Moving between states / West Virginia
Californiato
West VirginiaMoving from California to West Virginia for work
What moves with you from California to West Virginia: 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 West Virginia leaves you roughly $3,562 a year more than California does, because West Virginia's rate is lower.
| Salary | California state tax | West Virginia state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $3,724 | $1,350 | +$2,374 |
| $60,000 | $5,586 | $2,024 | +$3,562 |
| $90,000 | $8,379 | $3,037 | +$5,342 |
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 California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: California to West Virginia
Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; 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.
RN and LPN: California to West Virginia
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. California is not in the compact, so your California licence is single-state. Apply to the West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 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 California licence comes from the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10), a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
CDL: California 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 California 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.
Does West Virginia pay you to come?
- 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).
Openings filed in West Virginia
14 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by West Virginia employers who could not fill them locally.
- 35-3023.00 Fast Food & Counter Workers – Mobile Food ConcessMiller & Company Concessions, LLC · Lewisburg · $15.68 to 23.32/hr
- Physical Therapist - $5K Sign on Bonus!Optum · Charleston
- Physical Therapist - $5K Sign on Bonus!Optum · Charleston
- Physical Therapist AssistantOptum · Charleston
- Delivery DriverAarons · Charleston
- Route Sales and Service DriverClean Harbors · Charleston
Your own route from California 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 VirginiaSame move, by trade
CNA: California to West Virginia · RN or LPN: California to West Virginia · Electrician: California to West Virginia · Truck driver: California to West Virginia
From California 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 California
Everything about working in West Virginia · All moves between states · All 50 states