Know your tax-free stipend before you sign the contract
Free GSA per-diem rate lookup and a travel-nurse stipend calculator. See the federal housing & meal ceiling for any U.S. assignment city — FY2026 rates, updated from official GSA data.
Why it matters
Travel-nurse agencies can only pay housing and meal stipends tax-free up to the GSA per-diem rate for your assignment city. Pay above that may be taxable.
- Check the max for your city in seconds
- Compare an agency's offer against the ceiling
- Understand the tax-home rules that keep it legal
Popular assignment cities
Travel-nurse money guides
Your tax home is the single most important concept behind every tax-free stipend you earn. Here's what the IRS actually requires and the practical steps to qualify.
Are Travel Nurse Stipends Taxable? Taxable vs. Non-Taxable Pay ExplainedA plain-English breakdown of a travel nurse pay package: which dollars are taxable, which can be tax-free, and the rules that decide which is which.
How GSA Per Diem Rates Set Your Travel Nurse Housing & Meal StipendYour agency's tax-free housing and M&IE stipends are capped by federal GSA per diem rates for your assignment city. Here's how to look yours up and check that an offer is legit.
How to Tell If a Travel Nurse Pay Package Is Actually Good (Blended Rate)Recruiters love big stipend numbers. Here's how to cut through the noise with one number — the blended rate — and spot the red flags that put your tax-free pay at risk.
Travel Nurse Tax Audit Checklist: What Records to KeepA calm, practical guide to the documents that defend your tax-free housing and M&IE stipends if the IRS ever asks — proof of tax home, duplicate-rent receipts, mileage logs, contracts, and return-trip evidence.
How the travel nurse housing stipend calculator works
StipendHQ looks up the official GSA per-diem rate for your assignment city and shows the federal tax-free ceiling on your housing (lodging) and meal (M&IE) stipends. Pick a state and city in the Per-diem lookup tab to see the daily and weekly maximum, then use the Stipend check tab to compare an agency's weekly offer against that limit. The rates come straight from the FY2026 GSA per-diem master file — the same federal per-diem figures the IRS uses to cap how much of a stipend can be paid tax-free — so you are comparing your offer to the real number for your city, not a rule of thumb.
Frequently asked questions
- What does this housing stipend calculator show?
- It shows the federal tax-free ceiling for your assignment city: the GSA per-diem lodging (housing) rate plus the M&IE meal rate, as both a daily and a weekly maximum. That figure is the most an agency can pay you as a non-taxable housing and meal stipend before any extra becomes taxable income.
- How much of a housing stipend can a travel nurse get tax-free?
- It depends entirely on the city. An agency can pay a housing stipend tax-free only up to the GSA lodging per-diem for your assignment location — from the standard CONUS rate in most counties to several hundred dollars a night in the priciest metros and seasonal resort areas. Enter your state and city above to see the exact lodging and meal ceiling for your assignment.
- Is a housing stipend the same as per diem?
- Not exactly. 'Per diem' is the full daily GSA allowance, split into a lodging (housing) portion and a separate meals-and-incidentals (M&IE) portion. Your housing stipend is capped by the lodging portion and your meal stipend by the M&IE portion; this tool breaks out both so you can see each ceiling on its own.
- Does this tell me what my agency will actually pay?
- No. It shows the federal tax-free maximum, not an agency's offer. Recruiters set the actual stipend from their bill rate, your specialty, and local demand, and can pay less than the ceiling — or more, with the excess taxed. Use the Stipend check tab to compare a specific weekly offer against the limit. This is educational information, not tax advice.