Moving between states / Michigan

Flag of UtahUtahtoFlag of MichiganMichigan, Electrician

Moving from Utah to Michigan as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Utah has to do to work in Michigan, what the move does to your pay, and who in Michigan is hiring from out of state.

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 Utah hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing before you move and book the Michigan exam early.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Michigan leaves you roughly $150 a year more than Utah does, because Michigan's rate is lower.

SalaryUtah state taxMichigan state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,800$1,700+$100
$60,000$2,700$2,550+$150
$90,000$4,050$3,825+$225

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: Utah to Michigan

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Utah certificate stays on the Utah Nursing Assistant Registry (Utah Department of Health and Human Services); 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: Utah to Michigan

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

CDL: Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah 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: Utah to Michigan · RN or LPN: Utah to Michigan · Truck driver: Utah to Michigan · All licences: Utah to Michigan

From Utah 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 Utah

Idaho · Wyoming · Colorado · New Mexico · Arizona · Nevada

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

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