Kentucky Travel Nurse Tax Calculator
Kentucky taxes travel nurse wages at 5% on top of federal and FICA — but your stipends stay tax-free within GSA limits. Estimate the full picture below.
Data reviewed July 3, 2026 · 50 states, 221 cities, FY2026 GSA rates
Market pay figures on this page are our own editorial estimates, reviewed July 31, 2026 — not survey or government wage data. How we produce these numbers.
5%
KY Income Tax
$0
Tax on Compliant Stipends
~$1,708/wk
Tax-Free Stipend Ceiling
$1,600/wk
Avg KY Package
Location & Filing
Sets which 2026 IRS bracket table and standard deduction apply.
Pay Package
Tax Estimate Results
⚠️ After-tax pay is unavailable for this state combination
We compute federal income tax and FICA from published IRS and SSA figures, but we do not yet have a sourced bracket schedule for every state — and your home state taxes you as a resident even when your assignment state does not. Rather than guess at the missing piece, we withhold the net figure. Understating your tax would be as harmful as overstating it. Gross pay, stipends and the federal and FICA line items are unaffected.
Where you will file
No reciprocity agreement — KY generally taxes the income you earn there on a nonresident return. TX levies no wage income tax, so no resident return is due there.
Which state has taxing authority is set by statute — that part is unaffected by the withdrawn estimate. Only the dollar amounts are unavailable.
Your package, before tax (unaffected — plain arithmetic)
Weekly Gross
$3,420
Weekly Taxable
$1,620
Weekly Stipends
$1,800
Contract Gross
$44,460
Kentucky Tax Questions
How much state tax do travel nurses pay in Kentucky?
Kentucky's state income tax is 5%, applied to your taxable wages (not your tax-free stipends). On a typical KY taxable base of $1,440/week, that's roughly $72/week in state tax — about $936 over a 13-week contract. Stipends within GSA limits owe no state tax.
Do I file a Kentucky tax return as a travel nurse?
Generally yes — Kentucky taxes income earned within the state by nonresidents, so a contract there usually means filing a KY nonresident return. Your home state typically credits taxes paid to Kentucky, preventing double taxation. Keep your pay stubs; the state allocation matters.
Are stipends taxed in Kentucky?
No — housing and meal stipends are excluded from both federal and state taxation when you maintain a qualifying tax home and your stipends stay within the GSA per diem ceiling for the assignment location (about $1,708/week combined at Kentucky's average rates). Fail the tax home test and the whole stipend becomes taxable wages.
What's the effective tax rate on a Kentucky travel contract?
Because stipends are untaxed, effective rates on the whole package are much lower than wage-only jobs. A typical KY package of $1,600/week with $160 in stipends often nets an effective total-package rate of 12–20% including the 5% state tax. Run your exact split in the calculator above.
Estimates for planning only — not tax advice. Multi-state situations, reciprocity agreements, and local taxes vary; travel nurses with complex situations should use a travel-nurse-specialized preparer.