Moving between states / California

Flag of South DakotaSouth DakotatoFlag of CaliforniaCalifornia, CNA

Moving from South Dakota to California as a certified nursing assistant

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

Transfers by reciprocity. Your South Dakota certificate stays on the South Dakota Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in California you apply to the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section for reciprocity. Reciprocity needs an active certificate in good standing and recent paid nurse aide work; California issues its own certificate rather than endorsing yours. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary California takes roughly $5,586 a year more than South Dakota does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalarySouth Dakota state taxCalifornia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$3,724-$3,724
$60,000$0$5,586-$5,586
$90,000$0$8,379-$8,379

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 California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: South Dakota to California

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

Electrician: South Dakota to California

Exam required. California licenses electricians through the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10) and does not reciprocate with any state. Your South Dakota hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the South Dakota Electrical Commission before you move and book the California exam early.

CDL: South Dakota to California

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

No statewide program in California 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 California

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

Your own route from South Dakota to California

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 California employers.

Plan my move to California

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: South Dakota to California · Electrician: South Dakota to California · Truck driver: South Dakota to California · All licences: South Dakota to California

From South Dakota to the states next to California

Oregon (progressive, top rate 9.9%) · Nevada (no state income tax) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax)

To California from the states next to South Dakota

North Dakota · Minnesota · Iowa · Nebraska · Wyoming · Montana

Everything about working in California · 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.

Pick the state