Moving between states / Alabama

Flag of OhioOhiotoFlag of AlabamaAlabama, CNA

Moving from Ohio to Alabama as a certified nursing assistant

What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Ohio has to do to work in Alabama, what the move does to your pay, and who in Alabama is hiring from out of state.

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Alabama you apply to the Alabama Nurse Aide Registry (Alabama Department of Public Health) 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.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Alabama takes roughly $630 a year more than Ohio does.

SalaryOhio state taxAlabama state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$1,400-$420
$60,000$1,470$2,100-$630
$90,000$2,205$3,150-$945

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 Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

RN and LPN: Ohio to Alabama

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

Electrician: Ohio to Alabama

Exam likely. Alabama licenses at state level through the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board and reciprocates with other state boards, but Ohio licenses locally through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractors) and city building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Alabama journeyman exam.

CDL: Ohio to Alabama

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

  • Remote Shoals: up to $10,000. For remote workers moving to the Shoals area (Florence, Muscle Shoals).

Going the other way? Ohio has Hamilton Talent Attraction Program. See moving from Alabama to Ohio.

Openings filed in Alabama

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

Your own route from Ohio to Alabama

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 Alabama employers.

Plan my move to Alabama

Same move, by trade

RN or LPN: Ohio to Alabama · Electrician: Ohio to Alabama · Truck driver: Ohio to Alabama · All licences: Ohio to Alabama

From Ohio to the states next to Alabama

Mississippi (flat 4.4% state income tax) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Georgia (flat 5.19% state income tax) · Florida (no state income tax)

To Alabama from the states next to Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · West Virginia · Pennsylvania

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

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

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