Working Across State Lines: Licensing and Tax Filing for Multi-State Relief Vets
No interstate veterinary compact exists yet. If you work across state lines, you need separate licenses, separate DEAs, and separate tax returns. Here's how to navigate the complexity.
Relief vets who live near state borders or travel for shifts face a layer of complexity that single-state practitioners never think about. Every new state means another license, another DEA registration, another set of CE requirements, and another tax return.
It's manageable — but only if you plan ahead.
The Licensing Problem
Unlike nurses (who have the Nurse Licensure Compact covering 40+ states) and physicians (who have the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact covering 30+ states), veterinary medicine has no interstate licensing compact.
Every state maintains its own licensing requirements, its own application process, and its own fees. If you want to practice in three states, you need three separate veterinary licenses.
The AVMA unanimously passed a license portability policy in early 2025, signaling industry support for a future compact. But it doesn't exist yet, and the legislative process takes years.
How to Get Licensed in a New State
Step 1: Check Requirements
Requirements vary, but most states need:
Proof of graduation from an AVMA-accredited veterinary school
NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination) score verification
Current license in good standing from another state
Background check and fingerprints
State jurisprudence exam (a test on that state's specific veterinary laws)
Application fee ($100-$500+)
Proof of professional liability insurance
Step 2: Use AAVSB VAULT
The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) operates a service called VAULT (Veterinary Application for Uniform Licensure Transfer). It's a centralized repository of your licensing documents that streamlines multi-state applications.
Basic service: $90 — stores your documents and sends them to state boards on request
Premium service: $180 — includes primary source verification of your veterinary degree
Processing time: 7-35 business days depending on the board
VAULT doesn't eliminate the application process, but it standardizes the document submission and saves you from gathering transcripts, NAVLE scores, and verification letters individually for each state.
Step 3: Plan Ahead
State licensing is not fast. Budget:
2-8 weeks for standard processing
8-12 weeks for states with additional requirements (some states require in-person interviews or additional exams)
Longer if there are background check delays
Don't book shifts in a new state until your license is confirmed.
DEA: One Per State
If you handle controlled substances in multiple states, you need a separate DEA registration for each state. At $888 per three-year term, this adds up quickly:
States
DEA Cost (per 3 years)
Annual Cost
1
$888
$296
2
$1,776
$592
3
$2,664
$888
Additionally, many states require a state-level controlled substance registration on top of the federal DEA. These fees range from $25-$300 per state and have their own renewal cycles.
Factor these costs into your rate card when accepting shifts in new states.
Continuing Education: Map the Overlapping Requirements
Each state sets its own CE requirements. If you hold licenses in multiple states, you need to meet the requirements for each state individually.
Common ranges:
Low end: 10 hours per year (Missouri)
Typical: 20-30 hours per biennium (2-year renewal cycle)
High end: 60 hours per 3-year cycle (Iowa)
Efficiency Strategy
Many CE courses count toward requirements in multiple states if they're RACE-approved (Registry of Approved Continuing Education from the AAVSB). RACE approval is the closest thing to a universal CE standard.
To minimize effort:
List the CE requirements for each state where you're licensed
Identify the state with the strictest requirements (highest hours, most specific topic mandates)
Take RACE-approved courses that satisfy the strictest state — they'll almost always satisfy the others too
Use RACEtrack (free from AAVSB) to track your CE credits across all jurisdictions in one place
Watch for State-Specific Mandates
Some states require CE on specific topics:
Opioid/controlled substance management — several states mandate 1-2 hours
Veterinary jurisprudence — some states require jurisprudence CE as part of renewal
Animal abuse reporting — increasingly required in some states
Check each state's board website for mandatory topics.
Multi-State Tax Filing
This is the part that keeps CPAs busy.
The Basic Rule
You must file a state tax return in every state where you earned income. There are two types:
Resident return: Filed in the state where you live (your domicile — where you vote, where your driver's license is from, where you sleep most nights)
Non-resident return: Filed in every other state where you earned income
How It Works in Practice
Say you live in Pennsylvania and work shifts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Pennsylvania: File a resident return reporting ALL income (from all three states)
New Jersey: File a non-resident return reporting only income earned in NJ
Delaware: File a non-resident return reporting only income earned in DE
Pennsylvania credit: PA gives you a credit for taxes paid to NJ and DE, preventing double taxation
The Nine States With No Income Tax
If you live in or work in these states, the math gets simpler:
Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming
If you live in Florida and work shifts in Florida and Georgia, you only file a non-resident return in Georgia (for the income earned there). No Florida state return needed.
Record-Keeping for Multi-State Taxes
You must track:
Which state each shift was worked in — down to the specific dates and locations
Income earned in each state — if an agency pays you in bulk and you worked in multiple states, you'll need to allocate by shift
Expenses attributable to each state — mileage to each state's clinics, state-specific licensing fees, etc.
Your invoicing system or shift tracking is critical here. If you can pull a report showing "I worked 45 days in PA, 20 days in NJ, and 10 days in DE" with corresponding income amounts, your CPA will thank you.
Cost of Multi-State Filing
Each additional state return adds to your tax preparation costs. Budget:
Single-state filing: $500-$1,500 (Schedule C + state return)
Each additional state: $200-$500 per non-resident return
Three-state filer: $1,000-$2,500 total
This is another cost to factor into your rate card for cross-state work.
Is Multi-State Practice Worth It?
The financial and administrative overhead is real. Run the numbers before expanding to a new state:
Additional costs per new state:
License application and maintenance: $200-$800/year
Break-even calculation: If each shift nets you $700 after expenses, you need approximately 2-4 additional shifts per year in the new state just to cover the overhead.
If you're getting steady work in the new state (10+ shifts per year), the economics work. If you're crossing the border for an occasional one-off shift, the costs may not justify it.
Practical Tips
Start with bordering states where you can commute from home — avoid states that require overnight stays until the economics justify it
Apply for new state licenses well in advance — don't wait until you have a specific shift booked
Use AAVSB VAULT to streamline multi-state applications
Track income by state per shift — not per pay period, but per actual work location
Find a CPA experienced in multi-state filing — this is not a job for TurboTax
Build the overhead into your rates — shifts in new states should be priced to cover the additional licensing and tax costs
Keep separate files for each state's licensing requirements, CE obligations, and DEA status
The Bottom Line
Multi-state practice expands your market and reduces your dependence on any single area. But it comes with real costs and administrative complexity. Plan ahead, budget for the overhead, and keep meticulous records.
The relief vets who succeed across state lines aren't the ones with the most licenses — they're the ones with the best systems for managing them.
Kal Saad