Travel Nurse Housing Stipend Calculator: How to Maximize Your Tax-Free Income

Here’s a question I get asked all the time: “My agency is offering me a $1,400/week housing stipend. Is that good?”

My answer is always the same: “It depends on what housing actually costs in your assignment city.”

A $1,400/week stipend sounds great—until you realize housing in San Francisco runs $2,500/month and you’re actually losing money. On the flip side, that same stipend in a small Midwest city where you can rent for $900/month means you’re pocketing $4,700/month tax-free.

This is exactly why you need a travel nurse housing stipend calculator.

What Is a Housing Stipend Calculator?

A housing stipend calculator helps you figure out:

1. How much you’ll actually keep after paying for housing
2. Whether a stipend offer is competitive for your assignment area
3. How different housing choices affect your take-home pay
4. Your total tax-free profit from the stipend portion

Let me show you how this works in practice.

How Housing Stipends Work

Before we get into calculations, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about how stipends work.

The Basic Concept

When you take a travel assignment, you’re maintaining two homes:

1. Your tax home (permanent residence)
2. Your temporary housing at the assignment

Your housing stipend is meant to reimburse you for this “duplicate” housing expense. The IRS allows this reimbursement to be tax-free—as long as you maintain a qualifying tax home.

How Agencies Calculate Stipends

Most agencies base stipends on GSA (General Services Administration) rates. The GSA publishes daily lodging allowances for every county in the US.

Example GSA Lodging Rates (2026):

Agencies typically offer 60-80% of the GSA maximum. So if the GSA rate is $200/day, expect a stipend offer around $120-160/day.

The Housing Stipend Calculation

Here’s the formula to calculate your housing stipend profit:

Weekly Stipend Profit = Weekly Housing Stipend - (Monthly Rent ÷ 4.33)

Let’s work through some real examples.

Example 1: High-Cost City (San Francisco)

Assignment details:

• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Housing stipend: $1,500/week
• Actual rent (Furnished Finder): $2,200/month

Calculation:

• Weekly rent: $2,200 ÷ 4.33 = $508/week
• Stipend profit: $1,500 - $508 = $992/week tax-free
• Monthly profit: $992 x 4.33 = $4,295/month
• 13-week profit: $992 x 13 = $12,896 tax-free

Example 2: Mid-Cost City (Denver)

Assignment details:

• Location: Denver, CO
• Housing stipend: $1,200/week
• Actual rent (Extended Stay): $1,400/month

Calculation:

• Weekly rent: $1,400 ÷ 4.33 = $323/week
• Stipend profit: $1,200 - $323 = $877/week tax-free
• Monthly profit: $877 x 4.33 = $3,797/month
• 13-week profit: $877 x 13 = $11,401 tax-free

Example 3: Low-Cost City (Oklahoma City)

Assignment details:

• Location: Oklahoma City, OK
• Housing stipend: $900/week
• Actual rent (apartment): $950/month

Calculation:

• Weekly rent: $950 ÷ 4.33 = $219/week
• Stipend profit: $900 - $219 = $681/week tax-free
• Monthly profit: $681 x 4.33 = $2,949/month
• 13-week profit: $681 x 13 = $8,853 tax-free

Using Our Stipend Calculator

Instead of doing all this math by hand, use our Stipend Calculator. Just enter:

1. Your weekly housing stipend
2. Your assignment location (or expected rent)
3. Your rental costs

The calculator shows you:

• GSA rates for your area
• Tax-free profit per week, month, and contract
• Comparison to taking agency housing

How to Maximize Your Housing Stipend

Now that you understand the math, here’s how to keep more of that stipend in your pocket.

1. Find Affordable Housing

The cheaper your rent, the more stipend profit you keep. Here’s what housing typically costs on each platform:

My recommendation: Start with Furnished Finder or Facebook groups. You can often find rentals from other travel nurses or landlords who specifically cater to healthcare workers.

2. Consider Roommates

Splitting a 2-bedroom apartment with another travel nurse can cut your housing costs in half.

Example:

• 2BR apartment: $1,600/month
• Your share: $800/month
• Stipend: $1,200/week ($5,196/month)
• Monthly profit: $5,196 - $800 = $4,396 tax-free

3. Negotiate Your Stipend

Some agencies have flexibility on stipend amounts. Before accepting, ask:

• “What’s the maximum housing stipend for this location?”
• “Can you match the stipend another agency offered me?”
• “Is the stipend based on GSA rates? Can we get closer to that?”

Not all agencies will budge, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

4. Know the GSA Rates

Before negotiating, look up the GSA rates for your assignment area. If the agency is offering significantly less than 70% of GSA, there may be room to negotiate.

5. Time Your Housing Search

Don’t wait until the last minute. Start looking for housing 4-6 weeks before your start date:

• More options available
• Better negotiating position with landlords
• Time to find the best deal

When to Take Agency Housing Instead

Sometimes taking agency-provided housing makes more sense than the stipend:

Consider Agency Housing If:

1. You’re new to travel nursing and overwhelmed by housing logistics
2. It’s a very high-cost area where even cheap rentals exceed your stipend
3. It’s a short assignment (4-8 weeks) where finding housing is difficult
4. The agency housing is nice and close to the hospital
5. You value convenience over maximizing income

The Trade-Off

Agency housing means you forfeit your housing stipend. But you also:

• Have zero housing costs
• Don’t worry about finding a place
• Avoid lease complications if your contract cancels

Calculate both options before deciding:

Stipend Option:

• Stipend: $1,400/week
• Rent: $1,200/month ($277/week)
• Net: $1,123/week tax-free

Agency Housing Option:

• Housing cost: $0
• Stipend: $0
• Net: $0 extra income (but no housing worries)

In this example, taking the stipend puts an extra $14,599 in your pocket over 13 weeks. That’s a lot of money to give up for convenience.

Common Stipend Calculator Questions

How much should my housing stipend be?

A competitive housing stipend is typically 60-80% of the GSA rate for your assignment area. For most locations, expect $900-1,500/week in 2026.

Is my entire stipend tax-free?

Yes, if you maintain a qualifying tax home. Without a tax home, your stipend becomes taxable income.

What if my rent exceeds my stipend?

This happens in very high-cost cities. Options include:

1. Finding cheaper housing (roommates, farther commute)
2. Asking the agency to increase your stipend
3. Looking at assignments in more affordable areas
4. Taking agency-provided housing

Can I pocket my entire stipend?

Only if your housing is free (staying with family, etc.). Otherwise, you need to actually pay for housing somewhere. The stipend “profit” is the difference between what you receive and what you spend.

How do I track my housing expenses?

Keep records of:

• Rent payments
• Utility bills
• Lease agreements

You’ll want these if you’re ever audited on your tax-free stipends.

Calculate Your Specific Situation

Ready to see exactly how much you’d keep from your stipend? Use these tools:

Stipend Calculator - Enter your stipend and housing costs to see your tax-free profit

Pay Calculator - See how stipends affect your total take-home pay

Assignment Cost Calculator - Factor in all assignment expenses

Real Talk: My Personal Experience

On my first travel assignment, I took agency housing because I was scared to figure it out myself. Big mistake—I later calculated I gave up over $10,000 in stipend profit over those 13 weeks.

My second assignment, I found a Furnished Finder rental for $1,100/month in a city where my stipend was $1,300/week. That’s roughly $4,500/month in tax-free profit I got to keep.

The lesson? Spend a few hours researching housing. The thousands you save are worth it.

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Related Resources

• GSA Per Diem Rates 2026
• Furnished Finder Guide for Travel Nurses
• Tax-Free Stipends Explained
• What Is a Tax Home?
• Travel Nurse Pay Breakdown
• Housing Costs by State 2026