Moving from West Virginia to Maine for work
What moves with you from West Virginia to Maine: 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 Maine takes roughly $979 a year more than West Virginia does.
| Salary | West Virginia state tax | Maine state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,350 | $2,002 | -$652 |
| $60,000 | $2,024 | $3,003 | -$979 |
| $90,000 | $3,037 | $4,505 | -$1,468 |
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. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: West Virginia to Maine
Transfers by reciprocity. Your West Virginia certificate stays on the West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Maine you apply to the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers 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: West Virginia to Maine
Works on day one. Both West Virginia and Maine are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from West Virginia is valid in Maine the day you arrive. Once Maine is your primary residence, apply there for a Maine multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: West Virginia to Maine
Reciprocity likely. Maine licenses electricians at state level through the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, and Maine reciprocates with New Hampshire, Vermont and a few other states for journeymen. Your West Virginia licence comes from the West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Electrician Licensing, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: West Virginia to Maine
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Maine resident you surrender the West Virginia CDL at a Maine 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 Maine. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Maine pay you to come?
- Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit: up to $2,500 a year against Maine income tax. For workers living and paying off student loans in Maine.
Going the other way? West Virginia has Ascend West Virginia. See moving from Maine to West Virginia.
Openings filed in Maine
10 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Maine employers who could not fill them locally.
- HOUSEKEEPERDRAPERS HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT INC · SOUTH PORTLAND · $19.35/hr
- Maple Tree Tapper, Farm LaborerMaple Ridge Sugarbush, Inc. · Somerset County · $18.83/hr
- Maple tree tapper, farm laborerRPDM Sugar Camp, Inc. · Somerset County · $15.1/hr
- Relationship Banker - Maine MarketBank of America · Portland
- (USA) Pharmacy Tech Certified Sam'sWalmart · Portland
- IDI Billing Experience ConsultantUnum Group · Portland
Your own route from West Virginia to Maine
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CNA: West Virginia to Maine · RN or LPN: West Virginia to Maine · Electrician: West Virginia to Maine · Truck driver: West Virginia to Maine
From West Virginia to the states next to Maine
New Hampshire (no state income tax)
To Maine from the states next to West Virginia
Ohio · Pennsylvania · Maryland · Virginia · Kentucky
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