Moving between states / Pennsylvania
Louisianato
Pennsylvania, Truck driverMoving from Louisiana to Pennsylvania as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Louisiana has to do to work in Pennsylvania, what the move does to your pay, and who in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania resident you surrender the Louisiana CDL at a Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
Louisiana and Pennsylvania take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.
| Salary | Louisiana state tax | Pennsylvania state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,200 | $1,228 | -$28 |
| $60,000 | $1,800 | $1,842 | -$42 |
| $90,000 | $2,700 | $2,763 | -$63 |
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 Pennsylvania: municipalities add an earned income tax, 1% in most places and 3.75% in Philadelphia. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Louisiana to Pennsylvania
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Louisiana certificate stays on the Louisiana Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Pennsylvania you apply to the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 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: Louisiana to Pennsylvania
Works on day one. Both Louisiana and Pennsylvania are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Louisiana is valid in Pennsylvania the day you arrive. Once Pennsylvania is your primary residence, apply there for a Pennsylvania multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Louisiana to Pennsylvania
Licensed by the city. Pennsylvania 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; Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and many municipalities license locally. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Louisiana state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
Does Pennsylvania pay you to come?
No statewide program in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
85 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Pennsylvania employers who could not fill them locally.
- Credit Support Associate II/III- Commercial CreditBank of America · Philadelphia
- Market Financial Center Manager - Philadelphia MarketBank of America · Philadelphia
- Relationship Banker - PA North MarketBank of America · Allentown
- FarmworkerBrian Campbell Farms · Berwick · $14.4/hr
- FarmworkerRivendale Farms Pittsburgh, LLC · Bulger · $14.4/hr
- Farmworkers, Farm & Ranch AnimalsYoung Apiaries Inc · Cogan Station · $18.45/hr
Your own route from Louisiana to Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania employers.
Plan my move to PennsylvaniaSame move, by trade
CNA: Louisiana to Pennsylvania · RN or LPN: Louisiana to Pennsylvania · Electrician: Louisiana to Pennsylvania · All licences: Louisiana to Pennsylvania
From Louisiana to the states next to Pennsylvania
New York (progressive, top rate 10.9%) · New Jersey (progressive, top rate 10.75%) · Delaware (progressive, top rate 6.6%) · Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · West Virginia (progressive, top rate 4.82%) · Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%)
To Pennsylvania from the states next to Louisiana
Texas · Arkansas · Mississippi
Everything about working in Pennsylvania · All moves between states · All 50 states