Moving between states / West Virginia

Flag of AlabamaAlabamatoFlag of West VirginiaWest Virginia, CNA

Moving from Alabama to West Virginia as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Alabama has to do to work in West Virginia, what the move does to your pay, and who in West Virginia 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 West Virginia you apply to the West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, 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

Alabama and West Virginia take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalaryAlabama state taxWest Virginia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,400$1,350+$50
$60,000$2,100$2,024+$76
$90,000$3,150$3,037+$113

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 West Virginia

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

Electrician: Alabama to West Virginia

Reciprocity likely. West Virginia licenses electricians at state level through the West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Electrician Licensing, and reciprocity with a few states for licence holders 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 West Virginia

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

  • Ascend West Virginia: $12,000 over two years plus outdoor perks. For remote workers who move to one of the participating communities (Morgantown, Lewisburg, Shepherdstown and others).

Going the other way? Alabama has Remote Shoals. See moving from West Virginia to Alabama.

Openings filed in West Virginia

14 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by West Virginia employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Alabama to West Virginia

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 West Virginia employers.

Plan my move to West Virginia

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Alabama to West Virginia · Electrician: Alabama to West Virginia · Truck driver: Alabama to West Virginia · All licences: Alabama to West Virginia

From Alabama to the states next to West Virginia

Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax)

To West Virginia from the states next to Alabama

Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Florida

Everything about working in West Virginia · All moves between states · All 50 states

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Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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