Moving between states / Idaho

Flag of WashingtonWashingtontoFlag of IdahoIdaho

Moving from Washington to Idaho for work

What moves with you from Washington to Idaho: 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 Idaho takes roughly $3,180 a year more than Washington does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryWashington state taxIdaho state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$2,120-$2,120
$60,000$0$3,180-$3,180
$90,000$0$4,770-$4,770

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 Idaho

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; to work in Idaho you apply to the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare) 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 Idaho

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

Electrician: Washington to Idaho

Reciprocity likely. Idaho licenses electricians at state level through the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, Electrical Board, and Idaho reciprocates with most western states for journeymen who tested there and worked a year. 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.

CDL: Washington to Idaho

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

No statewide program in Idaho 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 Idaho

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

Your own route from Washington to Idaho

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 Idaho employers.

Plan my move to Idaho

Same move, by trade

CNA: Washington to Idaho · RN or LPN: Washington to Idaho · Electrician: Washington to Idaho · Truck driver: Washington to Idaho

From Washington to the states next to Idaho

Oregon (progressive, top rate 9.9%) · Nevada (no state income tax) · Utah (flat 4.5% state income tax) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Montana (progressive, top rate 5.9%)

To Idaho from the states next to Washington

Oregon

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

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