Select this field of practice if you are, or training to be, a physician: M.D., D.O., D.P.M.,D.D.S, D.M.D., etc.
Select this field of practice if you are, or training to be, in the field of nursing: APRN,NP, CRNA, RN, LPN, CNA, etc.
Select this field of practice if your clinical health profession is, or will be, distinct from physician, dentistry, or nursing. This includes all Therapists, Technicians, Assistants, etc.
Select this field of practice if you are an employer, recruiter, sales representative, or other professional interested in connecting with healthcare professionals for professional purposes.
We created this travel healthcare pay calculator to empower travel healthcare professionals with free access to the same powerful software agencies use to calculate their own pay. You can enter pay quotes from any source.
The calculator will help you recognize and record all the vital details you need to thoroughly evaluate pay packages. You can even run side by side comparisons.
The calculator will help ensure that you aren’t caught off guard by unforeseen expenses. It also allows you to factor in your own costs so you can conduct more accurate comparisons and obtain a better understanding of what you truly stand to gain.
Click the “More Info” buttons throughout the calculator to discover additional information. We’re confident you’ll become an expert!
As more travelers submit their pay packages, we’ll be able to provide the community with empowering insights!
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The pay calculator helps recruiters provide candidates with the most compelling offers in the industry. Recruiters can save standalone “Offers” or submit “Direct Offers” directly to a candidate.
Offers
To create an “Offer”, simply complete the pay calculator form and publish the pay package. You can set your offers to be Public or Private.
Public Offers are visible to the entire BluePipes community. Private Offers are visible only to you and the candidates you offer them to.
Once you’ve created an offer, you can Clone it to make it easier and faster to create new offers. You can also submit your Offers directly to candidates on BluePipes. See below for details.
Direct Offers
Select “Make Offer” on any candidate’s profile to make an offer to them. You can select from among your existing offers to simplify the offer process. Your Direct Offers are only visible to you and the candidate you offer them to.
Candidates receive a message and email notification when you make an offer. They can easily respond and connect their profile to grant you access to all their documents on BluePipes.
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This is where you enter the time variables for the contract.
Regular Hours:
Regular Hours are the hours that will pay you the regular hourly rate of pay. In most cases, all of your contracted-hours will be Regular Hours. For example, if the contract is for 3 12 hour shifts in Texas, then you will work 36 regular hours. However, if the contract is for 3 12 hour shifts in California, then you will most likely work 24 regular hours and 12 overtime hours because California requires employers to pay overtime after 8 hours in a day.
Overtime Hours:
Overtime Hours are the hours that will pay you an overtime rate. Please note, in this section, you are dealing only with your contracted hours. You will have the opportunity to track your pay rate for "Extra Hours" below.
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This is where you enter the taxable rates for the contracted hours you will work.
Taxed regular hourly rate:
This is the taxable rate you will receive for working the regular hours that you are contracted to work.
Taxed overtime hourly rate:
If you enter "Weekly contracted overtime hours" above, then you will see the option to enter a Taxed Overtime Hourly Rate. This is the taxable rate that you will receive for working the overtime hours that you are contracted to work.
In nearly every case, this is 1.5X the "Taxed regular hourly rate". This is normal and to be expected. Again, these hours are part of your contracted hours. They are not Extra Hours.
Please note, in this section, you are dealing only with your contracted hours. You will have the opportunity to track your pay rate for "Extra Hours" below.
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This is where you enter the standard non-taxable reimbursements that are typically applied to each paycheck IF you qualify to receive non-taxable reimbursements.
Meal reimbursement:
Some companies refer to this as the M&IE reimbursement/stipend or "the stipend". It's the amount that you may receive as a reimbursement for meals and incidental expenditures while traveling away from your tax home for work.
Lodging reimbursement:
This is the amount that you may receive as a reimbursement for lodging expenses while traveling away from your tax home for work.
Meal and Lodging interval:
Different companies quote reimbursements in different intervals. You should select the interval that best matches your quote.
% of GSA max meals and lodging:
The General Services Administration of the federal government determines the maximum amounts that employers can reimburse without the exchange of receipts. The amounts vary by location. We calculate the percent of the GSA maximum based on the values you provide.
Please note that these are the maximum amounts. They are not the required amounts. Moreover, agencies are only able to pay based on what the bill rate supports. You should be concerned if the rates exceed 100%. The articles below provide further details on this topic if you're interested in discovering more.
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Everything You Need to Know About the Travel Nurse Housing Stipend
Travel Nursing Pay: The M&IE Stipend
This section helps you identify and record the financially relevant aspects of medical benefits. It's important from a healthcare perspective that you know this information. It's also required to conduct accurate pay comparisons.
For example, if one company is offering a higher level of coverage than another or their benefits activate sooner, then you may want to attribute a higher value when comparing offers.
Coverage level:
Generally speaking, the healthcare insurance industry recognizes four coverage levels. It's a good idea to find out the coverage level so you know what to expect. You may also want to request a "schedule of benefits" to find out exactly what's covered.
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This section provides a breakdown of your estimated weekly pay based on the values you provide. It includes only those values that employers commonly include on weekly paychecks.
Please note that the figures here may be slightly different than figures your agency quotes. Those differences are the result of rounding differences. The difference should not be more than $10 on any given figure.
Hourly reimbursements:
We display the hourly value of reimbursements for illustrative purposes only. Hourly values are easier to compare. This is not necessarily how the employer pays them.
Blended rate:
A blended rate is a rate that adds the hourly value of multiple different categories. It's the best way to compare pay packages. Please see the article below for detailed information.
Net Pay Estimates:
This is not an exact figure. It is a very rough estimate. You can change the "Estimated tax rate" to modify the result. We recommend using PayCheckCity.com if you would like an exact calculation.
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Extra-Time is any time that you work in addition to your contracted hours. It is regularly described as "overtime". However, the two are very different. Not all extra-time is overtime and not all overtime is extra-time.
Many companies pay a rate that is higher than 1.5X the taxable base rate for the extra hours you work. This is because all of the reimbursements and fixed costs are covered by your contracted hours. Therefore, there is money left over in the bill rate for the agency to provide higher pay for extra hours.
Do not assume that extra-time (aka "overtime") will be paid after you work 40 hours in a week. States that require overtime after 8 in a day also require overtime after 40 regular hours are worked in a week, not 40 total hours. Therefore, be very clear with your recruiter about when extra-time rates kick in.
Rate for hours 37-40:
Some companies pay a special rate for these hours while others do not. It's best to ask specifically.
Rate for additional extra-hours:
Record the rate that the company pays for all other extra-hours here.
Rate for extra-hours bonus:
Some companies pay a bonus for working extra-hours instead of paying a higher rate. Companies rarely do both. If there is a bonus, then record it here.
Your target extra-hours rate:
We provide a target rate to assist you. The target rate is the blended rate of most of the financial values you provide in the calculator. The idea is that the company could potentially pay you the blended rate for your extra-hours because they're billing the hospital the same rate that allows them to pay this much for your contracted hours.
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This section helps you identify and record important details regarding time.
Paid Sick Leave:
Most contracts do not include paid sick leave. However, certain states, like California, require employers to provide paid sick leave. You should always inquire about it.
Paid Time-Off:
Paid Time-Off is very rare in travel healthcare. Some companies offer it nonetheless. Typically, companies who do offer paid time-off reduce the value of some other compensation variable by an equal value to account for the cost of this benefit.
Guaranteed Hours:
"Guaranteed Hours" aren't as straightforward as they sound. First, the hospital has a contract with the agency that governs "guaranteed hours" between the two parties. The policies vary from hospital to hospital.
Sometimes, hospitals guarantee all the hours of the contract. This means that the hospital would still have to pay the agency if the hospital cancels shifts. In other cases, hospitals are able to cancel a specified number of shifts per contract. And sometimes, none of the hours are guaranteed.
The contract between the agency and the traveler governs guaranteed hours between the two parties. Most often, the agency's policy matches the hospital's policy. Sometimes, agencies guarantee all the hours no matter what. Here again, this may cause an equal reduction in some other compensation variable.
Contract Cancellation:
In many cases, the traveler is subject to a cancellation fee if they cancel a contract early. Unfortunately, hospitals are rarely held to the same standard if they terminate a contract early. However, they may be required to provide advance notice.
Missed Shifts:
Missed Shifts are shifts that the traveler cancels. The agency will not pay the taxable rate. Additionally, the contract may have a penalty designed to recoup the cost of reimbursements and other costs. We display a penalty estimate based on values you enter in the calculator.
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California’s New Paid Sick Leave Law
Requesting Time Off as a Travel Nurse
Considerations for Guaranteed Hours
Choosing Between Guaranteed Hours or a Higher Rate
Travel Nursing Contract Cancelled?
Penalties for Missed Shifts and Cancelled Shifts
3 Considerations for Calling in Sick or Missing Shifts as a Travel Nurse
This section helps you identify and record important details regarding company provided housing. Housing options vary dramatically from agency to agency and from contract to contract.
Housing Type:
All housing is not created equal. You should attribute higher value to better housing options if you take company housing.
Apartment Options:
Don't assume that company housing automatically comes with all the bells and whistles. It's best to ask your recruiter about things like furnishings, cleaning supplies, housewares and anything else you expect housing to include.
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Should You Take Travel Nurse Agency Housing or Find Your Own?
This section helps you identify and record various reimbursements you might receive from a company.
You must account for all the financial aspects of pay packages in order to accurately compare them. For example, one company might have higher weekly pay than another. However, it's possible that the company with higher weekly pay is not covering the cost of a license while the lower paying company does.
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4 Things to Know about Travel Nursing Pay Bonuses
License and Certification Reimbursements
This section helps you identify and record costs that you will incur. We'll calculate a "Cost Adjusted Value" so you can easily compare different offers. Let's look at a couple of examples to see why costs are so important.
Let's say you are currently located in Florida and you are considering one job in California and another in Georgia. The job in California will likely pay more. However, you will undoubtedly incur higher travel expenses and housing expenses for California than Georgia. Enter your costs here and the "Cost Adjusted Value" will help you compare the end result.
Now let's say you want to determine whether you will make more money on a travel nursing job than you will by staying on your permanent job. Record all the costs you will incur for the travel nursing job and compare the "Cost Adjusted Value" to your permanent job's pay.
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