Travel Nurse Pay & Overtime Calculator
Real take-home from a blended package — overtime, stipends, tax, by state.
Weekly take-home (this week)
$2,694
- Blended rate
- $68.83/hr
- Contract net (13w)
- $35,021
- Taxes / year
- $11,717
the recruiter's number
of $38,194 gross
California
Your package works out to $68.83/hr blended, but each overtime hour pays only $34.50 — overtime is 1.5× the taxable base rate, not the blended rate.
Try a what-if
Your overtime is worth less than you think
Every regular hour in your package is worth $68.83 (blended), but an overtime hour only pays $34.50 — because OT is 1.5× your taxable base rate, not the blended rate. If your stipends were treated as wages (the Clarke scenario), this week's overtime would pay $825 more.
Weekly pay breakdown
Estimated annual taxes (single filer, standard deduction, California source tax)
Your contract
$23.00
$1,300
$350
3 scheduled shifts
1 extra shift
Shift length, contract & tax rules12h shifts · 13 wks · stipends tax-free · OT on base
12 hours / shift
13 week contract
Stipends are tax-free only if you keep a permanent tax home, duplicate living expenses, and the assignment is temporary (≤12 months). No tax home → stipends become taxable wages.
Agencies pay OT at 1.5× the taxable base rate. "Blended" shows what OT would be worth if stipends counted in the regular rate (see Clarke v. AMN Services, 9th Cir. 2021).
Weekly net
$2,694
take-home
Monthly net
$10,776
48 working wks/yr ÷ 12 ≈ 4 wks
Contract net (13w)
$35,021
of $38,194 gross
Annualized net
$129,307
48 wks worked
Same package, different state
Annualized take-home for this exact package in popular travel states (each state's own overtime rules and income tax applied). No-income-tax states are why travelers chase Texas, Florida, and Washington.
| State | State tax / yr | Weekly net | vs best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Californiayou | $1,749 | $2,694 | best |
| Texasno tax | — | $2,656 | -$1,799 |
| Floridano tax | — | $2,656 | -$1,799 |
| Washingtonno tax | — | $2,656 | -$1,799 |
| Tennesseeno tax | — | $2,656 | -$1,799 |
| Nevadano tax | — | $2,656 | -$1,799 |
| New York | $2,503 | $2,604 | -$4,302 |
Educational estimate, not tax or legal advice. This models a single filer with the standard deduction, taxes wages in your assignment (work) state, and treats stipends as tax-free when you qualify. It does not model your resident-state return and other-state credit, itemized deductions, or your specific contract's stipend legality. Whether a particular agency's per diem can be excluded from overtime is fact-specific and litigated. Confirm your numbers with a travel-tax professional.
Next steps
The Travel Nurse Pay & Overtime Calculator turns a blended pay package — a low taxable base hourly rate stacked with tax-free housing and meals (M&IE) stipends — into your real, after-tax take-home, and it values overtime the way agencies actually pay it: at 1.5× your taxable base rate, not the blended rate the recruiter quotes. It applies the correct overtime rule for your assignment state (the federal weekly-40 default, California daily overtime and the 3×12 alternative workweek, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada's under-$18 rule, or a hospital 8/80 agreement), then layers on 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), and your assignment state's income tax. The result is the number no recruiter shows you: what you keep, per week, per contract, and per hour actually worked — plus how much your overtime is really worth.
How this calculator works
- Enter your taxable base hourly rate — the wage the agency reports on your W-2 (often $18–$30/hr). This, not the blended rate, is what overtime is built on.
- Add your weekly housing stipend and weekly meals & incidentals (M&IE) stipend. These are tax-free when you qualify; the IRS caps them at the assignment locality's GSA per diem (the FY2025 standard rate — the latest loaded in this tool — is $110/day lodging and $68/day M&IE; GSA resets rates every October 1).
- Set your schedule: hours per shift, scheduled shifts per week (3×12 is standard), and any extra shifts you picked up. Extra shifts are what push you into overtime.
- Choose your assignment state. It drives both the overtime rule and the state income tax. For California, toggle whether a lawful 3×12 alternative workweek is in place — it removes daily overtime on your three regular shifts. Toggle the hospital 8/80 agreement if your employer uses it.
- Tell the calculator whether you qualify for tax-free stipends (you keep a permanent tax home, duplicate expenses, and the assignment is temporary). If not, stipends are reclassified as taxable wages subject to income tax and FICA.
- Read your take-home: weekly, monthly, contract total, and annualized — plus your overtime rate next to your blended rate, your effective tax rate on the whole package, and the same package's take-home across popular no-income-tax states.
blended_rate = (base × contracted_hrs + stipends) ÷ contracted_hrs OT_pay = OT_hrs × 1.5 × base net = taxable_wages − fed − FICA − state + tax_free_stipendsThe blended rate divides the whole weekly package over your contracted hours — that's the apples-to-apples number nurses compare. But overtime is built only on the taxable base rate: OT hours are paid at 1.5× base (2× base for California double-time), because bona fide stipends are excluded from the FLSA 'regular rate.' Take-home is your taxable wages (regular + overtime pay) minus federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare and your assignment state's income tax, plus your tax-free stipends added back. Because stipends carry no tax, the effective tax rate on the whole package is strikingly low — and that's the upside that offsets the low overtime rate.
- base
- Taxable base hourly rate (the W-2 wage rate)
- contracted_hrs
- Scheduled hours per week (e.g. 36 for a 3×12)
- stipends
- Weekly housing + M&IE stipends (tax-free when you qualify)
- OT_hrs
- Overtime hours, split by your assignment state's daily/weekly rule
- fed
- Federal income tax (single filer, standard deduction, 2026 brackets)
- FICA
- Social Security 6.2% (to the $184,500 2026 wage base) + Medicare 1.45%
- state
- Assignment-state income tax on the taxable wages
Frequently asked questions
How is travel nurse overtime calculated?
By industry standard, travel nurse overtime is 1.5× your taxable base hourly rate — not the blended rate that includes tax-free stipends. Because agencies keep the base rate low (often $18–$25/hr) to maximize tax-free housing and meal stipends, an overtime hour can pay far less than a regular hour of your blended rate. Example: a $70/hr blended package built on a $22 base pays only $33/hr for overtime. Some states add daily overtime (California, Alaska, Colorado, and Nevada for lower-paid workers), and hospitals can use an 8/80 rule that triggers overtime after 8 hours in a day.
Why is my overtime rate so much lower than my blended rate?
Your blended rate bundles tax-free housing and meal (M&IE) stipends with your taxable wages. Under the federal FLSA, bona fide per diem reimbursements are excluded from the 'regular rate' used to calculate overtime (29 U.S.C. §207(e)(2)), so agencies legally build overtime on the taxable base rate alone. The exception: under Clarke v. AMN Services (9th Cir., 2021), stipends that are really disguised wages — reduced when you miss shifts, recoverable by banking hours, or paid identically to non-travelers — can be required to count in the regular rate, raising your overtime. Whether that applies to your contract is fact-specific.
Do travel nurses get daily overtime?
It depends on the assignment state. Most states follow the federal rule: overtime only after 40 hours in a week, so a standard 3×12 (36-hour) week has no overtime. California pays daily overtime after 8 hours and double-time after 12 — unless the hospital has a lawfully adopted 3×12 alternative workweek schedule, which makes the first 12 hours straight time. Alaska pays overtime after 8 hours a day; Colorado after 12 hours a day (or 12 consecutive hours); Nevada only for employees earning under 1.5× the state minimum wage ($18.00/hr in 2026). Hospitals everywhere may use an 8/80 agreement (overtime after 8 hours/day and 80 hours/14 days).
Are travel nurse stipends tax-free?
Only if you qualify. Housing and M&IE stipends are non-taxable when you maintain a permanent tax home, duplicate living expenses (you pay for a home you keep while also paying for housing on assignment), and the assignment is temporary (realistically expected to last 12 months or less, per IRS Rev. Rul. 93-86). There is no '50-mile rule' in the tax code — the real test is whether the work requires you to sleep or rest away from your tax home. If you have no qualifying tax home (an 'itinerant' worker), all stipends become taxable wages subject to income tax and FICA.
Which states are best for travel nurse take-home pay?
States with no income tax let you keep the most of your taxable wages: Texas, Florida, Washington, Tennessee, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, and New Hampshire. You owe income tax to the state where you physically work (the source state) and, separately, to your state of legal residence — with a credit for taxes paid to the work state. Many full-time travelers establish domicile in a no-income-tax state and take assignments in others to minimize the total bill. This calculator taxes wages in your assignment state and shows the same package's take-home across popular states side by side.
Should I pick up extra shifts as a travel nurse?
Run the numbers first. Because overtime is built on your low taxable base rate, an extra shift often pays less per hour than your regular blended rate — and unlike your scheduled hours, the extra pay is fully taxable (no extra stipend rides along). Picking up shifts still raises your gross pay, but it dilutes your effective hourly rate. The calculator shows your overtime rate next to your blended rate so you can see the trade-off before you commit.
Sources used in this calculator
- GSA — Per diem ratesLodging and meals ceilings for tax-free stipends(opens in a new tab)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wages — Registered NursesStaff RN wages by state(opens in a new tab)
- IRS — Tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)Federal brackets and standard deduction(opens in a new tab)
- Tax Foundation — State individual income tax rates, 2026State income tax brackets (California: FTB 2025 schedule, standard deduction and exemption credit — the latest published)(opens in a new tab)
Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team. How we source our data
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