One of the perks of being a travel nurse is getting to travel the world.
But what happens when you love a nursing assignment so much you decide you would like to extend the date of your contract?
You might be wondering, “How long can a travel nurse stay in one place?”
This guide covers everything you need to know about travel nurse contract extensions, so you can make the decision that is right for you.
Table of Contents
- What is the Length of a Typical Travel Nursing Assignment?
- Can a Travel Nurse Choose to Stay in One Place Even After Their Contract Is Over?
- How Long Can a Travel Nurse Stay in One State?
- Why Would You Extend Your Travel Nurse Contract?
- Convenience
- The Pay
- The Facility
- The Location
- Can You Stay in the Same Place for Too Long?
- Does Staying in One Place as a Travel Nurse Affect Your Stipends?
- How Can You Keep From Losing Your Stipends?
- Does Extending a Travel Nurse Contract Impact Taxes?
- Tax Home
- If You Decide to Extend Your Contract, How Can You Minimize the Stress of Taxes?
- How Do You Extend a Travel Nurse Contract?
- Get Started Today With Trusted Nurse Staffing
What Is the Length of a Typical Travel Nursing Assignment?
The length of a travel nursing assignment varies depending on the facility.
A travel nurse assignment can be as short as two weeks, but 6, 8, or 13-week positions are the most common.
Can a Travel Nurse Choose to Stay in One Place Even After Their Contract Is Over?
Your current travel nursing assignment has been so fulfilling, and you’re wondering, “How long can a travel nurse stay in one place?”
Is there a possibility of extending your contract?
Great news.
As long as your current facility agrees, the answer is yes.
You will simply need to get in touch with your Trusted Nurse Staffing recruiter, and they will be able to work out all the details.
But, since opportunities for contract extensions aren’t always a possibility, you will want to contact your recruiter as soon as possible so they can get the ball rolling.
How Long Can a Travel Nurse Stay in One State?
A travel nurse may stay in one state for as long as they like.
However, for tax purposes, they will want to move to different locations in order to avoid spending more than 12 months in the same location in any consecutive 24-month period.
Why Would You Extend Your Travel Nurse Contract?
Why would a travel nurse want to extend their contract?
You may decide to continue in your current assignment for various reasons, including:
- Convenience
- Pay
- Nursing facility
- Location
Convenience
For a nurse, one of the best parts of extending a travel nurse contract is all the “nos” that come along with it.
We’re talking about no:
- Application to fill out
- Phone interview
- Physical
- Orientation at a new facility
- House hunting
- Getting acclimated to a new city
- Trying to make new friends
It is also convenient for the travel nurse agency, as well as the nursing facility since they will be able to avoid:
- Extra paperwork
- Additional manpower needed for orientation
The Pay
As every travel nurse knows, not every location or position pays the same.
If you are hoping to pay off some school loans or pad your bank account, seeking an extension in a high-paying position is a great option.
The Facility
Maybe you feel like the hospital or clinic you are working in is the perfect fit for you.
You have cultivated the ideal working relationship with the staff.
You have always wanted a position in this specialty, and the hours are exactly what you had hoped for.
If you feel at home in your current facility, why not stay a little longer?
The Location
Whether it is the view of the mountains, the salty scent of the sea, or the energy of city life, location is everything.
You might still have a bucket list of places you were hoping to explore.
Or maybe you would like to stick around for a local festival or experience a different season of the year.
Loving your current location is a great reason to look into a travel nurse contract extension.
Can You Stay in the Same Place for Too Long?
Yes — Staying in one place for longer than a year means you will lose your stipends and increase your taxes.
From the viewpoint of the IRS, travel nurses receive reimbursement due to duplicate expenses.
So, how long can a travel nurse stay in one place?
If you stay in one place for more than a year, the IRS assumes you have moved there and will start taxing you on both your permanent and travel locations
Does Staying in One Place as a Travel Nurse Affect Your Stipends?
It does, but only after 12 months.
A travel nurse who remains in the same location for more than 12 months will lose their stipends.
Why is this?
In order for a travel nurse to maintain non-taxed stipends, they must be viewed by the IRS as a temporary employee.
How long can a travel nurse stay in one place?
In order to avoid losing temporary status and being viewed as a resident, the stay will need to be under 12 months.
How Can You Keep From Losing Your Stipends?
You have been at your current assignment for 10 months.
The position suits you perfectly and the location is a dream come true.
But your year is nearing an end, and you don’t want to lose your non-taxed stipends.
What is a nurse to do?
Move.
If you leave your current position and go to another assignment for at least a 30-day period, you should be able to come back and regain your stipends.
It is important to note that there are some specific stipulations to this, so be sure to get in touch with your Trusted Nurse Staffing recruiter for the exact details.
Does Extending a Travel Nursing Contract Impact Your Taxes?
In the words of Albert Einstein, “The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.”
While this may be the case, the following information should make travel nursing taxes a bit easier to understand.
The IRS has set specific guidelines for those temporarily traveling away from home.
However, they have not created hard-and-fast rules for the traveling healthcare industry due to the unusual scenarios found in this line of work.
We highly recommend that you seek advice from a certified tax professional in order to maintain tax compliance as a travel nurse.
You will want to ask them several questions to ensure that they are familiar with:
- Temporary travel nurse assignments
- Travel taxation rules
- Multi-state taxation
- Your specific situation
In the meantime, here are some of the basic things you will want to know with regard to travel nursing contracts and income taxes.
Tax Home
A tax home is defined by the IRS as, “the entire city or general area in which your business or work is located, regardless of where you maintain your family home.”
To prove your tax home you will have to be able to show that you:
- Perform a portion of your business near your home.
- Use your home for lodging while you are doing business in the area.
- Incur living expenses such as rent, mortgage, and utilities at that home.
This means your tax home refers less about where you call home, and more about where you work.
Here is the bottom line — If your tax home changes, you will be required to pay taxes on any and all tax-free reimbursements you collected for the entire time period you lived there.
And since this occurs retroactively, you could wind up with a huge unexpected expense.
So it’s a big deal for travel nurses to remember they will need to have a permanent tax home in order to continue to enjoy the benefits of the untaxed portion of their income.
If You Decide to Extend Your Contract, How Can You Minimize the Stress of Taxes?
Taxes are not something to mess around with.
Your Trusted Nurse Staffing recruiter can help answer your compliance questions.
But ultimately, it is crucial that you find an experienced tax accountant who understands the nuances of travel nurse contracts and your specific tax situation.
How Do You Extend a Travel Nursing Contract?
Wondering how to go about extending your travel nursing contract?
Communication is the key.
If you’re interested in extending your travel nursing assignment, you will want to reach out to your Travel Nurse Staffing recruiter 3 to 4 weeks prior to your contract’s end date.
TNS takes care of the rest.
Your recruiter will get in touch with your current facility to inquire about the possibility of extending your assignment.
If the facility okays an extension, you will be able to stay on for as long as they agree to extend your contract.
The earlier you can communicate with your recruiter, the better chance you will have of landing a contract extension.
Get Started Today With Trusted Nurse Staffing
Whether you are looking to get started on your first travel nurse assignment, or are hoping to extend the one you currently have, Trusted Nurse Staffing is here for you.
Our goal is to help you reach YOUR goals, both personal and professional.
Trusted Nurse Staffing offers:
- Top pay rates
- The best benefits packages in the industry
Your travel nurse adventure begins with Trusted Nurse Staffing.
Get in touch with us to fill out your free online profile.