Illinoisto
TexasMoving from Illinois to Texas for work
What moves with you from Illinois to Texas: 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 Texas leaves you roughly $2,970 a year more than Illinois does, because Texas has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Illinois state tax | Texas state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,980 | $0 | +$1,980 |
| $60,000 | $2,970 | $0 | +$2,970 |
| $90,000 | $4,455 | $0 | +$4,455 |
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 Texas
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Illinois certificate stays on the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker Registry; to work in Texas you apply to the Texas Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. Reciprocity for an active, unencumbered CNA from another state registry; Texas adds you to its registry rather than issuing a certificate. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Illinois to Texas
Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Illinois is not in the compact, so your Illinois licence is single-state. Apply to the Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas
Exam likely. Texas licenses at state level through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation 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 Texas journeyman exam.
CDL: Illinois to Texas
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident you surrender the Illinois CDL at a Texas 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 Texas. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Texas pay you to come?
No statewide program in Texas 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 Texas
609 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Texas employers who could not fill them locally.
- Application Support Engineer - Mid LevelUSAA · San Antonio
- Materials PlannerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Expediting SpecialistBechtel · Houston
- Labor Relations SpecialistBechtel · Houston
Your own route from Illinois to Texas
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 Texas employers.
Plan my move to TexasSame move, by trade
CNA: Illinois to Texas · RN or LPN: Illinois to Texas · Electrician: Illinois to Texas · Truck driver: Illinois to Texas
From Illinois to the states next to Texas
New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Louisiana (flat 3% state income tax)
To Texas from the states next to Illinois
Wisconsin · Iowa · Missouri · Kentucky · Indiana
Everything about working in Texas · All moves between states · All 50 states