Travel nurse pay, explained
A travel nurse offer looks simple until you try to compare two of them. This guide takes the package apart so you can compare real numbers.
The parts of a pay package
- Taxable hourly rate: the wage part, taxed like any wages.
- Housing stipend: a weekly amount for lodging.
- M&IE stipend: a daily amount for meals and incidental expenses.
- Guaranteed hours: the weekly hours the contract promises.
- Overtime and differentials: extra pay for extra or unusual hours.
- Bonuses and reimbursements: completion, sign-on, travel and license reimbursement.
- Benefits: insurance and other benefits, and when they start.
From pieces to a weekly number
Weekly gross is the taxable rate times guaranteed hours, plus overtime, plus the housing stipend and the M&IE stipend for the days it applies. Divide by hours to get the effective hourly rate. The travel nurse pay calculator does this for you.
Two offers with the same weekly gross can pay differently in your pocket, because the taxable and stipend shares are taxed differently.
Why the tax home matters
Housing and meals stipends can be tax-free when you keep a tax home and have duplicate living costs because you work away. If you do not have a tax home, stipends are generally taxed as wages. The rules apply to you personally, so ask a tax professional before you rely on tax-free pay.
Guaranteed hours and cancellations
Guaranteed hours are the biggest swing in a package. Ask whether they are guaranteed every week, what happens if the facility cancels a shift, and whether low census cancellations reduce your hours. Ask for the answer in writing.
How to compare two offers
- Put both through the same calculator.
- Compare effective hourly rate and weekly gross.
- Add bonuses and reimbursements per week.
- Compare benefits cost and start date.
- Compare unit, shift and ratios, which affect how hard the same pay feels.
- Compare the cancellation and early termination terms.
Common questions
Is a high stipend better than a high hourly rate?
Not automatically. A stipend can be tax-free only if you meet the rules, and a lower taxable rate also lowers overtime pay and some benefits. Compare effective hourly and ask a tax professional.
What is a guaranteed hours clause?
A promise in the contract of a minimum number of paid hours per week.
Where do I see current travel assignments?
Ask for your free Shift Report and your recruiter emails assignments with pay within 24 hours.
See what employers near you pay.
Tell us your role and city. Within 24 hours you get an email with three things, by employer name. It costs you nothing, because employers pay us.
- 1Pay for your role at other hospitals
The hourly pay at named employers near you, so you see who pays most.
- 2What they are offering now
The pay range and median across current postings, and how many were posted this month.
- 3Roles open for you right now
Every current opening near you with pay, shift and start date. Reply with one click.
Get your free pay report
Tell us who you are and what you do. We email the report within 24 hours on business days.
Your RN pay reportyour city · pay published by hospitals, collected October 15, 2026
1Pay for your role at other hospitals
- Veterans Health AdministrationSan Antonio, TX · 5 postings$62.40/ hr$36–$87
- Military Treatment Facilities under DHAFort Hood, TX · 3 postings$55.88/ hr$47–$67
- BrightSpring Health ServicesIRVING, TX · 4 postings$50.00/ hr$44–$55
- Select MedicalDallas, TX · 3 postings$46.19/ hr$32–$53
Median posted pay per hour, with the range each employer published.
2What they are offering now
124 RN postings with published pay in Texas, 105 of them posted in the last 30 days. Month-by-month history by employer comes with your full report.
3Open now: 124 RN roles
- Registered Nurse (Critical Care) - Education Debt Reduction Program AuthorizedPermanent$86k–$174k/ year
- Nurse (Clinical/Ambulatory)Permanent$107k–$139k/ year
+ 122 more in your report. Each one has pay, shift and start date.