farm WorkerFrank L Wedel · Wallace · $15.18/hr
- Relationship BankerBank of America · Overland Park
Your own route from Pennsylvania to Kansas
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 Kansas employers.
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CNA: Pennsylvania to Kansas · Electrician: Pennsylvania to Kansas · Truck driver: Pennsylvania to Kansas · All licences: Pennsylvania to Kansas
From Pennsylvania to the states next to Kansas
Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Colorado (flat 4.4% state income tax)
To Kansas from the states next to Pennsylvania
New York · New Jersey · Delaware · Maryland · West Virginia · Ohio
Everything about working in Kansas · All moves between states · All 50 states