Travel Respiratory Therapist Salary in 2026: Pay, Settings, and Requirements

Q: How much do travel respiratory therapists make in 2026?

Travel pay is not tracked separately, so the baseline is the staff wage. By Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 data, respiratory therapists earned a national median of $82,280 a year, about $39.56 an hour, with a mean of $87,300 across roughly 139,790 jobs. A travel contract typically pays more, because on top of a taxable hourly base you receive tax-free housing and meal stipends, so compare offers on after-tax take-home.

Q: Where do travel respiratory therapists work, and which settings pay the most?

Most travel RT contracts are in acute care, and higher-acuity units tend to pay more. Adult ICU and the emergency department are the bread and butter, with steady demand and frequent overtime. NICU and PICU often pay a premium and usually require specific experience. Overnight and weekend shifts commonly carry differentials. Because the work is hourly and non-exempt, overtime is paid at time and a half of your base rate.

Q: Which states pay travel respiratory therapists the most?

Location drives take-home more than the base rate, through three levers: the GSA housing stipend cap for the area, local rent, and state income tax. A city with a high stipend cap and moderate rent lets you keep more of the stipend tax-free, and a no-income-tax state such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, or Nevada leaves more of your taxable base in your pocket. The best market is where those line up.

Q: What are the requirements to become a travel respiratory therapist?

Most employers want the NBRC credential (the National Board for Respiratory Care issues the CRT and the RRT, and acute-care contracts usually want the RRT), a state license for the assignment state (every state except Alaska regulates respiratory care), usually 1 to 2 years of acute-care experience, and support certifications such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, and NRP for ICU, ED, and NICU roles. Requirements vary by state and facility.

Q: Is travel respiratory therapy worth it in 2026?

For most RTs who can keep a tax home, yes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects respiratory therapist employment to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 8,800 openings a year. Winter respiratory season reliably pushes up contract volume and overtime, and travel take-home generally beats staff pay thanks to tax-free stipends. The trade-offs are gaps between contracts and the tax-home requirement.

Q: How do you compare travel respiratory therapist offers?

Compare on after-tax take-home, not the headline rate or total package. Ask for the taxable base and the weekly housing and meal stipends listed separately, confirm whether overtime is paid and at what rate (it matters a lot in this field), and check whether you keep stipends in a week you are called off. Then run the numbers with a pay calculator and read hospital reviews before signing.

By CircleRN Team | Published 2026-07-06 | 9 min read

What travel respiratory therapists make in 2026: BLS pay data, which settings pay the most, tax-free stipends, NBRC and RRT requirements, and how to compare offers.

Respiratory therapists are one of the steadiest travel jobs in allied health. Every hospital needs RTs in the ICU, the emergency department, and the NICU around the clock, demand climbs every winter respiratory season, and the work moves cleanly from one facility to the next. That combination keeps travel contracts open and often comes with heavy overtime.

This guide covers what travel respiratory therapists make in 2026, where the highest-paying work is, how the tax-free stipends work, the credential and license requirements, and how to tell whether a contract is actually a good deal.

How much do travel respiratory therapists make in 2026?

Travel pay is not tracked on its own, so the baseline is the prevailing staff wage. By the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 data, respiratory therapists earned a national median wage of $82,280 a year, about $39.56 an hour, with a mean of $87,300 across roughly 139,790 jobs. A travel contract typically pays more than that, because on top of a taxable hourly base you receive tax-free housing and meal stipends.

Using round example numbers rather than a quoted rate, a package might pair a $32 per hour taxable base (about $1,152 for a 36-hour week) with $1,150 a week in tax-free stipends, for roughly $2,300 a week. The base looks modest next to a staff salary, but the stipend is untaxed, so take-home is what matters. See verified pay data for real reported packages, and model any offer with the pay calculator.

Where do travel respiratory therapists work, and which settings pay the most?

Most travel RT contracts are in acute care, and the higher-acuity units tend to pay more:

Adult ICU and emergency department: the bread and butter of travel RT work, with steady demand and frequent overtime.
NICU and PICU: higher-acuity units that often pay a premium and usually require specific experience.
Overnight and weekend shifts: commonly carry differentials, so night-heavy contracts can raise take-home.

Because respiratory work is hourly and non-exempt, overtime is paid at time and a half of your base rate, and RT contracts often come with a lot of it during respiratory season. Understand how that math works, and why overtime is built on your base rather than your blended package, in how travel overtime pay works.

Which states pay travel respiratory therapists the most?

Location drives travel take-home more than the base rate does, through three levers: the GSA housing stipend cap for the area, local rent, and state income tax. A city with a high stipend cap and moderate rent lets you keep more of the stipend tax-free, and a no-income-tax state such as Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Washington, or Nevada leaves more of your taxable base in your pocket. So the best-paying market is the one where those line up, not just the one with the highest posted rate. The full framework is in best cities for travelers, which applies to RTs the same as nurses.

Do travel respiratory therapists get tax-free stipends?

Yes, on the same IRS rules as travel nurses. If you work a temporary assignment away from a valid tax home, your agency can pay tax-free housing and meal stipends up to the GSA per diem cap for the location. For fiscal year 2026 the standard cap is $110 per day for lodging and $68 for meals and incidentals, more in high-cost cities. The stipends stay tax-free only if you maintain a real tax home and the assignment is temporary. Full detail is in do allied health travelers get tax-free stipends.

What are the requirements to become a travel respiratory therapist?

Beyond the clinical skills, agencies and facilities generally look for:

NBRC credential. The National Board for Respiratory Care issues the CRT (Certified Respiratory Therapist) and the RRT (Registered Respiratory Therapist). Most acute-care travel contracts want the RRT.
A state license. Every state except Alaska regulates respiratory care, so you will usually need a license for the assignment state, sometimes by endorsement, which can add lead time.
Experience, usually 1 to 2 years in acute care so you can step onto a unit with little orientation.
Support certifications such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, and NRP, especially for ICU, ED, and NICU roles.

Requirements vary by state and facility, so confirm the exact license and certifications a contract needs before you accept it.

Is travel respiratory therapy worth it in 2026?

For most RTs who can maintain a tax home, yes. Demand is strong: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects respiratory therapist employment to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average occupation, with about 8,800 openings a year. Winter respiratory season reliably pushes up contract volume and overtime, travel take-home generally beats staff pay thanks to the tax-free stipends, and the work is portable. The trade-offs are the usual ones: possible gaps between contracts, hours that are not always guaranteed, and the need to keep a valid tax home.

How do you find housing on a travel respiratory therapist assignment?

Like other travelers, you either take the housing stipend and find your own furnished short-term rental, keeping whatever you do not spend, or take agency-arranged housing. Most experienced RTs take the stipend. See how to find travel housing for the decision and the scams to avoid, and browse furnished rentals from verified hosts in your assignment city.

How do you compare travel respiratory therapist offers?

Compare on after-tax take-home, not the headline rate or the total package. Ask for the taxable base and the weekly housing and M&IE stipends listed separately, confirm whether overtime is paid and at what rate (it matters a lot in this field), and check whether you keep your stipends in a week you are called off. Then run the numbers with the pay calculator and read hospital reviews for the facility before you sign. The full method is in how to read a travel pay package.

Bottom Line

Travel respiratory therapists build on a staff median of about $82,280 (BLS, May 2025), with travel packages running higher once tax-free stipends are added. Demand grows much faster than average, spikes every winter, and comes with heavy overtime, so the field is one of the most reliable in allied travel. Hold your RRT and state license, keep a valid tax home, and compare every offer on take-home rather than the headline rate.

CircleRN gives respiratory therapists the same tools as nurses: verified pay data, hospital reviews, a pay calculator, furnished housing from verified hosts, and open travel assignments. New to travel? Start with travel allied health jobs.

Sources

Primary and authoritative sources referenced in this guide:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS: Respiratory Therapists (29-1126), May 2025 (median and mean wage, employment)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Respiratory Therapists (2024 to 2034 growth and annual openings)
National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) (CRT and RRT credentials)
U.S. General Services Administration, FY2026 Per Diem Rates (tax-free stipend caps)

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