Moving between states / Iowa

Flag of IdahoIdahotoFlag of IowaIowa, Electrician

Moving from Idaho to Iowa as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Idaho has to do to work in Iowa, what the move does to your pay, and who in Iowa is hiring from out of state.

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 Idaho licence comes from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, Electrical Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Iowa leaves you roughly $900 a year more than Idaho does, because Iowa's rate is lower.

SalaryIdaho state taxIowa state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,120$1,520+$600
$60,000$3,180$2,280+$900
$90,000$4,770$3,420+$1,350

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.

CNA: Idaho to Iowa

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Idaho certificate stays on the Idaho Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare); 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.

RN and LPN: Idaho to Iowa

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

CDL: Idaho 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 Idaho 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 Idaho 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

CNA: Idaho to Iowa · RN or LPN: Idaho to Iowa · Truck driver: Idaho to Iowa · All licences: Idaho to Iowa

From Idaho 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 Idaho

Washington · Oregon · Nevada · Utah · Wyoming · Montana

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

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