Moving between states / Maryland

Flag of IllinoisIllinoistoFlag of MarylandMaryland, Electrician

Moving from Illinois to Maryland as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Illinois has to do to work in Maryland, what the move does to your pay, and who in Maryland is hiring from out of state.

Exam likely. Maryland licenses at state level through the Maryland State Board of Master Electricians 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 Maryland journeyman exam.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Maryland leaves you roughly $555 a year more than Illinois does, because Maryland's rate is lower.

SalaryIllinois state taxMaryland state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,980$1,610+$370
$60,000$2,970$2,415+$555
$90,000$4,455$3,622+$833

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 Maryland: counties add 2.25 to 3.2% on top. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Illinois to Maryland

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in Maryland you apply to the Maryland Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant program for reciprocity. Maryland certifies by endorsement and requires its own CNA certificate before you can work. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Illinois to Maryland

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Maryland 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 Maryland 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.

CDL: Illinois to Maryland

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Maryland resident you surrender the Illinois CDL at a Maryland 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 Maryland. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Maryland 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 Maryland

42 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Maryland employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Illinois to Maryland

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 Maryland employers.

Plan my move to Maryland

Same move, by trade

CNA: Illinois to Maryland · RN or LPN: Illinois to Maryland · Truck driver: Illinois to Maryland · All licences: Illinois to Maryland

From Illinois to the states next to Maryland

Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Delaware (progressive, top rate 6.6%) · Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%)

To Maryland from the states next to Illinois

Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana

Everything about working in Maryland · All moves between states · All 50 states

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