Moving between states / West Virginia

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Moving from Ohio to West Virginia for work

What moves with you from Ohio to West Virginia: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary West Virginia takes roughly $554 a year more than Ohio does.

SalaryOhio state taxWest Virginia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$1,350-$370
$60,000$1,470$2,024-$554
$90,000$2,205$3,037-$832

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.

CNA: Ohio to West Virginia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in West Virginia you apply to the West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, Nurse Aide 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: Ohio to West Virginia

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

Electrician: Ohio to West Virginia

Exam likely. West Virginia licenses at state level through the West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Electrician Licensing 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 West Virginia journeyman exam.

CDL: Ohio to West Virginia

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

  • Ascend West Virginia: $12,000 over two years plus outdoor perks. For remote workers who move to one of the participating communities (Morgantown, Lewisburg, Shepherdstown and others).

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

Openings filed in West Virginia

14 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by West Virginia employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Ohio to West Virginia

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 West Virginia employers.

Plan my move to West Virginia

Same move, by trade

CNA: Ohio to West Virginia · RN or LPN: Ohio to West Virginia · Electrician: Ohio to West Virginia · Truck driver: Ohio to West Virginia

From Ohio to the states next to West Virginia

Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax)

To West Virginia from the states next to Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · Pennsylvania

Everything about working in West Virginia · All moves between states · All 50 states

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