Moving between states / Louisiana

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Moving from Texas to Louisiana as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Texas has to do to work in Louisiana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Louisiana 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 Louisiana resident you surrender the Texas CDL at a Louisiana 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 Louisiana. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Louisiana takes roughly $1,800 a year more than Texas does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryTexas state taxLouisiana state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,200-$1,200
$60,000$0$1,800-$1,800
$90,000$0$2,700-$2,700

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: Texas to Louisiana

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Texas certificate stays on the Texas Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Louisiana you apply to the Louisiana Department of Health, 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: Texas to Louisiana

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

Electrician: Texas to Louisiana

Reciprocity likely. Louisiana licenses electricians at state level through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and The state licenses electrical contractors; journeyman cards come from parishes and cities. Reciprocity exists at contractor level with a few states. Your Texas licence comes from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

No statewide program in Louisiana 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 Louisiana

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

Your own route from Texas to Louisiana

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 Louisiana employers.

Plan my move to Louisiana

Same move, by trade

CNA: Texas to Louisiana · RN or LPN: Texas to Louisiana · Electrician: Texas to Louisiana · All licences: Texas to Louisiana

From Texas to the states next to Louisiana

Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Mississippi (flat 4.4% state income tax)

To Louisiana from the states next to Texas

New Mexico · Oklahoma · Arkansas

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

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