Travel nurse pay, in plain English.
What you actually keep — blended rates, tax-free stipends, taxes, and the best-paying states
North-star rule of thumb
Most of your package is tax-free — but only if you have a real tax home
Housing and M&IE stipends are non-taxable when you maintain a permanent residence, duplicate expenses, and keep assignments temporary (≤12 months in one area). Miss the test and it all becomes taxable wages.
The overview
Travel-nurse pay is built differently from a staff job, and that's the source of nearly every misunderstanding. Instead of one hourly wage, your package splits into a low taxable base rate (the wage on your W-2) and tax-free reimbursements for housing and meals paid as weekly stipends. The recruiter blends those into one big 'gross' number — but what you keep, what your overtime is worth, and what a mortgage lender will count are all driven by the small taxable base, not the blended figure.
That structure is a feature, not a trick: because the stipends aren't taxed (when you qualify), your effective tax rate on the whole package is strikingly low, which is why travel nursing can out-earn a staff role at the same blended rate. The catch is that the tax-free part only holds if you maintain a genuine tax home and keep stipends within the GSA per-diem limits. Get the tax-home test wrong and the IRS can reclassify your entire stipend as taxable wages — retroactively.
This hub covers the whole money picture: how to read a pay package, when stipends are and aren't tax-free, the tax-home rules in practice, how overtime is really calculated, how to compare competing contracts apples-to-apples, and which states leave you with the most after tax and cost of living. Every number links to a sourced Money Scale calculator built specifically for travelers.
What we don't do: quote you a bill rate, promise a specific salary, or give tax advice for your situation. We explain the mechanics in plain English and give you the tools to run your own numbers — then a travel-tax professional can confirm the details before you sign.
Run the math
The calculators that ground this hub. Free, sourced defaults, your inputs never leave your browser.
Deeper reads in this guide
Each one is a focused, plain-English breakdown. Articles markedComing soonwill publish on the moneyscale.app weekly content rhythm.
How travel nurse pay actually works
Base rate vs blended rate vs stipends — the whole package, decoded.
The travel nurse tax home rules
The IRS test that decides whether your stipends are tax-free — and the myths to ignore.
Tax-free stipends and GSA limits
How much can be tax-free, where the GSA caps come from, and what happens if you go over.
Best-paying states for travel nurses
Gross rate vs take-home vs cost of living — three different leaderboards.
Why your overtime pays so little
Overtime is built on the low base rate, not the blended rate. Here's the math.
How to compare travel nurse contracts
A repeatable way to rank offers on real take-home, not recruiter gross.
Travel nurse taxes across multiple states
Where you owe, how the resident-state credit works, and how to avoid surprises.
Housing stipend vs agency-provided housing
Take the money or take the apartment? The trade-off, run two ways.
Your first travel nurse assignment: a money guide
Start-up costs, the first-paycheck gap, and the budget to bridge it.
ICU travel nurse salary
What critical-care travelers earn and why the specialty commands a premium.
ER travel nurse salary
Emergency-department travel pay, demand, and the highest-paying markets.
Travel nurse vs staff nurse pay
The real comparison once you account for benefits, taxes, and stability.
Money Scale Weekly
Get one travel nursing read per week.
Short, sourced money reads tied to this pillar — debt, retirement, investing, whichever you're working on. Free, no spam, one click to unsubscribe.
Drop your email and you're in. We send one short read on Thursday — and nothing else without your asking.
Not financial advice
Money Scale provides educational information about personal finance. For decisions that affect your money in a material way, consult a licensed professional you've personally vetted. See our affiliate disclosure for how we keep this site free.