Moving between states / Maryland

Flag of VirginiaVirginiatoFlag of MarylandMaryland

Moving from Virginia to Maryland for work

What moves with you from Virginia to Maryland: 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

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

SalaryVirginia state taxMaryland state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,610$1,610$0
$60,000$2,415$2,415$0
$90,000$3,622$3,622$0

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 Maryland: counties add 2.25 to 3.2% on top. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Virginia to Maryland

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Virginia certificate stays on the Virginia Board of Nursing, Certified Nurse Aide registry; to work in Maryland you apply to the Maryland Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant program for reciprocity. Maryland certifies by endorsement and requires its own CNA certificate before you can work. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Virginia to Maryland

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

Electrician: Virginia to Maryland

Reciprocity likely. Maryland licenses electricians at state level through the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians, and Since 2021 journeyman, master and apprentice licences are state-issued; reciprocity for masters from states with a comparable exam. Your Virginia licence comes from the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, Board for Contractors, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Virginia to Maryland

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

No statewide program in Maryland 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 Maryland

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

Your own route from Virginia to Maryland

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 Maryland employers.

Plan my move to Maryland

Same move, by trade

CNA: Virginia to Maryland · RN or LPN: Virginia to Maryland · Electrician: Virginia to Maryland · Truck driver: Virginia to Maryland

From Virginia to the states next to Maryland

Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Delaware (progressive, top rate 6.6%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%)

To Maryland from the states next to Virginia

West Virginia · Kentucky · Tennessee · North Carolina

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

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