Moving between states / Georgia

Flag of IllinoisIllinoistoFlag of GeorgiaGeorgia, RN or LPN

Moving from Illinois to Georgia as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse 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.

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.

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.

SalaryIllinois state taxGeorgia state taxDifference 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.

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.

CDL: Illinois to Georgia

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.

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.

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 Georgia

Same move, by trade

CNA: Illinois to Georgia · Electrician: Illinois to Georgia · Truck driver: 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

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Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

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