Moving between states / South Carolina

Flag of IowaIowatoFlag of South CarolinaSouth Carolina, RN or LPN

Moving from Iowa to South Carolina as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Iowa has to do to work in South Carolina, what the move does to your pay, and who in South Carolina is hiring from out of state.

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

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary South Carolina takes roughly $324 a year more than Iowa does.

SalaryIowa state taxSouth Carolina state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,520$1,736-$216
$60,000$2,280$2,604-$324
$90,000$3,420$3,906-$486

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 South Carolina

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Iowa certificate stays on the Iowa Direct Care Worker Registry (Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing); to work in South Carolina you apply to the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry (Department of Health and Human Services, 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.

Electrician: Iowa to South Carolina

Reciprocity likely. South Carolina licenses electricians at state level through the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board and Residential Builders Commission, and Electrical contractors are state-licensed; journeymen are licensed by some cities and counties. Contractor reciprocity with a few states. Your Iowa licence comes from the Iowa Electrical Examining Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Iowa to South Carolina

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

No statewide program in South Carolina 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 South Carolina to Iowa.

Openings filed in South Carolina

78 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by South Carolina employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Iowa to South Carolina

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 South Carolina employers.

Plan my move to South Carolina

Same move, by trade

CNA: Iowa to South Carolina · Electrician: Iowa to South Carolina · Truck driver: Iowa to South Carolina · All licences: Iowa to South Carolina

From Iowa to the states next to South Carolina

North Carolina (flat 4.25% state income tax) · Georgia (flat 5.19% state income tax)

To South Carolina from the states next to Iowa

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

Everything about working in South Carolina · 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