Moving between states / Alaska
Washingtonto
Alaska, ElectricianMoving from Washington to Alaska as a journeyman electrician
What a journeyman electrician licensed in Washington has to do to work in Alaska, what the move does to your pay, and who in Alaska is hiring from out of state.
Reciprocity likely. Alaska licenses electricians at state level through the Alaska Department of Labor, Mechanical Inspection, and State certificate of fitness for journeymen; Alaska takes part in the western reciprocity group, so a journeyman card from a partner state can be endorsed. Your Washington licence comes from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
What the move does to your paycheck
Neither Washington nor Alaska taxes wages, so the move changes nothing on the state line of your paycheck.
| Salary | Washington state tax | Alaska state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| $60,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| $90,000 | $0 | $0 | $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 Washington: no tax on wages; a 7% tax on large capital gains and a payroll premium for long-term care. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Washington to Alaska
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; to work in Alaska you apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing (Certified Nurse Aide program) 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: Washington to Alaska
Endorsement needed. Alaska is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Washington multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Washington licence stays valid for compact states.
CDL: Washington to Alaska
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Alaska resident you surrender the Washington CDL at a Alaska 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 Alaska. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Alaska pay you to come?
- Permanent Fund Dividend: roughly $1,000 to $1,700 a year. For every resident after a full calendar year in the state; not a relocation grant, but paid every year.
Openings filed in Alaska
11 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Alaska employers who could not fill them locally.
- Fish Roe TechnicianNorth Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Kodiak · $20.62 to 37/hr
- Shop HelperInterior Alaska Roofing, Inc. · Fairbanks · $21.43 to 30/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianPremier Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Bering Sea and North Pacific · $21.31/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $24.65 to 40/hr
- Pollock Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $18.23/hr
- Assistant Store Manager Aurora CenterAT&T · Fairbanks
Your own route from Washington to Alaska
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