Travel Nurse Contracts 101: What to Read Before You Sign
Pay packages, stipends, cancellation clauses and the fine print that determines whether the assignment pays off.
10 min read
A travel nursing contract is a short, dense document that controls compensation, schedule, cancellation rights and tax exposure. Reading it carefully is non-negotiable.
Pay packages have two parts: taxable hourly wage and non-taxable stipends for housing, meals and travel. The non-tax stipends are only legitimately non-taxed if you maintain a qualifying tax home.
Guaranteed hours are the most important compensation lever. Without them, a slow census can leave you under-earning for the contract.
Cancellation clauses cut both ways. Hospital cancellations within X days should trigger a penalty payment to you. Your own cancellation may carry steep fees.
Float clauses define how far outside your specialty you can be assigned. ICU nurses sometimes find themselves on med-surg floors without specialty pay.
The agency selection guide in this cluster covers how to evaluate the agency behind the contract before you sign anything.