Moving between states / Florida
Illinoisto
Florida, Truck driverMoving from Illinois to Florida as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Illinois has to do to work in Florida, what the move does to your pay, and who in Florida is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Florida resident you surrender the Illinois CDL at a Florida 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 Florida. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Florida leaves you roughly $2,970 a year more than Illinois does, because Florida has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Illinois state tax | Florida state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,980 | $0 | +$1,980 |
| $60,000 | $2,970 | $0 | +$2,970 |
| $90,000 | $4,455 | $0 | +$4,455 |
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: Illinois to Florida
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in Florida you apply to the Florida Board of Nursing (CNA certification by endorsement) for reciprocity. Endorsement for an active CNA from another state registry; Florida runs its own background screening before it certifies you. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Illinois to Florida
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Florida 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 Florida 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: Illinois to Florida
Exam likely. Florida licenses at state level through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Illinois licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Florida journeyman exam.
Does Florida pay you to come?
No statewide program in Florida pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.
Openings filed in Florida
297 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Florida employers who could not fill them locally.
- Regulatory Reporting Operations ProfessionalBank of America · Jacksonville
- Markets Support AnalystBank of America · Jacksonville
- Senior Manager, Supply Chain Protection & Loss IntelligenceFlexport · Miami
- Manager, Claims Operations - ATFUSAA · Tampa
- Account Manager II, Eats EnterpriseUber · Miami
- Transaction Management Ops Analyst - BPRO Financial Transaction ReviewBank of America · Jacksonville
Your own route from Illinois to Florida
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 Florida employers.
Plan my move to FloridaSame move, by trade
CNA: Illinois to Florida · RN or LPN: Illinois to Florida · Electrician: Illinois to Florida · All licences: Illinois to Florida
From Illinois to the states next to Florida
Georgia (flat 5.19% state income tax) · Alabama (progressive, top rate 5%)
To Florida from the states next to Illinois
Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana
Everything about working in Florida · All moves between states · All 50 states