Tax Essentials for Travel Nurses & Allied Health Clinicians
Tips to Maximize Your Take-Home Pay
Connect with FlexCareTaxes can feel overwhelming when your job takes you across state lines. This guide simplifies the essentials for travel nurses and allied professionals—helping you understand what to file, where to file, and how to protect your earnings.
These tax benchmarks affect everything from mileage reimbursement to your standard write-offs. Knowing them helps you avoid underpayment, stay compliant, and potentially save more come April.
Item | 2025 Amount | Why It Matters |
---|---|---|
IRS standard mileage rate | 70¢ per mile | You can deduct business travel if you're working away from your tax home. |
Standard deduction | $15,000 single / $30,000 joint | This is what the IRS subtracts from your income before taxes are calculated. |
Quarterly estimate deadlines | 15 Apr · 16 Jun · 15 Sep 2025 · 15 Jan 2026 | If you owe taxes (often the case for multi-state work), these are the due dates. |
*Numbers update each January. Check out our resources to stay up-to-date below.
1. What Is a Tax Home and Why Does It Matter for Travel Nurses?
Your tax home is what allows your stipends to remain tax-free—so protecting it is crucial. This means maintaining a primary residence year-round and showing proof that you’re incurring living expenses there even while away on assignment.
Your To-Dos:
- Pay or document at least minimal expenses (rent, mortgage, utilities) at your permanent address each month.
- Keep records of duplicate living costs—rent, hotel, utilities—while on assignment.
- Travel home at least once per contract when possible and save travel receipts.

2. Do I Need to File Taxes in Every State I Work In?
If you earn income in multiple states, you’re responsible for filing non-resident returns in each of them. It may sound tedious, but skipping this step can result in penalties and jeopardize your tax-home status.
Your To-Dos:
- Track gross pay by state on each pay stub or in a simple spreadsheet.
- Collect W2 copies for every state an employer issues.
- File or efile returns as soon as paperwork arrives.
3. Understand Reciprocity and Reverse-Credit Rules
Some states have special agreements to avoid taxing the same income twice—but not all. Others flip the expected rules about where credit is applied. Knowing how your home and work states interact will help you avoid surprise tax bills.
Your To-Dos:
- Ask your tax pro to see if your home and work states share an agreement.
- Submit any exemption form to payroll before your first paycheck.
- Doublecheck that the credit for taxes paid flows to the higherrate state.

4. Plan for Higher Rate Home States
Even if you’ve had taxes withheld in your assignment state, you could still owe more in your resident state if its tax rate is higher. The best way to prevent a large bill in April is to anticipate the difference and plan ahead.
Your To-Dos:
- Use a paycheck calculator to estimate the gap between withholding and liability.
- Increase state withholding on your W4 or send quarterly estimated payments.
- Set a calendar nudge for each due date listed above.
5. Log Deductible Travel
Even if you take the standard deduction, some expenses like CEUs and business mileage may still reduce your overall liability. The key? Keep clear, consistent records of your work-related costs.
Your To-Dos:
- Record start and finish odometer readings daily or track routes in an app.
- Snap photos of receipts and upload to a cloud folder each week.
- Label any CEU receipts with course name and date.

Bookmark These Tax Resources
Federal and state numbers shift every year so stay current with a couple of suggested resources:
Resource | Why It Matters | How to Stay in the Loop |
---|---|---|
TravelTax Blog | Sign up for blog updates or follow their Facebook page for instant post notifications. | You can deduct business travel if you're working away from your tax home. |
Tax Foundation – State Reciprocity & Filing Tracker | Offers an interactive reciprocity map plus a fresh list of non-resident filing thresholds for every state. Great when you line up new contracts and need to know the paperwork. | Bookmark the reciprocity page and their annual non-resident threshold table, both updated whenever a state changes policy. |
This guide is educational and not personalized tax advice. Consult a licensed tax pro who understands travel healthcare for recommendations tailored to your situation.