Moving between states / Iowa

Flag of ArizonaArizonatoFlag of IowaIowa, CNA

Moving from Arizona to Iowa as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Arizona 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 Arizona certificate stays on the Arizona State Board of Nursing (CNA and LNA certification); 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 $780 a year more than Arizona does.

SalaryArizona state taxIowa state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,000$1,520-$520
$60,000$1,500$2,280-$780
$90,000$2,250$3,420-$1,170

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: Arizona to Iowa

Works on day one. Both Arizona and Iowa are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Arizona 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: Arizona to Iowa

Exam likely. Iowa licenses at state level through the Iowa Electrical Examining Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Arizona licenses locally through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Iowa journeyman exam.

CDL: Arizona 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 Arizona 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.

  • 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.

Openings filed in Iowa

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

Your own route from Arizona 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 Iowa

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Arizona to Iowa · Electrician: Arizona to Iowa · Truck driver: Arizona to Iowa · All licences: Arizona to Iowa

From Arizona 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 Arizona

California · Nevada · Utah · Colorado · New Mexico

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

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

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