Moving between states / South Dakota

Flag of WashingtonWashingtontoFlag of South DakotaSouth Dakota, CNA

Moving from Washington to South Dakota as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Washington has to do to work in South Dakota, what the move does to your pay, and who in South Dakota 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 South Dakota you apply to the South Dakota Board of Nursing, 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

Neither Washington nor South Dakota taxes wages, so the move changes nothing on the state line of your paycheck.

SalaryWashington state taxSouth Dakota state taxDifference 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.

RN and LPN: Washington to South Dakota

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

Electrician: Washington to South Dakota

Reciprocity likely. South Dakota licenses electricians at state level through the South Dakota Electrical Commission, and reciprocity with a group of states for journeymen licensed by exam. 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 South Dakota

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

No statewide program in South Dakota 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 South Dakota

63 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by South Dakota employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Washington to South Dakota

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 South Dakota employers.

Plan my move to South Dakota

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Washington to South Dakota · Electrician: Washington to South Dakota · Truck driver: Washington to South Dakota · All licences: Washington to South Dakota

From Washington to the states next to South Dakota

North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · Minnesota (progressive, top rate 9.85%) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · Wyoming (no state income tax) · Montana (progressive, top rate 5.9%)

To South Dakota from the states next to Washington

Oregon · Idaho

Everything about working in South Dakota · 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