Travel Nursing Blog

Everything you need to know about travel nursing including finding travel nursing companies, negotiating pay, taxes, travel nursing jobs, and more.

Travel Nursing Pay – Working as an Independent Contractor

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Many travel nurses and travel allied health professionals express interest in working as independent contractors. Unfortunately, the vast majority of healthcare workers, registered nurses included, do not meet the requirements set by the IRS to be considered independent contractors. In the end, it really depends on the particular work setting and the relationship between the payer and payee. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Information for Travel Nursing Couples

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As a travel nursing recruiter I worked with many travel nursing couples and a few groups. While almost everything is the same for couples and groups, there are some key differences to be aware of. First, there are rules that may alter the way travel nursing companies handle your company provided housing or lodging stipends. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Is It OK to Take $10 Per Hour as an RN?

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As we discussed in the article on travel nursing pay packages, travel nursing agencies can split up the travel nursing pay package in many different ways. For example, some agencies structure their pay packages with lower taxable hourly rates and higher tax free reimbursements. Sometimes, you’ll find taxable base rates as low as $10 per hour. As a Registered Nurse, or any other highly trained healthcare professional, you’re probably thinking there is no possible way you’d work for $10 per hour. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Qualifying for Tax-Free Stipends: Part 4: The 3 Factor Threshold Test

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In our previous blog post, we discussed how to qualify for factors 2 and 3 of the 3 Factor Threshold Test that the IRS uses when determining whether or not a tax payer qualifies to receive tax-free stipends. In this blog post, we’ll discuss factor 1. We chose to tackle factor 1 last because of its subjective nature. Unlike factors 2 and 3 which are straightforward and clear no matter the scenario, the method for satisfying factor 1 may vary depending on whether or not you’re aiming to qualify under 2 or 3 of the factors in the 3 Factor Threshold Test. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Qualifying for Tax-Free Stipends: Part 3: The 3 Factor Threshold Test

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Now that we have made the distinction between indefinite work and temporary work, and we have discussed how to maintain temporary status as a travel nurse, we can move on to our discussion about how to maintain a legitimate tax home. Again, the three factor threshold test is going to be in play for the vast majority of travel nurses because they don’t have a permanent job back at home from which they derive a significant percentage of their income. In this blog post, we’ll begin our detailed discussion of the 3 factor threshold test, paying particular attention to the circumstances faced by travel nurses. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Qualifying for Tax-Free Stipends and Tax Deductions: Part 2: Maintaining Temporary Status

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In our previous blog post we laid out the criteria under which individual tax payers can qualify to receive tax-free money to cover their expenses while traveling away from their tax home. We pointed out that for the vast majority of travel nurses, the first consideration is to maintain status as a temporary worker. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what that takes. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay – Qualifying for Tax-Free Stipends and Tax Deductions: Part 1

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A thorough understanding of what it takes to qualify for tax free stipends is of the utmost importance for travel nurses. While many travel nursing agencies, travel nurse recruiters, and even travelers will tell you that there is a lot of “gray area” or “wiggle room” with respect to the qualifications for tax free stipends, the simple fact of the matter is that the IRS and applicable court rulings have made the qualifications quite clear. And it’s certainly clear who doesn’t qualify for tax-free stipends.

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