Moving between states / Kentucky
Illinoisto
KentuckyMoving from Illinois to Kentucky for work
What moves with you from Illinois to Kentucky: 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 Kentucky leaves you roughly $570 a year more than Illinois does, because Kentucky's rate is lower.
| Salary | Illinois state tax | Kentucky state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,980 | $1,600 | +$380 |
| $60,000 | $2,970 | $2,400 | +$570 |
| $90,000 | $4,455 | $3,600 | +$855 |
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. In Kentucky: many cities and counties add an occupational tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Illinois to Kentucky
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in Kentucky you apply to the Kentucky Board of Nursing, Nurse Aide Registry 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 Kentucky
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky
Exam likely. Kentucky licenses at state level through the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Electrical Licensing 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 Kentucky journeyman exam.
CDL: Illinois to Kentucky
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Kentucky resident you surrender the Illinois CDL at a Kentucky 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 Kentucky. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Kentucky pay you to come?
No statewide program in Kentucky 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 Kentucky
58 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Kentucky employers who could not fill them locally.
- Farm Worker LaborSOUTHWEST FARMS, LLC · Murray · $14.33/hr
- FARM WORKER LABORKANARY KENTUCKY, LLC · SEDALIA · $14.33/hr
- Stable AttendantRobert Gentry · Lexington · $14.33/hr
- Loan Sales SpecialistOneMain Financial · Lexington
- Livestock Worker/Ranch handCarlton Lee Barker · Adairville · $14.33/hr
- FARM LABORBATTS FARMS, LLC · WATER VALLEY · $14.33/hr
Your own route from Illinois to Kentucky
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 Kentucky employers.
Plan my move to KentuckySame move, by trade
CNA: Illinois to Kentucky · RN or LPN: Illinois to Kentucky · Electrician: Illinois to Kentucky · Truck driver: Illinois to Kentucky
From Illinois to the states next to Kentucky
Indiana (flat 3% state income tax) · Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%) · Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%)
To Kentucky from the states next to Illinois
Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Indiana
Everything about working in Kentucky · All moves between states · All 50 states