Finally, tax tools built for how travel nursing actually works.
Stipends, dual-state filing, tax home rules — calculated in 60 seconds. Free.
Available calculators
Contract Analyzer
Enter your taxable rate, stipends, and states. Get your real effective hourly rate after federal, FICA, and multi-state taxes.
Analyze a contract→Tax Home Quiz
Eight questions. Know whether your tax home can survive an IRS audit — and what to fix if it can't.
Take the quiz→Per Diem Checker
Compare your agency's housing and M&IE stipends to FY2026 GSA rates. See exactly how much tax-free income you're leaving unclaimed.
Check your per diem→W2 vs 1099 Calculator
Side-by-side after-tax comparison of W2 and 1099 contracts. Accounts for self-employment tax, the SE deduction, stipends, and your actual break-even rate.
Compare contracts→State Tax Guide
Income tax rates, reciprocity agreements, and per diem context for all 50 states. Know your tax situation before accepting an assignment.
Browse states→Used by travel nurses across 47 states
Why travel nurse taxes are different
Most tax tools are built for W-2 employees in a single state. Travel nurses face a fundamentally different situation: income split between taxable wages and tax-free stipends, employment in multiple states throughout the year, and eligibility rules that hinge on whether the IRS recognizes your home as a legitimate “tax home.” Generic calculators get this badly wrong — they either ignore stipends entirely or treat them as income when they shouldn't be.
The core mechanic of travel nurse compensation is the split package. Agencies divide your total compensation into a lower taxable hourly rate and larger tax-free stipends for housing and meals. If your tax home is valid, those stipends are completely exempt from federal and state income tax and FICA — dramatically reducing your effective tax rate. A nurse earning $22/hr taxable plus $1,700/week in stipends often takes home more than a staff nurse earning $45/hr, purely because of the tax treatment.
Multi-state filing is the other complexity most nurses underestimate. Every state where you earn wages generally requires a non-resident tax return. Some states have reciprocity agreements that eliminate the double filing. Others have no income tax, which creates assignment opportunities worth more than their headline rate suggests.
Common questions
Are travel nurse stipends taxable?
Travel nurse stipends — housing and meals & incidental expenses (M&IE) — are tax-free only if you maintain a valid tax home. If you have a permanent residence you return to, pay duplicate living expenses while on assignment, and have local business connections, your stipends are generally not subject to federal or state income tax or FICA. If you do not have a valid tax home, the IRS considers you an itinerant worker and your stipends become taxable wages.
What is a tax home for travel nurses?
A tax home is your primary place of business or employment — typically where you maintain a permanent residence and have ongoing professional connections. For travel nurses, a tax home generally requires: (1) a permanent home in your home state that you maintain and pay for, (2) regular work in your home area (per diem shifts or PRN work), and (3) a pattern of returning home between assignments. The IRS applies a three-factor test, and nurses who meet all three factors have the strongest position.
Do travel nurses have to file taxes in every state they work in?
Generally, yes — travel nurses must file a non-resident tax return in each state where they earned income during the year, in addition to their home state return. However, there are exceptions: if your home state and work state have a reciprocity agreement, you only file in your home state. Additionally, states with no income tax (Florida, Texas, Nevada, Washington, etc.) require no return. A travel nurse who works in three different states in a year typically files three to four state returns.
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