Moving between states / Missouri
Iowato
Missouri, Truck driverMoving from Iowa to Missouri as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Iowa has to do to work in Missouri, what the move does to your pay, and who in Missouri is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Missouri resident you surrender the Iowa CDL at a Missouri 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 Missouri. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Missouri leaves you roughly $306 a year more than Iowa does, because Missouri's rate is lower.
| Salary | Iowa state tax | Missouri state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,520 | $1,316 | +$204 |
| $60,000 | $2,280 | $1,974 | +$306 |
| $90,000 | $3,420 | $2,961 | +$459 |
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 Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis add a 1% earnings tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Iowa to Missouri
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Iowa certificate stays on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing); to work in Missouri you apply to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Certified Nurse Assistant 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: Iowa to Missouri
Works on day one. Both Iowa and Missouri are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Iowa is valid in Missouri the day you arrive. Once Missouri is your primary residence, apply there for a Missouri multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Iowa to Missouri
Licensed by the city. Missouri has no state electrician licence; the Missouri Division of Professional Registration (optional statewide licence) and city building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. A voluntary statewide electrical contractor licence exists since 2021; day-to-day licensing is still by city and county, many of which reciprocate with each other. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Iowa state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
Does Missouri pay you to come?
No statewide program in Missouri 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 Missouri to Iowa.
Openings filed in Missouri
93 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Missouri employers who could not fill them locally.
- Senior Banker II - Watkins Crossing Financial CenterBank of America · Kansas City
- Landscape LaborerKC Sprinkler Pros · Kansas City · $20.65 to 24/hr
- 35-3023.00 Fast Food & Counter Workers – Mobile Food ConcessDizon's Food, LLC · St. Louis · $17.77 to 21.57/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorsFarmRight Solutions, LLC · New Cambria · $18.71/hr
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural ProductsT&H Feedlot · Sedgewickville · $15/hr
- Farmworkers, Farm & Ranch AnimalsShow-Me Farms · Polo · $15/hr
Your own route from Iowa to Missouri
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 Missouri employers.
Plan my move to MissouriSame move, by trade
CNA: Iowa to Missouri · RN or LPN: Iowa to Missouri · Electrician: Iowa to Missouri · All licences: Iowa to Missouri
From Iowa to the states next to Missouri
Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Kansas (progressive, top rate 5.58%) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%)
To Missouri from the states next to Iowa
Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Nebraska · South Dakota
Everything about working in Missouri · All moves between states · All 50 states