Travel nursing income is one of the most frequently asked and least transparently answered questions in nursing forums. The numbers vary enormously — not just by specialty, but by agency, geographic market, contract timing, and whether you maintain a tax home. This is a full breakdown of what one travel ICU nurse actually earned and spent in 2026, using anonymized but verified income data from a nurse who shared their complete records.
MICU nurse, 6 years of experience, CCRN certified, based in Nashville (tax home). Worked with two agencies simultaneously (Aya Healthcare as primary, Trusted Health as secondary). Completed three 13-week contracts in 2026 with one 4-week gap between assignments 2 and 3 for a trip home and resetting credentials.
Unit: Medical ICU at a Level II Trauma Center. Schedule: 36 hours guaranteed per week (three 12-hour shifts), nights. Contract duration: 13 weeks.
Pay package (per week): $24/hour taxable base × 36 hours = $864 taxable. Housing stipend: $2,100/month = $484/week non-taxable. M&IE stipend: $550/month = $127/week non-taxable. Completion bonus: $1,500 paid at week 13.
Gross income for Contract 1 (13 weeks): Taxable: $864 × 13 = $11,232. Non-taxable stipends: $611 × 13 = $7,943. Completion bonus: $1,500 (taxable). Total gross: $20,675.
Actual housing cost (1BR apartment, 3-month lease in Phoenix): $1,650/month × 3 = $4,950. Net housing surplus: $7,143 (stipend) - $4,950 (actual cost) = $2,193 housing profit. Tax home expenses during this period (room rental in Nashville): $400/month × 3 = $1,200.
Unit: Cardiac ICU at a large academic medical center. Schedule: 36 hours, rotating days/nights. Night differential: $4.50/hour additional (stacked on taxable base).
Pay package: $26/hour taxable base + $4.50 night diff (when applicable, approximately 60% of shifts) × 36 hours = roughly $1,153/week taxable average. Housing stipend: $2,650/month ($611/week non-taxable). M&IE: $600/month ($138/week non-taxable).
Actual housing cost (furnished extended-stay in Chicago suburb): $2,200/month × 3 = $6,600. Housing surplus: $7,943 (stipend) - $6,600 (actual) = $1,343. No completion bonus on this contract.
Gross income for Contract 2 (13 weeks): Taxable: ~$14,989. Non-taxable: ~$9,738. Total gross: $24,727.
Returned to Nashville. Income: zero from travel. Expenses: $1,600 (rent for full month back home), $800 (living). Credential refresh, vacation, and agency sourcing for Contract 3. Picked up two PRN shifts at a local hospital: $44/hour × 24 hours = $1,056 gross.
Unit: MICU, teaching hospital. Schedule: 36 hours guaranteed, days.
Pay package: $28/hour taxable × 36 hours = $1,008/week. Housing stipend: $3,100/month ($715/week). M&IE: $700/month ($162/week). Completion bonus: $2,000 at week 13.
Actual housing (Portland market is tight): $2,400/month × 3 = $7,200. Housing surplus: $9,300 (stipend) - $7,200 (actual) = $2,100.
Gross income for Contract 3 (13 weeks): Taxable: $1,008 × 13 + $2,000 bonus = $15,104. Non-taxable: $877 × 13 = $11,401. Total gross: $26,505.
Total gross income (3 contracts + gap PRN): $20,675 + $24,727 + $1,056 + $26,505 = $72,963. Non-taxable portion (stipends): approximately $29,082. Taxable income: approximately $43,881. Federal and state tax on taxable income (estimated): ~$9,500 after deductions. Take-home after tax: approximately $63,463.
A staff MICU nurse in Nashville with 6 years of experience earns approximately $82,000–$92,000/year gross in 2026. After taxes (assuming 24% effective rate), take-home is roughly $62,000–$70,000. Living expenses in Nashville: roughly $28,000–$35,000/year. Net savings: approximately $27,000–$42,000/year.
Travel nursing net savings ($33,313) is within the range of a Nashville staff nurse's net savings — but travel nursing came with more stress, more instability, and more complexity. The financial advantage in this nurse's case was modest in year one.
Where travel nursing wins financially: nurses in high-cost-of-living home markets (San Francisco, NYC, Seattle) where staff pay doesn't scale with local costs. Or nurses who aggressively optimize their housing (split a furnished unit, stay in extended-stay motels, live in a van) and pocket nearly the full housing stipend. That nurse's net savings in the same three contracts: $46,000–$52,000/year.
Experience and CCRN certification translate directly into higher contract rates. This nurse projects Contract 1 of year 2 to start at $30–$32/hour taxable base, with higher stipends in crisis-pay markets. Year 2 projected net savings: $42,000–$48,000. Year 3: potentially $55,000+ if markets stay favorable.
Travel nursing financial model over three years: year 1 is an adjustment year with moderate financial benefit. Years 2 and 3 are where the real financial acceleration happens — if you've built the system, kept your tax home, maintained your credentials, and know how to negotiate a contract.