Moving between states / Georgia

Flag of IowaIowatoFlag of GeorgiaGeorgia

Moving from Iowa to Georgia for work

What moves with you from Iowa to Georgia: 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 Georgia takes roughly $834 a year more than Iowa does.

SalaryIowa state taxGeorgia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,520$2,076-$556
$60,000$2,280$3,114-$834
$90,000$3,420$4,671-$1,251

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: Iowa to Georgia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Iowa certificate stays on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing); to work in Georgia you apply to the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry (Georgia Department of Community Health, administered by Credentia) 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: Iowa to Georgia

Works on day one. Both Iowa and Georgia are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Iowa is valid in Georgia the day you arrive. Once Georgia is your primary residence, apply there for a Georgia multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

Electrician: Iowa to Georgia

Exam required. Georgia licenses electricians through the Georgia State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Electrical Contractors and does not reciprocate with any state. Your Iowa hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the Iowa Electrical Examining Board before you move and book the Georgia exam early.

CDL: Iowa to Georgia

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

No statewide program in Georgia 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.

Going the other way? Iowa has Newton Housing Initiative. See moving from Georgia to Iowa.

Openings filed in Georgia

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

Your own route from Iowa to Georgia

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 Georgia employers.

Plan my move to Georgia

Same move, by trade

CNA: Iowa to Georgia · RN or LPN: Iowa to Georgia · Electrician: Iowa to Georgia · Truck driver: Iowa to Georgia

From Iowa to the states next to Georgia

Florida (no state income tax) · Alabama (progressive, top rate 5%) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · North Carolina (flat 4.25% state income tax) · South Carolina (progressive, top rate 6.2%)

To Georgia from the states next to Iowa

Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

Pick the state