Travel Nurse Pay Calculator

Common questions

How accurate is this travel pay calculator?

It's an estimate for both travel nurses and allied health travelers. We apply your chosen federal bracket as a flat rate on all taxable wages, your assignment state's tax rate, and 7.65% FICA to your taxable wages, then add your tax-free stipends back in. Actual take-home depends on your filing status, year-end total income, local taxes, pre-tax deductions, and whether you maintain a qualifying tax home. Use the result to compare contracts, not to file taxes.

Can I use this as a nurse paycheck or tax calculator?

Yes, as a rough estimate. Staff nurses can use hourly mode with their hourly rate, hours and no stipends to see weekly take-home after federal tax, state income tax and FICA. Federal tax is applied at one flat bracket rate, which usually overstates withholding, while pre-tax deductions such as health insurance or 401(k) contributions and local taxes are left out, which would lower a real paycheck. The two errors can land either way.

Is FICA included in the take-home estimate?

Yes. We subtract 7.65% (6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare) from your taxable wages. Tax-free stipends are not subject to FICA, so the FICA deduction only applies to your base hourly pay (or the taxable portion of your weekly gross in weekly mode).

What is a tax home and why does it matter?

A tax home is the city or general area of your main place of business. Travel nurses need to maintain a qualifying tax home to receive housing and meals stipends tax-free. If you don't have one, the IRS treats every stipend you receive as taxable income, which can drop your take-home pay by hundreds of dollars a week. Read our tax home rules guide for the full eligibility test.

Why is my base rate so low compared to my weekly pay?

Travel agencies intentionally keep the taxable base rate low so they can shift more compensation into tax-free stipends. A $25/hour base with $1,400/week in stipends takes home far more than a $45/hour base with $400/week in stipends, even though the second package sounds better. A very low base (under $18/hour) is worth questioning, but a $20-30/hour base is normal for travelers.

How do I know what federal tax bracket to choose?

Pick the marginal bracket your total annual taxable income falls into. Most travel nurses working a full year of assignments land in the 22% or 24% bracket (2026 single filer: 22% applies from $50,401 to $105,700). This is a withholding estimate, not a full tax calculation, and your actual refund or balance due at year-end depends on your total income, deductions, and filing status.

Does this calculator account for state income tax?

Yes. When you enter your assignment city, we look up a flat state income tax rate and apply it to your taxable wages. States like Texas, Florida, Washington, Tennessee, Nevada, Alaska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and New Hampshire have no state income tax on wages. The rate we use is an approximation. Real state tax is progressive in most states, and multi-state travelers may owe tax in both their tax-home state and their assignment state.

What's the difference between taxable wages and stipends?

Taxable wages are your base hourly rate, overtime, and bonuses. Federal, state, and FICA taxes all apply. Stipends are separate payments for housing and meals that the IRS treats as reimbursements, not income, as long as you maintain a qualifying tax home. Stipends are not taxed and do not count toward your W-2 wages. This split is the reason travel nurse take-home rates are so much higher than staff nurse rates.

Can I use this calculator to compare two contracts?

Yes, and you should. Run each contract through the calculator with its own taxable wages, stipends, and assignment state, then compare the weekly net pay line. A contract with higher stipends and lower taxable pay often takes home more than one with higher gross pay, because stipends are tax-free.

Why does the effective hourly rate look higher than my hourly rate?

The effective hourly rate divides your weekly take-home (taxable wages after taxes plus tax-free stipends) by your hours per week (36 in weekly mode). Since your stipends get added back in untaxed, a package that leans on stipends usually shows an effective rate well above its base; a high base with small stipends may not. It represents what you are actually keeping per hour worked, which is the number that matters when comparing against staff positions.

Does the calculator include overtime pay?

Not separately. If your contract guarantees overtime, add those hours to the "Hours per Week" field in hourly mode, and the calculator will tax them at your base rate. Travel overtime is usually paid at 1.5x the taxable base rate, not 1.5x the total package, so it is usually a smaller boost than people expect. For a detailed breakdown, use weekly mode and enter the full expected weekly pay.