Moving between states / New York

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Moving from Illinois to New York for work

What moves with you from Illinois to New York: 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 New York takes roughly $1,608 a year more than Illinois does.

SalaryIllinois state taxNew York state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,980$3,052-$1,072
$60,000$2,970$4,578-$1,608
$90,000$4,455$6,867-$2,412

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 New York: New York City adds up to 3.876%. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Illinois to New York

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in New York you apply to the New York State Nurse Aide Registry (administered by Prometric for the Department of Health) for reciprocity. Reciprocity needs an active certificate and paid nurse aide work within the last two years. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Illinois to New York

Endorsement needed. Neither Illinois nor New York is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the New York Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your Illinois licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.

Electrician: Illinois to New York

Licensed by the city. New York has no state electrician licence; the City and county building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. No state electrician licence; New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and most counties license their own and do not reciprocate. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Illinois local licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.

CDL: Illinois to New York

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

No statewide program in New York 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 New York

58 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by New York employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Illinois to New York

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 New York employers.

Plan my move to New York

Same move, by trade

CNA: Illinois to New York · RN or LPN: Illinois to New York · Electrician: Illinois to New York · Truck driver: Illinois to New York

From Illinois to the states next to New York

Vermont (progressive, top rate 8.75%) · Massachusetts (flat 5% state income tax) · Connecticut (progressive, top rate 6.99%) · New Jersey (progressive, top rate 10.75%) · Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax)

To New York from the states next to Illinois

Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana

Everything about working in New York · 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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