Moving between states / Montana

Flag of Rhode IslandRhode IslandtoFlag of MontanaMontana, RN or LPN

Moving from Rhode Island to Montana as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Rhode Island has to do to work in Montana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Montana is hiring from out of state.

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

What the move does to your paycheck

Rhode Island and Montana take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalaryRhode Island state taxMontana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,677$1,652+$25
$60,000$2,516$2,478+$38
$90,000$3,774$3,717+$57

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. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Rhode Island to Montana

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Rhode Island certificate stays on the Rhode Island Department of Health, Nursing Assistant licensing; to work in Montana you apply to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human 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: Rhode Island to Montana

Reciprocity likely. Montana licenses electricians at state level through the Montana State Electrical Board, and reciprocity with the western group of states for journeymen with an equivalent licence. Your Rhode Island licence comes from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Board of Examiners of Electricians, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Rhode Island to Montana

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

No statewide program in Montana 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 Montana

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

Your own route from Rhode Island to Montana

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 Montana employers.

Plan my move to Montana

Same move, by trade

CNA: Rhode Island to Montana · Electrician: Rhode Island to Montana · Truck driver: Rhode Island to Montana · All licences: Rhode Island to Montana

From Rhode Island to the states next to Montana

North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · South Dakota (no state income tax) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax)

To Montana from the states next to Rhode Island

Connecticut · Massachusetts

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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