Illinoisto
IowaMoving from Illinois to Iowa for work
What moves with you from Illinois to Iowa: 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 Iowa leaves you roughly $690 a year more than Illinois does, because Iowa's rate is lower.
| Salary | Illinois state tax | Iowa state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,980 | $1,520 | +$460 |
| $60,000 | $2,970 | $2,280 | +$690 |
| $90,000 | $4,455 | $3,420 | +$1,035 |
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 Iowa
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; 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: Illinois to Iowa
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Iowa 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 Iowa 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 Iowa
Exam likely. Iowa licenses at state level through the Iowa Electrical Examining 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 Iowa journeyman exam.
CDL: Illinois 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 Illinois 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.
Does Iowa pay you to come?
- 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.
- Truck DriverRoger Groth · Battle Creek · $21.04/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorFarson Farms LLC · Hedrick · $19.52/hr
- Farmworkers/ LaborersLauritsen Cattle Company · Exira · $14.96/hr
- Farm WorkerHippen Farms · Aplington · $19.52/hr
- Ag Equipment OperatorBuffington Ag LLC · Swea City · $18.87/hr
- Farmworkers/LaborersWard Family Farms LLC · Walker · $14.96/hr
Your own route from Illinois 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 IowaSame move, by trade
CNA: Illinois to Iowa · RN or LPN: Illinois to Iowa · Electrician: Illinois to Iowa · Truck driver: Illinois to Iowa
From Illinois to the states next to Iowa
Minnesota (progressive, top rate 9.85%) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%) · 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 Illinois
Wisconsin · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana
Everything about working in Iowa · All moves between states · All 50 states