Moving between states / North Carolina

Flag of WashingtonWashingtontoFlag of North CarolinaNorth Carolina, RN or LPN

Moving from Washington to North Carolina as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Washington has to do to work in North Carolina, what the move does to your pay, and who in North Carolina is hiring from out of state.

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

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary North Carolina takes roughly $2,550 a year more than Washington does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryWashington state taxNorth Carolina state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,700-$1,700
$60,000$0$2,550-$2,550
$90,000$0$3,825-$3,825

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 North Carolina

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Washington certificate stays on the Washington State Department of Health, Nursing Assistant Certified program; to work in North Carolina you apply to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide I 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.

Electrician: Washington to North Carolina

Reciprocity likely. North Carolina licenses electricians at state level through the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, and The state licenses electrical contractors in classes; journeymen are not licensed at state level. Limited contractor reciprocity with neighbouring states. 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 North Carolina

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

No statewide program in North Carolina 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 North Carolina

169 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by North Carolina employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Washington to North Carolina

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 North Carolina employers.

Plan my move to North Carolina

Same move, by trade

CNA: Washington to North Carolina · Electrician: Washington to North Carolina · Truck driver: Washington to North Carolina · All licences: Washington to North Carolina

From Washington to the states next to North Carolina

Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Georgia (flat 5.19% state income tax) · South Carolina (progressive, top rate 6.2%)

To North Carolina from the states next to Washington

Oregon · Idaho

Everything about working in North Carolina · All moves between states · All 50 states

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

Pick the state