Moving between states / Kansas
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Kansas, CNAMoving from Washington to Kansas as a certified nursing assistant
What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Washington has to do to work in Kansas, what the move does to your pay, and who in Kansas is hiring from out of state.
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; to work in Kansas you apply to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Nurse Aide Registry 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.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Kansas takes roughly $2,344 a year more than Washington does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.
| Salary | Washington state tax | Kansas state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $0 | $1,562 | -$1,562 |
| $60,000 | $0 | $2,344 | -$2,344 |
| $90,000 | $0 | $3,515 | -$3,515 |
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.
RN and LPN: Washington to Kansas
Works on day one. Both Washington and Kansas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Washington is valid in Kansas the day you arrive. Once Kansas is your primary residence, apply there for a Kansas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Washington to Kansas
Licensed by the city. Kansas has no state electrician licence; the City and county building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. No state electrician licence; Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City and most counties license locally and many reciprocate with each other. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Washington state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
CDL: Washington to Kansas
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Kansas resident you surrender the Washington CDL at a Kansas 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 Kansas. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Kansas pay you to come?
- Choose Topeka: up to $15,000. For people who take a job in Shawnee County or move there as remote workers; the employer matches part of it.
- Rural Opportunity Zones: student loan repayment up to $15,000 over five years, plus an income tax waiver in some counties. For graduates moving to one of the designated rural counties.
Openings filed in Kansas
67 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Kansas employers who could not fill them locally.
- Bilingual Pharmacy Technician - Spanish (Call Center)McKesson · Overland Park
- Pharmacy Technician (Call Center)McKesson · Overland Park
- Ag Equipment OperatorJohn Young Trust · Burrton · $19.71/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorN and A Farms · Atwood · $15.18/hr
- Farm WorkerFrank L Wedel · Wallace · $15.18/hr
- Relationship BankerBank of America · Overland Park
Your own route from Washington to Kansas
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RN or LPN: Washington to Kansas · Electrician: Washington to Kansas · Truck driver: Washington to Kansas · All licences: Washington to Kansas
From Washington to the states next to Kansas
Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Colorado (flat 4.4% state income tax)
To Kansas from the states next to Washington
Everything about working in Kansas · All moves between states · All 50 states