travel nurse weekly pay california

How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?

Average Pay for Travel Nurses

Travel nursing pay explained, highest and lowest paying states for travel nurses.

• Highest Paying Travel Nurse Specialties
• Ways to Increase Pay

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Travel nursing offers a unique work experience with the opportunity to earn above-average hourly wages. These wages may even exceed those of other registered nurses (RNs) with the same education and credentials.

Travel nurses are typically employed by travel nursing agencies and work assignments across the country wherever nurses are needed. Because each assignment is different, the total annual income for travel nurses can vary significantly. Factors include the details of the pay package, where the assignment is located, and nursing specialty.

On this page you will find the most recent information about travel RN salaries, benefits, specialties, and the states with a high demand for travel nurses.

Fast Facts About Travel Nurses

• Travel nurses generally earn as much or more than staff nurses with the same experience and qualifications.
• Lodging reimbursement and tax advantages impact travel nursing salaries.
• The most in-demand travel nursing specialties include labor and delivery, emergency room, and medical-surgical/telemetry.

The average travel nurse salary varies greatly depending on the work assignment. Depending on travel location, these practitioners can earn between $3,000 and $7,000 per week, averaging a 36-hour work week. According to Vivian , a healthcare jobs marketplace, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), travel nurses earn jan average of $2,183 per week, while RNs earn a mean hourly wage of $42.80. However, aspiring travel nurses should note that living on the road leads to additional personal expenses, so the increase in pay accounts for living accommodations.

Max Weekly Pay

Average Total Weekly Pay

Source: Vivian , September 2023

Travel nurse pay differs from full-time nursing positions because agencies offer hourly rates for each assignment, meaning RNs can shop around and find opportunities with ideal pay. In contrast, RNs working full time at hospitals, physicians’ offices, and other facilities usually rely on raises or additional education to increase their earning potential.

Practitioners considering this role also need to explore what take-home pay looks like for travel nurses . Nursing agencies set their own conditions, so pay packages vary. For instance, organizations may offer an hourly base pay with additional stipends to cover housing or meals, while other companies may offer a higher hourly rate to account for additional expenses.

Travel nurse salaries vary by state and region. Locations in need of RNs typically offer more competitive wages. In fact, the popularity of a particular region can influence travel nurses’ earning potential. Less popular locations may pay more, while desirable locations may pay less. Likewise, states with a higher cost of living offer higher wages relative to living costs.

According to 2023 data from Vivian, the top-paying states for travel RNs included New Jersey , California, and Alaska. Practitioners also want to consider the highest-paying specialties to determine earning potential which may vary by state. The following section includes the top specialties in demand.

Highest Paying Travel Nurse Specialities

Typically, nursing specialties that lack licensed practitioners offer more pay than other specialties, which further increases earning potential for travel nurses. Higher acuity facilities also offer higher pay, as they need skilled practitioners who can meet their patients’ needs. Here are five in-demand specialties for travel nurses.

Labor and Delivery

Emergency room, medical-surgical/telemetry, critical care – intensive care unit, operating room registered nurse, 4 ways to increase pay as a travel nurse.

While travel nurse pay may exceed traditional full-time RN salaries, travel nurses can additionally increase their earning potential by considering factors like demand for specialties, understaffed or unpopular shifts, and locations in need of skilled RNs.

Travel nurses should examine the full benefits package to determine if jobs can provide sufficient take-home pay. For instance, regions with a high cost of living may impact how much practitioners actually earn if stipends do not cover all costs.

Frequently Asked Questions: Travel Nursing Salaries

How much does a traveling nurse make per year.

Travel nurse salaries vary significantly, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19. Factors that can influence earning potential include geographic location and specialty. However, travel RNs should anticipate working 46 weeks a year and earning about $2,183 on a weekly basis .

Do travel nurses get paid more?

Travel nurses typically earn more than full-time salaried RNs because they often take job assignments where there is a nursing shortage. Travel nurse agencies also pay practitioners by the hour and offer additional benefits, including housing and meal stipends.

Is travel nursing worth the money?

Travel nurses generally earn more than salaried RNs. However, practitioners should consider their lifestyle as well. For instance, an RN with a family may not feel the additional pay outweighs time at home, while another practitioner may find the pay suitable and enjoy the travel opportunities.

Do travel nurses get time off?

Travel nurses often do not receive time off since they work hourly and take temporary job assignments. While assignments vary, travel nurses should plan to work for 8-26 weeks at a time. Most travel nurses schedule time off between job assignments.

Learn More About Travel Nurses

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Travel Nurse Pay & Benefits

Understanding Travel Nurse Salaries and Your Benefits Package

How much do travel nurses make?

There are many factors to consider when talking about how much travel nurse get paid, including:

When looking to optimize pay, it’s important to understand that pay packages differ based on specialty and location. For instance, a travel L&D nurse in California will make a different amount than a travel med-surg nurse in Kentucky.

Many travel nurses bounce around between states — sometimes even between specialties — and will be paid differently from assignment to assignment. You may also be eligible for housing, meal and incidental stipends to reimburse you for actual expenses incurred while on assignment. Your recruiter will discuss all these details with you during your search. Your recruiter will work diligently to find you positions that meet your financial goals. Keep in mind that flexibility during your job search with location, shift and other factors usually results in the potential of higher paying opportunities.

Log in and view pay packages and facility information for all jobs.

Travel Nursing Benefits with Aya

You can enroll and contribute to your 401k on the first of the month following eligibility, which is working 4 consecutive months or one year from your original hire date (with at least 1,000 hours worked). After a year (with at least 1,000 hours worked) you’re eligible for matching!

Medical Plan

A comprehensive medical, dental and vision plan from the first day you start an assignment with Aya Healthcare. You also have the option to add a spouse and/or dependents to your plan!

Sick Pay While on Assignment

You’ll start accruing sick time on the first day of your assignment and earn 1 hour for every 30 hours worked which you can start to use after 90 days.

Perks & Discounts

Wellness and fitness programs (like free virtual meditation and yoga) employee assistance programs (including clinical escalation if your work environment could be improved) and so much more.

Aya Scholars Program

This is the industry’s only clinical ladder program for travel nurses. In exchange for dedication to professional development, Aya Scholars candidates may be eligible for reimbursements for tuition and a specialty certification exam.

Where can I make the most money as a travel nurse?

Like we mentioned earlier, quite a few factors affect your pay, including specialty and location. But like with any job, you need to consider more than just pay. When evaluating an assignment, you should also consider the cost of living in the area. You can rely on your recruiter and the rest of your Aya Healthcare team for valuable advice to help you make the best career choice for you.

Privacy Overview

The Ultimate Travel Nurse Salary Guide: 4 Million+ Jobs Analyzed (February 2024)

We aggregated more than 4 million travel nursing salaries from the past 4+ years. Now we're revealing pay rates and job trends nationwide in our interactive pay explorer!

Average Pay (per week) $2,169.13 Based on 2,386,114 jobs analyzed across all travel nurse specialties , nationwide

Travel nursing by month (pay and count), best travel nursing agencies 🚀.

• Highest Paying
• Access Healthcare Staffing 20,000+ jobs $155.90 above average
• Host Healthcare 50,000+ jobs $106.53 above average
• Aureus Medical Group 50,000+ jobs $75.58 above average
• Epic Travel Staffing (formerly Emerald Health) 50,000+ jobs $64.39 above average
• MedPro Healthcare Staffing 50,000+ jobs -$12.71 below average
• TotalMed 50,000+ jobs -$12.76 below average
• Healthcare Staffing - IDR, Inc 20,000+ jobs -$62.15 below average
• Job Availability
• Aequor Healthcare 50,000+ jobs -$88.38 below average

Top Locations Nationwide

• New York 50,000+ jobs $236.59 above average
• California 50,000+ jobs $226.24 above average
• Massachusetts 50,000+ jobs $201.51 above average
• Illinois 50,000+ jobs $50.19 above average
• Ohio 50,000+ jobs $47.14 above average
• Washington 50,000+ jobs $39.62 above average
• Virginia 50,000+ jobs -$40.38 below average
• Texas 50,000+ jobs -$159.23 below average
• Pay is standarized to 36 hour per week.
• For agency and metropolitan area ratings, results are compared against average for specialty and state. Nationwide average pay used if no state is selected. Top paying agencies and metro areas with less than the median job count for the category are excluded.
• View all footnotes

Want to see how your travel nurse salary stacks up in this unpredictable travel nurse job market?

How about making sure you're getting the higher compensation you should be in our challenging career?

You're in the right place to get all your questions answered about travel nurse pay.

Welcome to our  interactive pay explorer - with auto-updates every month!

Since September 2019 , we've been continuously tracking travel nurse pay packages.

View our full history of pay insights using the toggle in the right-hand corner of any of our graphs in this article.

More than four million jobs analyzed and four years later, we're proud to bring you objective overviews on the travel RN job market you can't find anywhere else.

Get the full scoop in this ultimate guide:

How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?

• What Is An Average Travel Nurse Salary?

Why Do Travel Nurses Make So Much?

Is travel nursing worth it, get a travel nurse pay breakdown.

• The Highest Paying States for Travel Nurses
• The Highest Paying Travel Nurse Specialties
• How to Find the Highest Paying Travel Nursing Jobs

How To Find The Best Paying Travel Nurse Agencies

Do travel nurses earn more money than full-time registered nurses? Overall, definitely!

Keep in mind: Travel nurses make higher salaries on average.

Your potential average annual income will depend on demand for your nursing specialty and where you work.

The averages you see below are measured across all specialties and locations nationwide for a general comparison.

Average Travel Nurse Salary vs Staff Nurse Salary

The average hourly pay for full-time staff RN's in the U.S. is $39.05, or $1,561.92 per week, according to the most recent 2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics registered nurse occupational outlook .

The average hourly rate for travel nurses is $64.58, or $2,324.92 per week, according to our Ultimate Travel Nurse Salary Guide in September 2023.

The average hourly wage for a travel RN is $25.53 higher than staff nurse pay, and the average salary per week is $736 more .

Extrapolating to compare the average annual salary of a staff nurse vs travel rn pay, the difference is significant, with travel nurses' average annual salary reaching upwards to $30,000 more.

We calculated the average annual salary for travel nurses for only 48 weeks a year. Travel nurses need time off to organize and move to new assignments.

In short, high demand = higher compensation.

We're all aware many healthcare facilities nationwide are experiencing "nursing shortages". Registered nurses are retiring and/or leaving the bedside altogether, a trend sped up by the pandemic.

It's estimated that by 2025 the US will have a staffing gap of 200,000-450,000 nurses . In other words, 10-20% of direct-patient care nursing jobs will be unfilled.

With nursing skills like ours in high demand, we deserve higher pay. Not to mention the inherent stress we put up with in our challenging career.

Travel nurses earn more competitive wages by having the adaptable skills necessary to fill critical staffing needs and provide meaningful patient care in a pinch with minimal to no orientation.

These critical needs are often on less desirable shifts, so preparing yourself to work night shift would open up more travel nurse job possibilities.

Healthcare facilities entice nurses with more competitive wages due to the extra hardships we take on with the lack of job stability while searching for new jobs every 13 weeks. There's also the lack of a consistent job benefits package and the inconveniences of travel costs and time.

If you're looking to get more satisfaction in your nursing career, it could definitely be worth it.

It turns out it really is better to be a travel nurse than a staff nurse. A sweeping study analyzing feedback straight from our fellow nurses confirms it.

Nurses working in travel nurse jobs are more satisfied than permanent staff nurses in key areas:

• better job satisfaction
• less work-related stress
• feeling safer on the job
• more employer support
• higher compensation

Working in a travel nurse job isn't easy, but it could elevate your bedside nursing practice and give you more control in your nursing career.

You'll have to decide if the pros outweigh the cons for yourself. The standard contract is only 13 weeks, so I recommend every nurse give it a try.

Pro tip: You should definitely take the time to research what to expect before you commit to a travel nurse job.

Understanding how travel nurses' higher wages breakdown will help you compare pay offers and spot the jobs that are worth your relocation.

Travel nurses are typically hired as contracted temporary employees of travel nursing agencies, getting paid on a weekly basis to work in a variety of healthcare facilities.

The most common travel nurse contracts offered are for hospital inpatient units in a healthcare facility. These contracts usually commit you to work:

• 12 hours/shift
• 3 shifts/week
• 36 hours/week
• 13 weeks total
• 468 work hours total per contract

Our  interactive pay explorer  above standardizes all travel nurse wage data around the average 36-hour weekly pay packages.

See A Pay Package Example

Here's an average travel nurse pay package offer for a Medical-Surgical Nurse working 36 hours/week:

• $400 M&IE (Meals & Incidental Expenses) - per Week
• $3,200 Housing Stipend - per Month
• $750 Travel Reimbursement - One Time payment
• $30 Base Rate - Hourly pay rate

It's confusing!  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let's break this offer down to view your pay per week and per hour. Convert all parts of your travel nurse wages to a standardized hourly rate, then combine to calculate.

Your "M&IE" (meals & incidental expenses) payment is meant to cover your living expenses and daily (diem) meal costs on assignment.

Your housing stipend covers your temporary housing in your assignment location. Remember you should be maintaining housing in your permanent tax home, as well.

Many travel nursing offer travel reimbursements to help offset the higher cost of life on the road.

Be aware you may have more living expenses coming out of your travel nursing paycheck, based on what employment benefits package you accept:

• Taxes based on your permanent tax home rates
• Agency health insurance - health benefits can start at $20/week
• Agency 401k retirement plans

Ask your agency what other benefits they provide and how those affect your pay package.

Taxable vs Tax Free Pay

Following on from our pay example above, your travel nurse pay is made up of a taxable hourly wage and tax free income.

Notice that more than half of this pay package is tax free pay. Ka-ching!

Your tax free stipends, or "Per Diem" pay, are based on daily maximum rates set by the government.  Check  gsa.gov's Per Diem rates  for your next contract location.

Travel nurses are eligible for Per Diem tax free stipends when working away from your permanent tax home. When receiving tax free pay you MUST duplicate living/housing expenses, required per IRS rules.

This means paying fair market prices for both your accommodation at your travel nursing assignment, AND maintaining your own housing at your permanent tax home.

Many agencies also offer travel reimbursements to help you get money back you spent on travel expenses moving between assignments.

Pro tip: You can still "travel nurse" while living in your own housing at your permanent tax home. The difference is your income will be fully taxed, and you won't be eligible for the the tax free travel nursing pay.

Highest Paying States for Travel Nurses

Which states are really worth the higher cost license fees? Our map shows the highest paying states for travel nurses over the past 12 months.

To view the highest paying states averages since  September 2019 , use the toggle in the right-hand corner of any of our graphs.

These averages would include crisis rate market fluctuations.

Highest paying states for travel nurses. Standardized to 36/hour week contracts to compare data accurately.

For more specific travel nurse salary by state, see our table below with detailed pay trends and job availability.

We've included the  standard deviation . This shows you how 68% of pay offers spread above and below the average travel RN rates.  Picture a bell curve.

For example, 68% of California travel nurse salaries are $2,537.01 +/- $681.08 = pay range of $1,855.93 - $3,218.09.

The 'job count' column gives you a snapshot of each state's job availability.

Curious what the market looked like pre-COVID19?

Below is a compilation of the states that offered the higher pay from  September 2019 - March 2020 . Compare this list to our above map and table to see what difference crisis rates made.

Top 5 Highest Paying States for Travel Nurses (Pre - Covid19)

• California Consistently has the best pay and the most jobs by a long shot. Both inside and outside of the pandemic.
• New Jersey Solid opportunities for both pay and job availability.
• Washington D.C. Great income, but fewer job openings.
• Alaska Decent pay and lots of jobs, despite reputation for low rates. Current rates lower than pre-covid19.
• Connecticut Regularly pays above average with frequent job openings.

Highest Travel Nurse Salaries by Metropolitan Area

Not sure which areas of the country pay great for travel nurses?

We've got a summary here to get you started. Get even more location-specific data on high paying opportunities using our interactive pay explorer .

Top 5 Highest Travel Nurse Salaries by Metropolitan Area

Go after high pay AND lots of job openings in these locations:

• California Holds 9 of our top 10 spots for highest-paying metro areas
• East Coast New York City-Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC
• Pacific Northwest Seattle-Tacoma, Portland
• Midwest St Louis, Chicago
• Arizona Phoenix, Tuscon

Pro Tip: Investing in a California license is worth your time and money if you're looking for LOTS of high-paying job options.

Highest Paying Travel Nurse Specialties

Feast your eyes on the largest travel nursing specialty comparison available including more than  130 specialties . Our interactive table shows nationwide pay averages including  standard deviation  for you to get an accurate overview of the highest paying specialties.

We removed specialties with very low job counts and supervisory roles. This keeps our data relevant to the travel nursing specialties with high pay AND regular job availability.

For a different view, we've got an interactive bubble chart displaying the highest paying travel nurse specialties by their job availability. Hover over the bubbles to identify the specialties.

Not all nursing specialties have a regular high need for travel nurses. For example, RN's in Electrophysiology Lab (EP Lab) regularly have higher pay offerings, but don't have the plentiful job options that ICU or L&D nurses have.

Pro tip: If you aspire to work consistently as a travel nurse, gain experience in a specialty with higher job availability.

I repeat: Higher demand = Higher compensation.

How To Find the Highest Paying Travel Nursing Jobs

How can you cut through the lowball offers to find and land the best paying travel nurse salaries? We started StellarNurse to help you.

After analyzing the market for 4+ years, here's our best advice:

• Use our interactive pay explorer to check pay trends, job availability and best agencies for your specialty
• Check out the newest & highest-paying travel nursing jobs to get an objective overview on your best current opportunities
• Message agencies anonymously on our StellarNurse jobs marketplace, focus on agencies that pay best and have lots of jobs for your specialty
• Keep current state licenses for the locations that have your specialty's best pay and highest job availability
• Breakdown pay packages to weekly or hourly income to accurately compare job offers
• Prioritize high pay - above personal convenience, best locations, nicest recruiter or agency loyalty
• Move fast for Crisis or Rapid Response rate offers

In a nutshell, stay flexible. The best offers are competitive and often need help fast. Be ready to adjust plans quickly, coordinate with a new agency or arrange travel to an unexpected location.

Bonus tip: If you like your agency, tell fellow travel nurses. Make an easy $500-$1,000. Every agency offers referral bonuses if a nurse you referred works with them too.

With more than 500 agencies posting travel nursing jobs daily it’s overwhelming to find which ones might be the best travel nurse companies for you.

After analyzing 4 million jobs over the past 4 years, we’ve organized our data to help you make informed decisions on which agencies to prioritize contacting first.

Find the best paying travel nurse agencies for your specialty and preferred locations. Use the filters to see which agencies have the most jobs available.

Refer back to our interactive pay explorer for in-depth pay trends on the best travel nursing agencies for your specialty and locations.

StellarNurse answers three important questions you should consider in your travel nurse agency choices.

Which travel nurse agencies have:

• The highest paying jobs for your specialty?
• The most jobs available for your locations?
• The benefits you’re looking for?

More questions you should consider when choosing a travel nurse agency are:

• What sets this agency apart?
• What agency resources are available if you have issues?
• How responsive is this agency?

Furthermore, find unbiased reviews to guide your choices.

Since I prefer to read reviews directly from my fellow nurses, here's where I look:

Bonus tip: You can message recruiters anonymously on the StellarNurse jobs marketplace totally risk-free. Get all your questions answered before giving up your contact info.

Our Data Sources

All our data is publicly available on the named travel nursing agency's website or Google jobs listings.

Methodology

We'll be publishing more technical details on our GitHub in the near future.

Dropping the Mic 🖐🎤

We can't wait to hear your success stories - Tell us how our travel nurse salary interactive pay explorer has helped you.

Did we miss any questions you have about finding how much travel nurses can make?

Connect with us on Instagram and Facebook so we can add your requests to future updates.

Share with your registered nurse friends so they can see their earning potential too!

Your days of being underpaid are over.

Bring evidence-based practice to your job search. Land the highest paying travel nursing jobs based on objective market overviews.

Travel Nurse Salary: How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?

• Travel Nurse Salary
• Salary Factors
• Salary by Specialty
• Highest Paying States
• Highest Paying Cities
• Top Paying Agencies
• How to Make More
• Related Careers
• Final Thoughts & Next Steps

How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?

The average annual travel nurse salary in the US is  $105,021 or $50/hr, according to  ZipRecruiter  as of May 2023. This is significantly higher than the average salary for registered nurses overall, which is $81,220 per year or $39.05 per hour per the BLS . 

>> Click here to see available high-paying travel nurse opportunities!

Travel nurse salaries range widely across the country, with the lowest earners making $40,000 and the highest earners making $155,500 annually!

If you are a Registered Nurse (RN) who has ever considered traveling the country and wants to know how much travel nurses earn, you’ve come to the right place! This travel nurse salary guide will explain everything you need to know about how much travel nurses can make. Including:

• Types of travel nurses who make the most money
• Travel nurse salaries by city and state incomes
• Top-paying travel nurse agencies
• How to increase your salary as a travel nurse

Factors That Impact Travel Nurse Salaries

It is important to remember that travel nursing salary is dependent on several factors, including:

• Nursing specialty
• Full-time or part-time employment
• The shifts you work: day shift, night shift, mid-shifts, or weekends
• Bonus income

Also, travel nurses who work holidays often receive time-and-a-half or double-time pay, and in some cases, even more!

In addition, depending on the circumstances, travel nurses may also receive “crisis” pay due to needing to fill staffing urgently. If you have the desire and flexibility to move to another city or state quickly, a “crisis” assignment might be a great option for you.

Travel Nurse Salary by Specialty

What do travel nurses do that warrants their higher salaries? While flexibility is a significant factor, your travel nurse salary will also change depending on your nursing specialty.

Travel CRNA

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are the top-paid nursing specialty. The same holds true for CRNAs who take travel assignments as well. According to ZipRecruiter , CRNA travelers earn an average annual income of $194,352 or $93/hr. The highest earners make as much as $311,500!

Operating Room Travel Nurse

Operating Room (OR) travel nurses are in high demand at various locations around the country. ZipRecruiter found that operating room travel nurses earn an average annual income of $181,460 annually or $87/hr. The highest earners make as much as $286,000.

Emergency Room Travel Nurse

ZipRecruiter reports that ER travel nurses earn an average annual income of $83,503 annually or $40/hr. However, they add that the highest earners make as much as $171,500.

Intensive Care (ICU) Travel Nurse

According to ZipRecruiter , the average annual salary for ICU travel nurses is $143,416 annually or $69/hr. However, the highest earners make as much as $263,500.

Travel Nurse Practitioner

The average travel nurse practitioner salary is $140,086 annually or $67/hr, according to ZipRecruiter .  However, salary is often dependent on location and specialty. The highest-earning travel nurse practitioners make as much as $243,500.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Travel Nurse

NICU travel nurses earn an average income of approximately $173,017 annually or $83/hr, according to ZipRecruiter . However, incomes across the country can range widely, with bottom earners making $56,000 and top earners bringing in $281,500.

Med-Surg Travel Nurse

ZipRecruiter reports that med-surg travel nurses in the US earn an average annual income of $118,997 or $57.21/hr. However, per-hour incomes can reach as high as $134.38, depending on your location and facility.

Telemetry Travel Nurse

ZipRecruiter states that telemetry Travel nurses earn an average annual income of $124,122 annually or $60/hr. However, top earners bring in as much as $174,500.

Top Paying States for Travel Nurses

Location can make a huge difference in salary as a travel nurse. ZipRecruiter reports that the states that offer the highest pay for travel nurses include:

• New York: $128,277 annually or $61.67/hr
• Arizona: $109,776 annually or $52.78/hr
• Wyoming: $109,765 annually or $52.77/hr
• Hawaii: $109,653 annually or $52.72/hr
• Tennessee: $107,708 annually or $51.78/hr
• Massachusetts: $107,000 annually or $51.44/hr
• New Jersey: $106,901 annually or $51.40/hr
• Washington: $106,086 annually or $51.00/hr
• West Virginia: $106,044 annually or $50.98/hr
• New Hampshire: $105,438 annually or $50.69/hr

Top Paying Cities for Travel Nurses

ZipRecruiter reports that the cities that offer the highest pay for travel nurses include:

• Barrow, AK: $137,200 annually or $65.96/hr
• San Jose, CA: $133,873 annually or $64.36/hr
• Oakland, CA: $132,042 annually or $63.48/hr
• Antioch, CA: $129,387 annually or $62.21/hr
• San Francisco Bay Area, CA: $128,781 annually or $61.91/hr
• Lebanon, NH: $128,674 annually or $61.86/hr
• New York, NY: $128,277 annually or $61.67/hr
• Hayward, CA: $127,865 annually or $61.47/hr
• Vallejo, CA: $127,791 annually or $61.44/hr 
• Seattle, WA: $127,691 annually or $61.39/hr

Top Paying Agencies for Travel Nurses

There are multiple top-paying travel nurse agencies across the US. It is important to remember that your pay package depends on several factors, and income may vary widely depending on location and the needs of the facility. When a healthcare facility has more urgent needs for travel nurses, the pay ranges typically increase.

>> Related: Travel Nurse Requirements

Aya Healthcare

Aya Healthcare is one of the largest travel nurse agencies in the country, and they offer a wide range of travel nurse opportunities for various nursing specialties and allied healthcare positions. 

Fusion Medical Staffing

Fusion is another large nurse travel agency with many opportunities for nurses to choose their top travel destinations. Their website reports that one of the biggest perks of working with them is that they offer dedicated contacts available every day and night, 24/7.

Axis Medical Staffing

Axis Medical Staffing has won awards for “Best Customer Service” by Verywell Health and “Top Travel Nursing Company 2022” by Travel Nursing Central. 

Travel Nurse Across America

The TNAA website boasts highly skilled recruiters, housing experts, and clinical and quality insurance that prepares their travel nurses for success. 

Gifted Healthcare

Gifted Healthcare is another large travel nursing agency that reports that they aim to open the door to the right opportunities for their clinicians. In fact, their website reports that 90% of travel nurses report that their assignments aligned perfectly with their skills and expectations. 

TotalMed Staffing

Headquartered in Appleton, WI, TotalMed Staffing has several other locations across the country, such as California, Illinois, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They serve various types of healthcare facilities across the country.

Ventura Medstaff

Ventura Medstaff prides itself on integrity. Their website makes it easy to find a match for various types of healthcare specialties in the right location and facility across the country.

Tailored Healthcare

The Tailored Healthcare website reports that travel nurses are rewarded professionally with high-paying travel assignments, Platinum Shield Benefits, and everything paid for upfront. In addition, the company celebrates its nurses year-round with praise, gifts, and best-in-class bonuses.

Titan Medical 

Titan Medical Group states that they help their clients “find your place.” They feature various jobs on their website daily and make it easier for clients to find their next travel assignment.  

MedPro Healthcare

Medpro Healthcare offers incredible benefits, including competitive compensation, travel reimbursement, health insurance, short and long-term disability, 401K, Continuing education, and even referral bonuses.

How to Increase Your Salary as a Travel Nurse

No matter where you live and work as a travel nurse, there are often opportunities to increase your salary.

Be Flexible With Your City and State

When you live and work in a city with a higher cost of living, you will also be compensated at a higher rate. For example, travel nurses who work in areas such as New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle will earn significantly more income than travel nurses who choose to work in lower-cost-of-living areas. 

Consider Your Specialty(s)

If you have been cross-trained in more than one nursing specialty, you may want to see which specialties pay the most through your travel agency. For example, if you usually work as an ICU nurse, but a facility has crisis needs for telemetry nurses and will pay top dollar for that specialty, then you may want to consider accepting that travel assignment. After all, these are temporary assignments, and if you decide you don’t like them, you won’t have to stay for long.

Ask About Per Diem Daily Pay

Many nurses qualify for additional per diem pay for travel nurse housing , incidentals, and meals during their travel assignments. Talk to your travel agent to see if this applies to you.

Choose Shifts Wisely

Career and travel nurses are typically paid a few dollars more per hour for working less desirable shifts such as night shifts, mid shifts, and weekends.

In addition, travel nurses who work holidays often receive time and a half or double time pay!

Talk About Bonuses

Your travel agency will need to explain your bonus structure, as they can differ from agency to agency. However, here are a few of the different types of bonuses you may be eligible for as a travel RN:

• Agency bonus: Added pay from your travel agency
• Retention bonus: Your agency will often pay you a fee for referring your nurse and allied healthcare professional friends to their agency.
• Retention bonus: Agency-paid bonuses for nurses who continue to accept travel bonuses from the same agency.

Find Crisis or Strike Pay

Healthcare facilities in dire need of nursing staff during a public healthcare crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or during a nursing strike, often will pay travel nurses significantly higher wages than during non-dire times. Talk to your travel agency to find out where the most significant staffing needs are. 

Consider Looking at Different Agencies

If you are ever disappointed with your travel pay or hear through the grapevine that other agencies pay significantly more, consider looking at different agencies. It is also wise to build relationships with other travel nurses so you can talk freely about what to expect at different agencies.

Consider Finding Your Own Housing

Many agencies offer a housing stipend and then secure your housing for you. However, if you find your own housing, you may be able to find something less expensive and pocket the rest of the money.

>> See more travel nurse salary tips in How to Make the Most Money as a Travel Nurse

Salaries of Related Nursing Careers vs. Travel Nursing

The following are salaries of non-traveling nursing specialties, according to ZipRecruiter:

• NICU Nurse : $136,592 annually or $66/hr
• Surgical Nurse: $120,699 annually, or $58/hr
• Postpartum Nurse: $108,952 annually or $52/hr
• Telemetry Nurse: $95,179 annually, or $46/hr
• ICU Nurse : $92,568 annually or $45/hr
• Emergency Room Nurse : $83,503 annually or $40/hr

Travel Nurse Salary: Final Thoughts & Next Steps

The high salaries alone are enough to make dozens of nurses excited to enter travel nursing. But the perks don't stop at pay - travel nurses get to see the world, interact with patients across cultures, and enjoy non-taxed travel stipends. If all that sounds enticing to you, check out our guide on how to become a travel nurse to start your dream career today!

Travel Nurse Salary FAQs

Do travel nurses get paid well.

• ZipRecruiter reports that as of May 2023, travel nurses in the US earned an average annual income of $105,021 or $50/hr. They also add that salaries range widely across the country, with the lowest earners making $40,000 and the highest earners making $155,500 annually! 

What is the highest travel nurse salary?

• CRNAs travelers are the top-paid travel registered nurse specialty.  According to ZipRecruiter, CRNA travelers earn an average annual income of $194,352 or $93/hr. The highest earners make as much as $311,500! 

Why are travel nurses paid so much?

• Travel nurses help to fill staffing gaps and often accept assignments in areas with severe or “crisis’” nursing shortages. For their travel flexibility and ability to work in sometimes hard-to-fill areas, they are typically paid a higher compensation.

Sarah Jividen , RN, BSN, is a trained neuro/trauma and emergency room nurse turned freelance healthcare writer/editor. As a journalism major, she combined her love for writing with her passion for high-level patient care. Sarah is the creator of Health Writing Solutions , LLC, specializing in writing about healthcare topics, including health journalism, education, and evidence-based health and wellness trends. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two children. 

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How to Evaluate Your Travel Nurse Pay Package in California

Author: Coast Medical Service

Posted: January 27, 2021

Travel Nursing

There are tons of exciting job opportunities as a travel nurse around the country, especially when you work with a healthcare staffing agency . It’s important to stop and examine how you’re being compensated. Here are a few things to consider when looking at your travel nurse salary in California.

Taxable vs. Non-Taxable Reimbursement

Taxable income is base pay. Non-taxable reimbursements are stipends for lodging, food, and travel costs. Non-taxable income seems better at first since you get to keep more of it upfront. But consider your long term goals when evaluating your travel nurse pay package.

The IRS doesn’t consider stipends to be income, so more of them now means less Social Security when you retire. It also makes bank loans harder to get. If half of your income is non-taxable, it’ll look like you made $30,000 in a year where you actually made $60,000.

Number of Hours

Don’t just look at the weekly rate for your travel nurse salary in California, but also break it down by hours. Earning $2100 per week sounds better than $1800 per week, but if the former job contract is 40 hours each week and the latter is only 20 hours a week, ask yourself if you really need the extra $300.

There are some great gigs out there that pay very well, but wary of overworking yourself, (especially if you’re getting underpaid)! Break it down by hours to find which job is paying you the most for your time.

Where is the Job? What is the Environment Like?

Travel nursing means getting to explore different places. But if you’re staunchly a city person working in an extremely rural hospital, the money can feel not worthwhile.

Conversely, if you’re heading into a big city, consider your California travel nurse salary against the cost of living where you’re going. $2000 per week means one thing in a small rural town and something very different in a major metropolitan area.

Type of Available PPE

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis , having good and easily available PPE at work is vital, but has not always been a guarantee throughout the pandemic, due to different state governments all trying to fill their demands for it. When weighing your travel nurse salary in California, factoring in whether you will have reliable access to PPE, especially in areas with high rates of the virus, is an important consideration.

Benefits and Time Off

Most of your benefits will come through your staffing agency, but if the hospital does offer you good benefits in exchange for a light cut to your weekly pay, it’s worth considering.

Additionally, consider time off when looking at your travel nurse salary in California. Hospitals might not give you paid vacation, but making sure that you have time to recuperate in between shifts is crucial for a healthy work-life balance .

Ultimately, what you prioritize is up to you. But these are some of the biggest factors in your travel nurse pay package, so now that you’re aware of them, you can make a more informed decision in order to pick the best jobs for you!

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2024 Travel Nurse Salary + Job Outlook

Travel nurses work in specific locations for limited and usually predetermined timeframes of anywhere from 13 to 16 weeks. Though they may work in any type of facility – hospitals, doctors’ offices, and long-term care facilities – they get to choose where they work, which helps prevent boredom. Travel nurses also earn handsome salaries that rival the average salaries of BSN-educated registered nurses (RNs). Here, you will learn more about the average travel nurse salary and what you can expect if you choose this exciting career path.

How Much Does a Travel Nurse Make?

Salary for different types of travel nurses, what other benefits will you receive as a travel nurse, how to boost your travel nurse salary, 10 best states to work for travel nurses + salary, travel nurse salary by state – highest to lowest, travel nurse salary by city, what are the 10 best travel nursing agencies to work for in the united states, what does the future look like for travel nursing jobs.

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Travel nurses' pay, state by state

The average weekly travel nurse pay in November in the U.S. was $3,204, down 16.32 percent from $3,829 during the same month in 2021, according to a report from Vivian Health, a national healthcare hiring marketplace.    

While this is among the largest year-over-year decreases Vivian Health has seen in 2022, travel pay rates increased from October to November in many states.

Vivian Health told  Becker's  that the 'tridemic' is a likely contributor to the growth.

"As states begin to grapple with increased infections and hospitalizations of RSV, flu and COVID cases, travel pay has increased alongside increased case rates," the healthcare hiring marketplace said.

As of Dec. 7, there were 850,468 active travel nurse jobs on the Vivian Health platform nationwide in the last 90 days.

Here is a breakdown of average weekly travel nurse pay (November 2022 compared to October 2022), state by state:

October: $2,470

November: $2,558

October: $3,359

November: $3,310

October: $2,988

November: $3,154

October: $2,701

November: $2,958

October: $3,811

November: $4,060

October: $2,928

November: $3,027

Connecticut

October: $3,285

November: $3,267

October: $3,124

November: $3,054

October: $2,487

November: $2,600

October: $2,804

November: $2,815

October: $3,060

November: $3,102

October: $2,843

November: $3,038

October: $3,130

November: $3,237

October: $3,145

November: $3,203

October: $2,970

November: $3,169

October: $2,649

November: $2,668

October: $2,889

November: $2,975

October: $2,765

November: $2,801

October: $3,377

November: $3,374

October: $3,069

November: $3,266

Massachusetts

October: $3,368

November: $3,505

October: $2,831

November: $3,123

October: $3,246

November: $3,458

Mississippi

October: $2,563

November: $2,603

October: $2,815

November: $2,963

October: $2,832

November: $2,868

October: $3,114

November: $3,150

October: $3,111

November: $3,199

New Hampshire

October: $3,105

November: $3,304

October: $3,529

November: $3,894

October: $2,943

November: $3,115

October: $3,206

November: $3,406

North Carolina

October: $2,908

November: $2,978

North Dakota

October: $3,265

November: $3,181

October: $2,982

November: $3,086

October: $2,637

November: $2,612

October: $3,311

November: $3,424

Pennsylvania

October: $3,440

Rhode Island

October: $3,131

November: $3,148

South Carolina

October: $2,655

November: $2,728

South Dakota

October: $3,222

November: $3,343

October: $2,623

November: $2,733

October: $2,673

November: $2,750

October: $2,802

November: $2,797

October: $3,382

November: $3,451

October: $2,987

November: $3,080

October: $3,230

November: $3,293

Washington, D.C.

October: $3,553

November: $3,504

West Virginia

October: $3,134

November: $3,330

October: $2,985

November: $3,184

October: $3,346

November: $3,321

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The 8 Highest Paying Travel Nurse Jobs in 2024

Job seeker, job seeker featured, salary, travel nurse jobs, travel nursing jobs.

Higher earning potential is why many RNs chose to transition to travel nursing in the last few years. Other reasons you might consider making this transition yourself may include:  

• A change of work environment and an opportunity to learn new hospital cultures. 
• The ability to travel to and explore new places. 
• Job security, with options nationwide. 
• Broadened experience and skills. 

No matter your reason, a travel nurse salary can be extremely lucrative. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not  all  assignments and locations pay more than perm positions.   

Factors like the city/state of your assignment, your specialty, and even the shift you’re willing to work have a significant influence on your paycheck as a travel nurse. Here are a few key factors healthcare travelers should consider when seeking out the highest-paying travel nurse jobs.  

Travel Nurse Specialties  

As with perm nursing jobs,  your specialty  plays a big role in how much you get paid. Your travel nursing goals should always be taken into account, however, if you’re set on increasing your travel nurse salary, consider one of the following higher-paying specialties.   

• Oncology  Nurse  – Hospitals are consistently seeking travelers with hands-on experience caring for patients (both medical and surgical) with different varieties of cancer.   
• NICU  III Nurse  – NICU III travel nurses are always in high demand, as hospitals need people who can care for critically ill babies  and  support the needs of parents and family during this emotional time.   
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit  (PICU) Nurse  – Qualifications for and experience working with young patients in the PICU of a children’s hospital will keep you in high demand, filling a need that hospitals consistently have.  
• Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit  (CVICU) Nurse  – If you have specific experience in cardiac and neuro ICUs, you’ll most definitely have an edge over other critical care nurses when it comes to getting placed on assignment.  
• Cardiovascular Operating Room  (CVOR) Nurse  – As a part of the cardiovascular surgical team, CVOR nurses tend to make more per hour because surgeries bring in a large portion of hospital revenue.  
• C ardiac Catheterization Lab  Nurse  – Hospitals struggle to find nurses with experience in procedural areas like the cath lab—making these jobs in higher demand, with more lucrative hourly rates.  
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist  (CRNA)  – CRNAs require more education than many other nurse specialties due to the added risk and accountability associated with anesthetics. Due to this requirement, CRNAs are often in short supply.

Highest Paying Travel Nurse Locations  

California – The most populous and geographically diverse state in the U.S., California is known for its vibrant culture and varied landscapes and climates.  

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $3,200 – $3,550  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $12,800 – $14,200  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $166,400 – $184,600  

Alaska – The largest state in the U.S. is characterized by its extreme and diverse climate, with cold winters, long summer days, and vast wilderness expanses for outdoor lovers!  

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,600 – $2,875  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $10,400 – $11,500  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $135,200 – $149,500    

Connecticut – This New England landmark is known for its subtropical summers, cold winters, charming coastal towns, and historical significance.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,375 – $2,750  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $9,500 – $11,000  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $123,500 – $143,000  

New York – A bustling and iconic state, New York state is known for its cultural richness and diverse neighborhoods.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,100 – $2,745  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $8,400 – $10,980  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $109,200 – $142,740  

Massachusetts – Massachusetts is a historic and intellectually vibrant state in the New England region, distinguished by prestigious universities and known for its gorgeous fall foliage as the weather cools for winter.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,400 – $2,740  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $9,600 – $10,960  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $124,800 – $142,480  

Hawaii – Hawaii is a tropical paradise boasting a consistently mild climate with warm temperatures year-round.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,300 – $2,540  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $9,200 – $10,160  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $119,600 – $132,080  

Washington – This rainy state comes along with vibrant urban areas, stunning natural beauty, and a diverse culture.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,290 – $2,500  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $9,160 – $10,000  
• Average Annual Pay Range: $119,080 – $130,000  

New Jersey – Residents of New Jersey will boast about its suburban communities and bustling urban areas with a diverse landscape and climate.   

• Average Weekly Pay Range: $2,250 – $2,500  
• Average Monthly Pay Range: $9,000 – $10,000   
• Average Annual Pay Range: $117,000 – $130,000  

In addition to location, your hours may vary depending on your specific assignment and specialty, significantly influencing your wage*. For example, cities with a higher cost of living typically pay higher wages — but keep in mind that you do have to consider your other needs associated with that cost of living.   

It’s also common to see a trade-off between desirable locations and pay rates. For example, Hawaii is a highly desirable state for many travel nurses, so you may find pay rates there are inversely a bit lower. On the other hand, a less desirable location, like North Dakota in January, may inversely offer a higher pay rate.      

The big takeaway about the location of your travel nurse job is that your flexibility is key, and determining high-paying states for travel nurses is dependent on several factors beyond the base pay package . The more flexible you are regarding location, the more likely you are to go where current demand takes you—and that often means a higher paycheck.   

If you can be uber-flexible on location, it’s wise to maintain multiple state licenses and know your way around the  nurse licensure compact . That way, you can more swiftly apply for and accept high-demand jobs wherever they may be.  

* Estimated pay and benefits packages based on current job data. Bill rates can change frequently and without notice. Exact pay and benefits package may vary based on several factors, including, but not limited to, guaranteed hours, travel distance, demand, experience, eligibility, etc.

Highest Paying Travel Nurse Assignments  

Regardless of location and specialty, unexpected circumstances can also present financial opportunities for travel nurses. When you travel with  Medical Solutions , our expert team is always here to help you quickly acquire the licenses and certifications needed for rapid response, crisis, or  strike assignments. Plus, we offer  licensure and specialty certification reimbursement !    

• Crisis and Rapid Response Assignments   Hospitals and medical facilities are willing to pay travel nurses top dollar to fill roles when there’s an urgent need. If you have the flexibility to arrive quickly and stay as long as the need keeps you there — and if you’re open to traveling anywhere the need may take you — you can find yourself with assignments that are rewarding in pay  and  experience.     Crisis travel nurse jobs look fantastic on resumes, making these travelers even more appealing to employers, and increasing the likelihood of matching with high-demand roles in the future.   
• Strike Assignments   Strikes most often occur when a hospital and union cannot come to an agreement on a labor contract that’s up for renewal or when workers face unsafe conditions. Despite the reason for a strike, continuity of care is crucial for patients in affected facilities and travel nurses can make a good sum of money in  strike assignments  because of the urgent need.

Travel Nurse Qualifications  

Any travel nurse with the proper certifications and experience deserves a high-paying travel nursing job if that’s what they want. The basic requirements to become a travel nurse include:  

• Earning your ADN or BSN degree.
• Passing the NCLEX.
• 1-2 years of recent, in-hospital experience as a nurse. 
• Earning your appropriate licensure and certifications per location and chosen specialty.

Meeting these requirements will put you well on your way to accessing the highest paying travel nursing jobs.

To check out if Medical Solutions currently has any high-paying assignments for travel nurses or allied health professionals, contact your recruiter or call our 24-hour customer care line at 1.866.633.3548 . We’re always hard at work placing talented travel nurses and negotiating to get them the highest travel nurse pay possible.   

Original post created by Sarah Wengert Nov. 5, 2020.

• What is a Travel Nurse Salary
• How Much is a Travel Nurse Salary
• What is the Average Salary for a Travel Nurse

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How to Calculate Travel Nursing Net Pay

Calculating net pay is an important step in comparing competing travel nursing pay packages and ultimately deciding whether or not to accept a particular travel nursing job. The importance of net pay is relatively unique to travel nursing. This is due largely to the fact that levels of tax-free compensation vary so greatly. However, there are other important factors to consider. Here we’ll discuss the factors that affect net pay and provide a strategy for calculating it.

What is net pay and how should it be calculated?

It’s important to define net pay because we want to make sure that we’re making apples-to-apples comparisons when comparing compensation packages. The standard and perhaps best approach is to focus on weekly net pay . Weekly net pay is the estimated net amount that will be deposited to the travel nurse’s account for working the contracted weekly hours. While this might seem really straightforward, you must be careful to clearly define the parameters.

Discover your next travel healthcare job on BluePipes!

Remember, the pay package can be comprised of many variables. As a result, you may run in to some recruiters who factor in variables like travel stipends or medical benefit costs to their weekly net pay quotes. However, these variables are most likely not going to be paid on a weekly basis. Recruiters do this because they’re intent on portraying the full value of their compensation package.

While this may seem disingenuous, this approach is not without merit. Recruiters are concerned that a centralized focus on weekly net pay might overshadow some of the other compensation variables they’re offering. For example, they might be offering a much higher travel stipend than other agencies, or they might provide top-notch medical benefits that are more expensive than others, or they might be offering a completion bonus. This is why it’s so important to get your compensation quotes in writing. In doing so, you’ll be able to run equal calculations and make your own comparisons.

For our purposes here, we’re defining weekly net pay as only the amount of money that will be deposited to the travel nurse’s bank account for working the contracted hours. However, you must remember to consider all of the other variables when comparing the total value of competing pay packages.

Now that we’ve defined net pay, let’s take a basic look at how it’s calculated. First, we’re going to calculate the gross taxable wage per week. Next, we’re going to calculate the weekly taxes that will be paid on the gross taxable weekly wage and subtract the taxes from the gross weekly taxable wage. Finally, we’re going to add the remainder to the tax-free stipends to arrive at the final weekly net pay figure.

Sample Travel Nursing Pay Packages

Let’s begin with two sample pay packages so that we have something to refer to throughout our discussion.

The assignment is for 13 weeks at 36 regular hours per week for a total of 468 anticipated hours. The agency offers the following:

Taxable base rate: $20/hour

Tax-free housing stipend: $1900/month (paid weekly)

Tax-free M&IE stipend: $250/week

Taxable base rate: $15/hour

Tax-free housing stipend: $2100/month (paid weekly)

Tax-free M&IE stipend: $300/week

For the purpose of calculating weekly net pay, the first thing we have to do is breakdown the monthly housing stipend to a weekly figure. It’s highly recommended that you require your recruiter to perform this calculation for you in order to avoid any miscommunication. However, If the agency is portraying this figure properly, then you should be able to multiply the monthly figure by three and divide by 13 in order to arrive at the weekly calculation. Remember, three months is 13 weeks and there are 4.33 weeks in a month.  So we’re looking at $438.46 for Sample #1 and $484.62 for Sample #2.

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Our next step is to calculate the total weekly dollar for the tax-stipends. Essentially, we need to add the housing stipend to the M&IE stipend. For Sample #1 we’re looking at $438.46 (housing) + $250 (M&IE) for a total of $688.46 per week. For Sample #2 we’re looking at $484.62 (housing) + $300 (M&IE) for a total of $784.62 per week.

How to calculate the estimated taxes for travel nursing pay

Now we’re ready to calculate the taxes that will be taken out of the weekly pay check. We need two things to accomplish this. First, we need the gross weekly taxable wage. To calculate the gross weekly taxable wage we simply multiply the taxable base rate by the number of contracted weekly hours. For Sample #1 we’re looking at $20 * 36 hours for a total of $720 per week. For Sample #1 we’re looking at $15 * 36 hours for a total of $540 per week.

Next, we need to calculate the estimated taxes that will be paid on the weekly taxable income. To accomplish this, many recruiters and travel nurses will rely on a ball-park tax rate figure. For example, they might estimate that the tax burden will be 20%. They will then multiply the gross weekly taxable wage by 20% to determine the estimated tax burden. So for Sample #1 we’re looking at .2 * $720 = $144.

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This approach is not recommended for two reasons. First, taxes are progressive. This means that the more money you make, the higher your tax rate is and vice-versa. Second, states have substantially different state tax rates. Both of these issues can throw your calculations off significantly.

Using an online paycheck calculator is a much better alternative. The most popular online paycheck calculator is found at paycheckcity.com . From their homepage menu you can select Calculator, then Standard, then Hourly Paycheck. Enter the information as applicable and select Calculate at the bottom of the calculator. It will provide a much more accurate estimate of your tax burden.

Below are images of our results for Sample #1 and Sample #2. You can see that we’ve selected Arizona as the state and you can also see the other parameters we used for our tax status. Yours maybe different than what we’ve selected so be sure to enter parameters that are unique to your situation. This is part of the beauty of paycheck calculators.

Paycheck Calculation for Sample #1

Paycheck Calculation for Sample #2

Calculating net pay

As mentioned above, we simply subtract the estimated weekly taxes from the weekly taxable wage and add the remainder to the total weekly tax-free stipends to calculate weekly net pay for a contract. For Sample #1 we’re looking at $720 – $167.59 = $552.41 + $688.46 = $1240.87 net weekly pay. For Sample #2 we’re looking at $540 – $121.96 = $418.04 + $784.62 = $1202.66 net weekly pay.

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As you can see, Sample #1 offers the higher net pay. However, you must still remember to account for the all of the remaining compensation variables when determining which contract offers the better deal.

Related posts:

• Travel Nursing Pay – Qualifying for Tax-Free Stipends and Tax Deductions: Part 2: Maintaining Temporary Status In our previous blog post we laid out the criteria under...
• Travel Nursing Pay: Flexible vs. Rigid If you’ve discussed travel nursing pay with multiple agencies, then...
• 5 Reasons Travel Nursing Pay Quotes Can Be Wrong Pay is among the most important variables that travel nurses...

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Earn six figures — mostly non-taxable — as a travel nurse

These health care professionals earn excellent pay by filling temporarily open spots at health care facilities around the country.

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Anthony Swain, 32, and his wife earn six-figure incomes while traveling the country for work. And they pay tax on just a fraction of their income. Such is the life of a travel nurse. These health care professionals earn excellent pay — much of it non-taxable — filling temporarily open spots at health care facilities around the country.

And, thanks to an exodus of nurses during the pandemic, demand for travel nurses is strong, with some 20,000 more open travel nurse positions than at this time last year, according to Adzuna , a job search engine. Average pay for travel nurses also soared nearly 50 percent from five years ago to nearly $125,000 on average.

Moreover an aging baby boomer population almost guarantees high demand for nurses of all types for decades.

What is travel nursing? Why should you care? What does it take to qualify, if you’re not already a nurse? And where do you find these jobs? Here’s a question and answer look.

What is travel nursing?

The main difference between travel nursing and ordinary nursing is that travel nurses are assigned to temporary positions — usually lasting about three months — outside of their home cities or states. By and large, they’re able to pick and choose among assignments, opting to work in cities or facilities that are attractive to them.

Because this work is too far away from home to commute, travel nurses also are entitled to “per diem” compensation for food, lodging and incidental expenses (such as dry cleaning and tips). That’s in addition to their hourly or weekly pay. And, generally speaking the per diem pay is non-taxable.

How much do you get in per diem pay?

That depends on where you travel and your contract. However, the General Services Administration publishes per diem rates that range from about $166 per day to well over $350 per day, depending on the city and state where you travel.

So, in a typical month, a travel nurse might earn $6,000 for the job and $9,000 for the per-diem (calculated here as $300 per day for 30 days). And, because the aim of per diem compensation is to help you recover additional work expenses that you wouldn’t normally have, this portion of your pay is tax-free.

Why would I care about this if I’m not already a nurse?

You wouldn’t, unless you’re unhappy or insecure in your current profession. If either of those is the case, nursing is worth considering.

Nursing is one of a handful of professions that has a fairly low barrier to entry. You can secure entry-level nursing positions after completing just a few classes that you can complete while working at another full-time job.

To be sure, the best-paid nursing jobs require at least some college and more training. However, many nurses complete both the educational and practical requirements while working, often with economic support from the medical facilities where they work.

And the demand for nurses is likely to remain strong for decades, which makes this a profession that offers a great deal of job security. (The University of St. Augustine has a nice primer on the different types of nursing and the education and testing required. )

When not to consider nursing

That said, don’t consider nursing unless you’re able to handle the physical demands, which require you to be on your feet the bulk of the day. Additionally, you need to be empathetic and psychologically strong enough to handle dealing with people who are sick and, sometimes, dying.

You also need to be good in a crisis. In this field, crises are literally about life and death and one could strike at any time.

Can I be a travel nurse as soon as I get a nursing degree or certification?

No. Generally, you’ll need at least one and, preferably, two years of practical experience to qualify as a travel nurse.

Explain the per diem pay again. What’s the catch?

You do need to follow a bunch of tax rules to establish that your “domicile” is far enough away from your work that you can’t simply go home to eat and sleep. And you must spend enough time in this “domicile” every year to convince the IRS that it’s legitimately your home base.

You also need to only accept assignments of less than a year in states and/or cities away from your home.

Moreover, you’ll need to keep records showing that you paid for accommodations and food during these temporary assignments — as well as records showing the expenses you paid for your home.

So you do need two homes. Does that eliminate the economic benefit?

It could. But most travel nurses are smart enough to economize in ways that make the arrangement work to their financial advantage. It’s best when your home base is in a low-cost city or state and your nursing position is in a high-cost area, Swain explains.

Swain, for example, says his home state is in a small town in Pennsylvania. In his home town, you can rent a three-bedroom home for less than $1,200. Meanwhile, he and his wife have worked in California, Washington, D.C., Maryland and many other high cost states, where per diem rates can hit $350 per day.

Because they both work in travel nursing and both get per diem stipends, they “economize ” by living together. And, since the per diem is non-taxable, they only pay tax on about 60 percent of their income. Better yet, they’re using travel nursing to decide where they want to permanently settle. Most jobs don’t offer that type of geographic flexibility.

Where can you find travel nursing work?

Dozens of agencies around the country offer travel nursing positions. These agencies typically hire travel nurses as employees and then farm them out to health care facilities around the country that have a temporary need.

Some worth noting:

American Mobile Healthcare , Cross Country Nurses , and Trusted Health . All three of these companies serve as agent/employers. So, nurses sign up, choose and apply to nursing assignments offered through these agencies. The agency gets paid by the health care facility. The agency pays and employs the nurse.

That means that nurses are likely to get benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans, which might otherwise be unavailable for temporary workers.

Vivian Health is another good option. This site is a health care marketplace where nurses can find both travel and local nursing positions posted by health care facilities and staffing agencies. This provides a substantially wider variety of work options than traditional staffing agencies. To be specific, on a recent check, Vivian posted more than 149,000 travel nursing openings vs. 6,400 travel nursing jobs posted at Cross Country Nurses.

Kristof is the editor of SideHusl.com, an independent website that reviews moneymaking opportunities in the gig economy.

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