Moving between states / Illinois
Tennesseeto
Illinois, Truck driverMoving from Tennessee to Illinois as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Tennessee has to do to work in Illinois, what the move does to your pay, and who in Illinois 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 Illinois resident you surrender the Tennessee CDL at a Illinois 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 Illinois. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Illinois takes roughly $2,970 a year more than Tennessee does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.
| Salary | Tennessee state tax | Illinois state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $0 | $1,980 | -$1,980 |
| $60,000 | $0 | $2,970 | -$2,970 |
| $90,000 | $0 | $4,455 | -$4,455 |
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: Tennessee to Illinois
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Tennessee certificate stays on the Tennessee Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Illinois you apply to the Illinois Department of Public Health, Health Care Worker 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: Tennessee to Illinois
Endorsement needed. Illinois is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Tennessee multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Illinois Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Tennessee licence stays valid for compact states.
Electrician: Tennessee to Illinois
Licensed by the city. Illinois 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; Chicago and most suburbs license their own, so the licence you need depends on where the job is. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Tennessee state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
Does Illinois pay you to come?
No statewide program in Illinois 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 Illinois
122 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Illinois employers who could not fill them locally.
- Rotational Development ProgramFlexport · Chicago
- Customs SpecialistFlexport · Chicago
- Account Executive, Uber for Business US&CUber · Chicago
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorKendrick Brothers · Melvin · $18.75/hr
- Warehouse Worker - Full Time ShiftMcKesson · Aurora
- Global PV Risk Management PartnerBAXTER · Springfield
Your own route from Tennessee to Illinois
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 Illinois employers.
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CNA: Tennessee to Illinois · RN or LPN: Tennessee to Illinois · Electrician: Tennessee to Illinois · All licences: Tennessee to Illinois
From Tennessee to the states next to Illinois
Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Missouri (progressive, top rate 4.7%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Indiana (flat 3% state income tax)
To Illinois from the states next to Tennessee
Kentucky · Virginia · North Carolina · Georgia · Alabama · Mississippi · Arkansas · Missouri
Everything about working in Illinois · All moves between states · All 50 states