Welcome to the world of travel, nursing a perfect blend of rewarding checks and exciting jobs. Whether you want to expand your skills, make more money, or explore new cities, travel nursing is the perfect way to do so. However, before choosing a career as a travel nurse, it is important to understand how travel nursing pay works. Travel nurses’ pay is different than other nurses’ because their location changes with each assignment. In this blog, we will discuss how travel nursing get paid, so let’s break it down for you.
What is travel nursing?
Travel nurses work at different locations where they are needed because of a shortage of staff. The travel nursing contract is typically 13 weeks, but it can vary from a few days to several months. Here is a breakdown of how travel nurses get paid.
How do travel nurses get paid?
Travel nurse’s pay is different from other typical RN nurses. Here is the breakdown of how travel nurses get paid.
- Hourly pay: Travel nurses get paid hourly for their shifts. Their hourly pay rate is higher than other nurses because of the nature of their jobs.
- Per diem: Per diem means per day. It is the daily allowance that is often paid to cover their daily expenses such as food, travel, etc.
- Housing stipend: Travel nurses also get a housing stipend. Either agency will provide a place for them to live which is fully covered or nurses can also find housing for themselves. The agency will pay a certain amount to cover for that.
- Travel reimbursements: travel nurses often get paid for their travel costs such as plane ticks or for their mileage if they are driving.
- Bonuses: some agencies also offer bonuses to their travel nurses such as sign on bonus or bonus after they complete their contract.
- Benefits: Travel nurses also get benefits such as life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) plans and paid time off.
- Over time: Nurses can also make more money by doing overtime besides their regular hours or contract.
How does the travel nurse’s payment work?
We have discussed how travel nurses get paid now we will discuss how travel nurses’ pay works and what are the factors that affect the nurse’s pay.
- Base pay: The base is the actual pay that nurses get. Nurses get paid hourly for their shifts. Hourly pay of the nurses depends on their specialty, location, and demand.
- Taxable and non-taxable pay: Travel nurses have both taxable and non-taxable pay. Taxable pay is the actual pay that they get for their work and non-taxable pay includes housing stipend, meals, etc. For travel nurses, it is important to work with tax professionals so they can guide them on taxes. Travel nurses work in different states which makes taxes complicated. However, nurses should maintain a tax home. It is their permanent residence where they stay when they have no assignment.
- Overtime pays: If the travel nurses pay overtime, they are paid more, which can be 1.5 times higher than regular pay.
- On-call pay: Travel nurses may receive additional pay if they are on call outside their regular hours.
- Bonuses: Some agencies also pay bonuses to their travel nurses. It can either be a signing bonus before they start their contract, or they get a bonus once they finish their contract. Some nurses also get referral bonuses if they refer other nurses to the agencies.
Factors that affect nurses’ pay:
Travel nurse pay can be affected by several factors such as:
- Location: One of the factors affecting a nurse’s salary is the location of the assignment. urban areas have higher pay than rural areas.
- Specialty: Specialties that are in high demand such as ER, ICU, and med surg get more or higher pay than other nurses.
- Experience: Nurses who have more experience and certifications have higher pay.
- Agency: Different agencies offer varying pay rates and benefits.
- Length and duration of the assignment: The length and duration of the assignment are also some of the reasons that affect travel nurse pay.
- Shift hours: Shift hours is another factor affecting travel nurse wages such as night shifts, weekend shifts, or working on holidays.
Travel nurse’s benefits and pay
The travel nurses also get benefits which include the following:
- Health insurance
- Retirement plans
- Travel reimbursements
- Life insurance
- Licensing fees
- Housing stipends
How do travel agencies make money?
Healthcare facilities pay travel nursing agencies a certain amount for each nurse they provide which is known as the “bill rate.” This payment includes nurses’ pay, insurance, and other costs and profit margin for travel nurse agencies.
Choosing SkillGigs as a better option over travel nursing agencies
SkillGigs provide more transparency about pay rates and benefits to travel nurses; this allows nurses to make informed decisions. As some of the agencies might not share most of the information with SkillGigs nurses better understand how much they will be making.
What benefits do SkillGigs provide to their nurses?
The following benefits are provided for travel nurses if they work with SkillGigs:
- Health insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life insurance
What are the rates for travel nurses?
Travel nurses have different rates depending on their specialty, location, and contract length. If you want to get more insights into travel nursing pay rates, then read our blog “Healthcare Payment Trend Series – Salary Trends for the Year 2025.”
How do travel nurse’s contract work?
Travel nursing contracts typically last for 13 weeks, but it can vary from a few weeks to several months depending on the nature of the contract.
What is a tax home?
Tax Home is the permanent residence of the travel nurses where they stay when they are not on their assignment.
How does a travel stipend work?
A travel stipend is the amount given to travel nurses to cover their traveling costs such as plane tickets or gas money if going by road. It is paid in the following ways:
- Upfront payment: payment given to the nurses before they start their contract.
- Reimbursement: given to the nurses after their contract finishes but they need receipts or proof of their travel cost.
- Lump sum: amount given to travel nurses to cover all their expenses and it depends on the nurses how they use it.
Conclusion
Understanding travel nursing payment is complicated because they travel to different states to provide patient care. Therefore, you need to understand how travel nursing payment works such as hourly wages, taxable and non-taxable pay, housing stipends, and bonuses. Different factors that affect travel nursing pay are location, experience, specialty, etc. Travel nurses should consider all the elements to make the most money. If you are a travel nurse and want to make more money, then join SkillGigs NOW!
If you are a travel nurse who is looking for the best job opportunities, then download our SkillGigs app now and become part of our travel nursing world. Make more money with SkillGigs.
