Moving between states / Georgia
Illinoisto
Georgia, Truck driverMoving from Illinois to Georgia as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Illinois has to do to work in Georgia, what the move does to your pay, and who in Georgia 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 Georgia resident you surrender the Illinois CDL at a Georgia 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 Georgia. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
Illinois and Georgia take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.
| Salary | Illinois state tax | Georgia state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,980 | $2,076 | -$96 |
| $60,000 | $2,970 | $3,114 | -$144 |
| $90,000 | $4,455 | $4,671 | -$216 |
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 Georgia
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in Georgia you apply to the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry (Georgia Department of Community Health, administered by Credentia) 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: Illinois to Georgia
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia
Exam required. Georgia licenses electricians through the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Illinois hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the City and county building departments before you move and book the Georgia exam early.
Does Georgia pay you to come?
No statewide program in Georgia 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 Georgia
147 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Georgia employers who could not fill them locally.
- Farmworkers and LaborersRamon Perez · Cobbtown · $12.57/hr
- farm laborerMiles Berry Farm · Baxley · $12.57/hr
- Relationship Banker - Savannah Augusta Market- Augusta, GA AreaBank of America · Augusta
- Relationship Banker - North Lake Drive Financial CenterBank of America · Columbus
- BeekeeperSanders Honey Co. LLC · Waycross · $16.49/hr
- BeekeeperStudier Apiaries, Inc · Guyton · $16.49/hr
Your own route from Illinois to Georgia
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 Georgia employers.
Plan my move to GeorgiaSame move, by trade
CNA: Illinois to Georgia · RN or LPN: Illinois to Georgia · Electrician: Illinois to Georgia · All licences: Illinois to Georgia
From Illinois to the states next to Georgia
Florida (no state income tax) · Alabama (progressive, top rate 5%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · North Carolina (flat 4.25% state income tax) · South Carolina (progressive, top rate 6.2%)
To Georgia from the states next to Illinois
Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana
Everything about working in Georgia · All moves between states · All 50 states