Moving between states / Georgia

Flag of North CarolinaNorth CarolinatoFlag of GeorgiaGeorgia, RN or LPN

Moving from North Carolina to Georgia as a registered or practical nurse

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

Works on day one. Both North Carolina and Georgia are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from North Carolina 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Georgia takes roughly $564 a year more than North Carolina does.

SalaryNorth Carolina state taxGeorgia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,700$2,076-$376
$60,000$2,550$3,114-$564
$90,000$3,825$4,671-$846

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: North Carolina to Georgia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your North Carolina certificate stays on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide I Registry; 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.

Electrician: North Carolina 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 North Carolina hours count toward eligibility, so get them certified in writing by the North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors before you move and book the Georgia exam early.

CDL: North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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.

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 North Carolina 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: North Carolina to Georgia · Electrician: North Carolina to Georgia · Truck driver: North Carolina to Georgia · All licences: North Carolina to Georgia

From North Carolina to the states next to Georgia

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

To Georgia from the states next to North Carolina

Virginia · Tennessee · South Carolina

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.

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