Moving between states / Connecticut

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Moving from Wisconsin to Connecticut as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Wisconsin has to do to work in Connecticut, what the move does to your pay, and who in Connecticut is hiring from out of state.

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

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Connecticut leaves you roughly $277 a year more than Wisconsin does, because Connecticut's rate is lower.

SalaryWisconsin state taxConnecticut state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,142$1,957+$185
$60,000$3,213$2,936+$277
$90,000$4,819$4,404+$415

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: Wisconsin to Connecticut

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Wisconsin certificate stays on the Wisconsin Nurse Aide Registry (Department of Health Services); to work in Connecticut you apply to the Connecticut Department of Public 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: Wisconsin to Connecticut

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

Electrician: Wisconsin to Connecticut

Exam required. Connecticut licenses electricians through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Wisconsin hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services before you move and book the Connecticut exam early.

No statewide program in Connecticut 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 Connecticut

24 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Connecticut employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Wisconsin to Connecticut

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 Connecticut employers.

Plan my move to Connecticut

Same move, by trade

CNA: Wisconsin to Connecticut · RN or LPN: Wisconsin to Connecticut · Electrician: Wisconsin to Connecticut · All licences: Wisconsin to Connecticut

From Wisconsin to the states next to Connecticut

New York (progressive, top rate 10.9%) · Massachusetts (flat 5% state income tax) · Rhode Island (progressive, top rate 5.99%)

To Connecticut from the states next to Wisconsin

Michigan · Minnesota · Iowa · Illinois

Everything about working in Connecticut · All moves between states · All 50 states

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