Re: what a silly silly question about traveling this may be..
Suzanne4 - thank you for your concern. Kind of a moot point since I'm not traveling, but the advice was based upon the fact that if greater than 50 miles from home I would be blocking my shifts & sleeping in a hotel/eating out for 3 nights vs taking the one bedroom apartment offered. The rule is not particularly 50 miles, it is the amount that can be safely traveled back to your home to sleep between shifts....50 miles is considered safe by most tax advisors.
If itemizing deductions, a certain amount of per-diem pay (this meaning the amount an employer gives you for meals, housing while not at your "home base") is tax deductible. My husband travels (for another industry, not nursing) and we have a schedule of the amount of perdiem the government considers allowable for each city to which he travels throughout the year. If the company pays more than that, the excess cannot be deducted. IF he spends less than that, the actual amount spent is to be deducted.
Of course EVERYONE should check with his/her own tax advisor prior to assuming any advice seen here or elsewhere applies to his/her particular situation.
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Thanks. Actually was my CPA who said if more than 50 miles, safe to write off 75% of housing stipend. Not that it was a "written rule" just that it is the "accepted norm" for housing stipend regardless of industry. Since this post I have actually decided to go perdiem at the same hospital, b/c I don't want to get into something I cannot easily get out of!
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