Moving between states / Ohio

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Moving from California to Ohio for work

What moves with you from California to Ohio: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Ohio leaves you roughly $4,116 a year more than California does, because Ohio's rate is lower.

SalaryCalifornia state taxOhio state taxDifference a year
$40,000$3,724$980+$2,744
$60,000$5,586$1,470+$4,116
$90,000$8,379$2,205+$6,174

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. In Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. In California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: California to Ohio

Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; to work in Ohio you apply to the Ohio Department of 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: California to Ohio

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. California is not in the compact, so your California licence is single-state. Apply to the Ohio board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because Ohio is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.

Electrician: California to Ohio

Licensed by the city. Ohio has no state electrician licence; the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractors) and city building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. Electrical contractors are state-licensed; journeyman cards are issued by cities where required. No state reciprocity for the contractor exam. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your California state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.

CDL: California to Ohio

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

  • Hamilton Talent Attraction Program: student loan reimbursement paid over several years. For recent graduates moving to Hamilton, Ohio; check the current round.

Openings filed in Ohio

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

Your own route from California to Ohio

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 Ohio employers.

Plan my move to Ohio

Same move, by trade

CNA: California to Ohio · RN or LPN: California to Ohio · Electrician: California to Ohio · Truck driver: California to Ohio

From California to the states next to Ohio

Michigan (flat 4.25% state income tax) · Indiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%) · Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax)

To Ohio from the states next to California

Oregon · Nevada · Arizona

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

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