Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of South CarolinaSouth CarolinatoFlag of MichiganMichigan, CNA

Moving from South Carolina to Michigan as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your South Carolina certificate stays on the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry (Department of Health and Human Services, administered by Credentia); to work in Michigan you apply to the Michigan Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs) 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

South Carolina and Michigan take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalarySouth Carolina state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,736$1,700+$36
$60,000$2,604$2,550+$54
$90,000$3,906$3,825+$81

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 Michigan: Detroit and some cities add a local income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: South Carolina to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your South Carolina multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Michigan Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your South Carolina licence stays valid for compact states.

Electrician: South Carolina to Michigan

Exam required. Michigan licenses electricians through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Electrical Administrative Board and does not reciprocate with any state. Your South Carolina hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board and Residential Builders Commission before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

CDL: South Carolina to Michigan

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

No statewide program in Michigan 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 Michigan

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

Your own route from South Carolina to Michigan

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 Michigan employers.

Plan my move to Michigan

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: South Carolina to Michigan · Electrician: South Carolina to Michigan · Truck driver: South Carolina to Michigan · All licences: South Carolina to Michigan

From South Carolina to the states next to Michigan

Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Indiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%)

To Michigan from the states next to South Carolina

North Carolina · Georgia

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

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