Travel Nurse question NYC?

shailee · Aug 31, 2008

That 's is true. I have several friends who are travel nurses here in NY. I do know that one who worked for one company had $2,000 for her rent. I don't know if this is the standard or not. The assignments can be anywhere from 3 months to 1 year and they can be renewed. There is also a posting on allnurses.com dated March 19, 2008 from Samyaira inviting anyone to pm him/her for specific amounts for housing stipends in NY.

Hope this helps.

loricatus · Aug 31, 2008

Although some companies may do that, you can run into hefty problems with the IRS & owe them lots of money if you are not taxed on every dime of your pay, including the costs involved in your apartment. Seek the advise of a travel tax expert before you decide to go this route, no matter what a company/recruiter may tell you.

Having done both staff and travel in NYC. (came for a travel assignement after I moved away and set up a new tax home, which I had to pay expenses on [duplication of expenses] while I was back in NYC), the hourly pay for staff was higher by over $5.00 per hour.

xxJohnnyTxx · Sep 11, 2008

ive been looking into travel nursing. im not sure the rules for each company but one did explain it well.since i live in staten island and nyc is within a 50 MILE RADIUS, the travel nurse rate is going at about $2600 per month in the new york city area which SINCE I LIVE WITHIN THIS 50 MILE RADIUS the check is given exclusively to me and i can choose to spend it as i wish.....either get an apartment closer to the hospital or simply use it as traveling expenses or whateverrr it is youd like to get there. if you are not within the 50 mile radius it does not go into your hands and do not have this option. it is a greatttt idea since rent is so expensive in new york!!

loricatus · Sep 11, 2008

ive been looking into travel nursing. im not sure the rules for each company but one did explain it well.since i live in staten island and nyc is within a 50 MILE RADIUS, the travel nurse rate is going at about $2600 per month in the new york city area which SINCE I LIVE WITHIN THIS 50 MILE RADIUS the check is given exclusively to me and i can choose to spend it as i wish.....either get an apartment closer to the hospital or simply use it as traveling expenses or whateverrr it is youd like to get there. if you are not within the 50 mile radius it does not go into your hands and do not have this option. it is a greatttt idea since rent is so expensive in new york!!

Sorry, you either heard this wrong or the company is scamming you. First, the 50 miile rule (which really is a misnomer) is used by some companies & hospitals for not paying housng for a traveler. They base this on the IRS 50 mile rule for a job related moving deduction & it has no real bearing on whether or not the IRS recognizes your eligibility for meals, housing, incidentals (referred to as tax advantage by many companies). The IRS rule states that the assignment must be far enough away from your tax home to make it unreasonable to return to the tax home at the end of the workday. If so, they you qualify for tax free housing and a per diem, providing that you pay for upkeep on your tax home (primary residence) while on your travel assignment. If you do not maintain this primary resience/tax home, or do not have one, then you are classified as an itinerant worker and MUST be taxed on all compensation, including the provided housing.

What I think you were referring to was a housing stipend, which any traveler can take instead of being provided housing from the company. This is what I have opted for on all my travel assignments. But, it has nothing to do with the 50 miles, it is just an option that would be more feasable to someone trying to do a local travel contract. However, if you are not moving away from your primary residence for the assignment, you must pay full taxes on this stipend or chance hefty fines & penalties from both the IRS & the NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance-not a pleasant thing to go through.

Be very careful trying to take a local travel assignment. Find a travel tax expert to go over the possible ramifications before signing that type of contract.

towser · Oct 4, 2008

Loricatus, you seem to be knowledgable on this topic... may I ask you some questions?

My wife is new to travel nursing, our home state is AZ (we have a house there) and we are working in CA. We are taking the tax free housing stipend from the travel company, but we are wondering how long that can last...

- can she travel indefinitely and continue receiving tax free stipend (assuming we keep our house in AZ)?

- Does she have to return occasionally to AZ to work there? If so, how often and how much should she work there before travelling again? I heard rumors of every 12 months, but I'm trying to get more than rumors.

- can you point me at any official IRS rules that may be available on the internet?

Thanks

loricatus · Oct 4, 2008

Loricatus, you seem to be knowledgable on this topic... may I ask you some questions?
My wife is new to travel nursing, our home state is AZ (we have a house there) and we are working in CA. We are taking the tax free housing stipend from the travel company, but we are wondering how long that can last...
- can she travel indefinitely and continue receiving tax free stipend (assuming we keep our house in AZ)?
- Does she have to return occasionally to AZ to work there? If so, how often and how much should she work there before travelling again? I heard rumors of every 12 months, but I'm trying to get more than rumors.
- can you point me at any official IRS rules that may be available on the internet?
Thanks

To the best of my knowledge, you cannot spend 12 months in one locale (preferably meaning State) or you then are considered by the IRS to have created a new tax home (different than permanent residence). If I recall correctly, CA gives travelers a hard time intimidating them into declaring residency. You can search the IRS website @ http://www.irs.gov to find all the things pertaining to business travel and tax home.

I also have been told that it is best, but not necessary, to return at least once a year to your tax home and do at least a few agency shifts there before returning to the road. Bear in mind that you cannot severe ties to your tax home & it is best to keep go back for some doctor visits, dental visits, voting (at least by absentee ballot), etc.

You might find it helpful to look at & post in forums designed for the travel nurse like delphi forums, travel nurse and therapists & ultimatenurse.com-the former having a sister site link to travel jobs & a travel tax expert that answers questions based on IRS rules and regs. There is also an association of travel medical professionas that has a site you might be interested in: http://www.pantravelers.org (I think they have links to the irs regs). These sites all have experts that know a lot more than I do & have been very helpful to me.

towser · Oct 5, 2008

Thanks.. I also found this tax company with some very useful information, along the same lines as what you were saying:

http://www.traveltax.com/TravelRN/KnowledgeBase/KnowledgeBaseHome.html

Thx

Towser

loricatus · Oct 5, 2008

Thanks.. I also found this tax company with some very useful information, along the same lines as what you were saying:
http://www.traveltax.com/TravelRN/KnowledgeBase/KnowledgeBaseHome.html
Thx
Towser

Yep, that's the guy who I was referring to. He's the one that gives the free advise on the forum I mentioned.

davebigs · Feb 21, 2010

All this tax stuff is so confusing. I am currently on assignment in California. I currently don't have a tax home. I was previously in Oregon, I have my stuff in storage there. my drivers license is from oregon, my car is registered there, i have a bank account there also. My travel company provides my apartment, and pays the utilities. Does anyone know what rate of tax would I be required to pay on the housing, and whether it would be better for me to rent a little apartment in Oregon and use it as my tax home. Not sure what to do in this situation.