Alabamato
Iowa, CNAMoving from Alabama to Iowa as a certified nursing assistant
What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Alabama has to do to work in Iowa, what the move does to your pay, and who in Iowa is hiring from out of state.
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alabama certificate stays on the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry (Alabama Department of Public Health); to work in Iowa you apply to the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing) 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
On a $60,000 salary Iowa takes roughly $180 a year more than Alabama does.
| Salary | Alabama state tax | Iowa state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,400 | $1,520 | -$120 |
| $60,000 | $2,100 | $2,280 | -$180 |
| $90,000 | $3,150 | $3,420 | -$270 |
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.
RN and LPN: Alabama to Iowa
Works on day one. Both Alabama and Iowa are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Alabama is valid in Iowa the day you arrive. Once Iowa is your primary residence, apply there for a Iowa multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Alabama to Iowa
Reciprocity likely. Iowa licenses electricians at state level through the Iowa Electrical Examining Board, and reciprocity with a list of states for journeymen who passed an equivalent exam. Your Alabama licence comes from the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: Alabama to Iowa
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Iowa resident you surrender the Alabama CDL at a Iowa 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 Iowa. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Iowa pay you to come?
- Newton Housing Initiative: up to $10,000 toward a newly built home. For anyone building or buying a new home in Newton; a construction incentive rather than a hiring one.
Going the other way? Alabama has Remote Shoals. See moving from Iowa to Alabama.
Openings filed in Iowa
52 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Iowa employers who could not fill them locally.
- Truck DriverRoger Groth · Battle Creek · $21.04/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorFarson Farms LLC · Hedrick · $19.52/hr
- Farmworkers/ LaborersLauritsen Cattle Company · Exira · $14.96/hr
- Farm WorkerHippen Farms · Aplington · $19.52/hr
- Ag Equipment OperatorBuffington Ag LLC · Swea City · $18.87/hr
- Farmworkers/LaborersWard Family Farms LLC · Walker · $14.96/hr
Your own route from Alabama to Iowa
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 Iowa employers.
Plan my move to IowaSame move, by trade
RN or LPN: Alabama to Iowa · Electrician: Alabama to Iowa · Truck driver: Alabama to Iowa · All licences: Alabama to Iowa
From Alabama to the states next to Iowa
Minnesota (progressive, top rate 9.85%) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%) · Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax) · Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%) · South Dakota (no state income tax)
To Iowa from the states next to Alabama
Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Florida
Everything about working in Iowa · All moves between states · All 50 states