Moving between states / New Jersey

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Moving from Washington to New Jersey for work

What moves with you from Washington to New Jersey: 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 New Jersey takes roughly $4,515 a year more than Washington does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryWashington state taxNew Jersey state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$3,010-$3,010
$60,000$0$4,515-$4,515
$90,000$0$6,773-$6,773

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 New Jersey

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; to work in New Jersey you apply to the New Jersey Department of Health, 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.

RN and LPN: Washington to New Jersey

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

Electrician: Washington to New Jersey

Exam required. New Jersey licenses electricians through the New Jersey Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Washington hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries before you move and book the New Jersey exam early.

CDL: Washington to New Jersey

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

No statewide program in New Jersey 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 New Jersey

45 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by New Jersey employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Washington to New Jersey

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 New Jersey employers.

Plan my move to New Jersey

Same move, by trade

CNA: Washington to New Jersey · RN or LPN: Washington to New Jersey · Electrician: Washington to New Jersey · Truck driver: Washington to New Jersey

From Washington to the states next to New Jersey

New York (progressive, top rate 10.9%) · Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Delaware (progressive, top rate 6.6%)

To New Jersey from the states next to Washington

Oregon · Idaho

Everything about working in New Jersey · All moves between states · All 50 states

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