A travel nurse contract checklist for the numbers that matter.

A weekly package is only as reliable as the hours, stipend conditions, cancellation language, and expenses behind it.

Confirm the assignment basics

Write down the facility, work location, unit, shift, start date, end date, weekly schedule, orientation terms, and required credentials. Confirm whether the contract describes one fixed location or permits floating to other units or facilities. Dates matter for housing commitments, paid weeks, reimbursements, and tax review.

Ask which terms are controlled by the agency agreement and which can change under a facility policy. Preserve the complete signed contract and every incorporated exhibit rather than relying on a recruiter message or pay-package screenshot.

Define guaranteed hours precisely

Identify the number of hours guaranteed, the period over which they are measured, and every exception. Review facility cancellation, low census, traveler-requested time off, illness, missed shifts, orientation, holidays, and partial start or end weeks. Determine whether cancelled hours still receive taxable wages, stipends, neither, or a make-up opportunity.

A stated 36-hour schedule is not necessarily a 36-hour guarantee. Use the guaranteed figure for a conservative comparison and run a second scenario only when additional shifts are realistically available.

Separate taxable pay and allowances

List taxable hourly wages, overtime rate, differentials, bonuses, housing allowance, meals and incidentals, travel reimbursement, licensing reimbursement, and any other payment on separate lines. Verify when each item is paid and what conditions apply. Do not compare two offers only by “blended rate” because that can hide a lower taxable wage or different stipend assumptions.

A payment called a stipend is not automatically tax-free. IRS treatment can depend on the worker’s tax home, whether the assignment is temporary, duplicated living expenses, documentation, and the employer’s reimbursement arrangement. There is no universal IRS 50-mile rule that independently establishes tax-free treatment.

Calculate real housing and travel costs

Estimate furnished housing, deposits, application fees, utilities, parking, pet fees, local transportation, and the cost of travelling to and from the assignment. Include qualifying expenses maintained at the tax-home area when evaluating cash flow. Consider what happens if the assignment ends early while a lease continues.

Reimbursement language should say what is covered, what proof is required, when payment occurs, and whether repayment can be required after an early departure. A maximum reimbursement is not the same as automatic payment.

Check overtime and incentive terms

Confirm the overtime trigger and rate in writing. Federal health-care overtime rules can use the standard over-40 workweek or, in qualifying facilities with a prior agreement, an 8-and-80 arrangement. State law may be more protective. Also ask whether overtime changes stipend eligibility, whether callback or on-call hours use separate rates, and whether differentials enter the regular rate.

Plan for changes and early termination

Read cancellation rights for the facility, agency, and traveler. Look for notice periods, penalties, repayment clauses, missed-shift limits, clinical cancellation language, and the effect on housing or travel reimbursements. Ask how payroll corrections and disputed hours are handled after the assignment closes.

Before signing, collect five written answers

• Exactly which hours and payments are guaranteed?
• Which events reduce wages, stipends, or reimbursements?
• How are overtime, differentials, call, and orientation paid?
• What costs remain if either party ends the assignment early?
• Which documents support the intended stipend treatment?

Enter only the documented pay terms in the travel nurse pay calculator. Then subtract real housing and contract costs outside the tool. A lower headline offer with stronger guarantees can be worth more than a larger package built on uncertain hours.