Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of South DakotaSouth DakotatoFlag of MichiganMichigan

Moving from South Dakota to Michigan for work

What moves with you from South Dakota to Michigan: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Michigan takes roughly $2,550 a year more than South Dakota does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalarySouth Dakota state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,700-$1,700
$60,000$0$2,550-$2,550
$90,000$0$3,825-$3,825

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.

CNA: South Dakota to Michigan

Transfers by reciprocity. Your South Dakota certificate stays on the South Dakota Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry; 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.

RN and LPN: South Dakota to Michigan

Endorsement needed. Michigan is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your South Dakota 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 Dakota licence stays valid for compact states.

Electrician: South Dakota 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 Dakota hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the South Dakota Electrical Commission before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

CDL: South Dakota 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 Dakota 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 Dakota 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

CNA: South Dakota to Michigan · RN or LPN: South Dakota to Michigan · Electrician: South Dakota to Michigan · Truck driver: South Dakota to Michigan

From South Dakota 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 Dakota

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

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

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