Travel Nurse Taxes
Stipends, tax homes and three state returns. Here's what you need to know, and why it's worth getting right.
Travel nursing pays well. It also comes with some of the most confusing tax situations in healthcare. Here's the short version.
Your tax home is everything
Those housing and meal stipends are usually tax-free only if you have a tax home: a main place you live and keep paying for while you're on assignment. No tax home? The IRS can treat those stipends as taxable income. We'll look at your setup and tell you where you stand.
You may owe more than one state
Work an assignment in another state and you'll often need a return there too, plus your home state. Some states tax you as a nonresident on what you earned there. Your home state may give you a credit so you're not taxed twice. Filing just one state when you owe three is one of the most common mistakes we fix.
Keep your receipts
Proof of your tax home matters: your lease or mortgage, utility bills, and anything showing you keep going back. Keep your contracts and pay stubs from every assignment too.
Agency pay can be W-2, 1099, or both
Some agencies pay you as an employee and some as a contractor. If you got a 1099, you may owe self-employment tax, and you may also have expenses you can deduct.
Bring us all of it
Every W-2 and 1099, your assignment dates and locations, and proof of your tax home. We'll handle every state return you need.
Travel nurse? We've got you.
Start from your phone in about five minutes. We'll take it from there.
Start Filing →