Travel nurse contracts are not standard employment agreements. Every agency writes its own, legal review is rarely offered, and recruiters routinely pressure nurses to sign within 24–48 hours before the slot is filled. Many nurses sign without fully understanding what they’ve agreed to – then discover the gaps the hard way when a hospital cancels a shift, changes their unit, or terminates early.
This guide gives you a clause-by-clause framework for reading any travel nurse contract, the math to decode what you really earn, and the specific questions to ask your recruiter before you put pen to paper.
The 8 clauses that matter most (fast scan)
| Clause | What to look for | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed hours | Specific number of hours per week the agency guarantees payment for | Vague language like "hours subject to facility needs" with no guaranteed minimum |
| Low census / cancellation | Whether you're paid if the hospital calls you off due to low patient census | No mention of low census compensation at all, or "at-will" language that overrides guarantees |
| Float clause | Which units you're required to float to, and how often | "Float to any unit as needed" with no specialty restriction |
| Pay package breakdown | Taxable base rate, housing stipend, M&IE stipend listed separately | Only a blended or "all-in" rate – no component breakdown |
| Early termination | Notice requirements and financial penalties for both parties | Penalty clause applies only to the nurse; agency can exit without cause at any time |
| Housing | Whether stipend or agency-provided; who controls the lease | Agency-controlled lease with no nurse exit provision if contract is terminated |
| Non-compete | Restriction on direct hire at the facility after the assignment | 12-month broad restriction on employment in any capacity at the facility |
| Licensing and credentials | Who pays for endorsement fees, background checks, and CEU costs | Nurse bears all credentialing costs with no reimbursement pathway |
Why contracts are harder to read than they look
Travel nurse contracts sit between three parties – you, the staffing agency, and the hospital – but you only sign one document, and it’s with the agency. The hospital has a separate master service agreement with the agency that you never see. That agreement governs what the hospital pays in practice, how many hours they guarantee to the agency, and under what conditions they can cancel.
What this means in practice: verbal assurances from your recruiter about how a particular facility operates carry no legal weight. The contract you sign is between you and the agency. If the hospital changes your unit, cancels shifts, or terminates the assignment early, your recourse depends on what that agency contract says, and what your recruiter told you on the phone counts for little.
Contracts also arrive with urgency attached. A common recruiter move is to present an offer with a same-day or next-day deadline: “The manager wants to fill this by tonight.” This pressure is often real, but “we need an answer tonight” should never mean “sign without reading.” Request at minimum 24 hours. If an agency won’t give you time to review a legally binding document, that tells you something about how they operate.
The stakes are real: you’ve arranged housing, taken time off between assignments, and budgeted based on the quoted package. A contract with missing protections can cost you weeks of income and leave you covering unexpected expenses out of pocket.
Pay package math: reading what you earn
This is the section most contract guides skip or oversimplify. Getting this wrong is expensive.
How the bill rate works
When a hospital hires a travel nurse through a staffing agency, they pay the agency a bill rate – a single hourly rate for every hour the nurse works. By our estimate, bill rates commonly run $65–$120/hr depending on the specialty, region, and market conditions. Your total compensation comes out of that bill rate after the agency takes its gross margin, which we estimate at roughly 20–35% of the bill rate; agencies do not publish these figures, and the margin also has to cover the agency’s own payroll taxes, insurance, and overhead.
A hospital paying $85/hr bill rate for a med-surg travel nurse gives the agency roughly $3,060 per 36-hour week. After a 28% margin ($856), approximately $2,204 remains to cover your taxable wages, non-taxable stipends, benefits (if provided), and any sign-on or completion bonus amortized across the contract.
Most agencies won’t share the bill rate upfront. Ask anyway. Knowing the bill rate tells you what share of the pie you’re receiving.
Taxable wages vs. non-taxable stipends
Every travel nurse pay package has three distinct components:
| Component | Taxable? | Typical range per week | IRS basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base hourly rate | Yes | $18–$40/hr depending on specialty (our estimate) | W-2 wages |
| Housing stipend | No (with qualifying tax home) | $500–$2,000/week (our estimate); the full FY 2027 GSA standard lodging rate is $791/week ($113 × 7), higher in non-standard areas | GSA per diem lodging rates by location |
| Meals & incidentals (M&IE) | No (with qualifying tax home) | Up to $476–$644/week at full GSA rates ($68–$92/day × 7); many agencies pay less | GSA M&IE rates by location |
The non-taxable stipends are what make travel nursing financially attractive. A nurse earning $28/hr taxable plus $1,350/week in non-taxable stipends takes home substantially more than the W-2 wages alone suggest, because properly structured stipends paid within federal per diem limits are not reported as wages on the W-2.
The critical condition: you must have a qualifying tax home to receive stipends tax-free. In IRS Publication 463, your tax home is generally your regular or main place of work. Travelers with no main place of work can treat the home where they regularly live as their tax home if they meet three factors: they do part of their work in that area and lodge at that home while doing so, they pay living expenses there that are duplicated while they travel, and they have not abandoned the area (family lives there, or they often use the home). Meeting all three establishes a tax home; meeting two leaves it to the facts and circumstances; otherwise the IRS treats you as itinerant and the stipends become ordinary income. The assignment must also be temporary: one realistically expected to last more than a year in a single location becomes your new tax home. See our travel nurse tax home guide for the full rules before accepting any stipend-based package.
Worked example: two offers that look similar but aren’t
Consider two contracts for an ICU nurse on a 36-hour week:
Offer A: $2,400/week – all taxable
Offer B: $1,200/week taxable + $1,200/week non-taxable stipend
At a 22% effective tax rate, Offer A nets approximately $1,872/week after federal and state taxes. Offer B nets approximately $936 from the taxable portion plus the full $1,200 stipend – approximately $2,136/week. Offer B puts roughly $264 more in your pocket each week, or over $3,400 across a 13-week contract, despite having the same gross weekly total.
This gap widens at higher stipend amounts and in higher tax brackets. A nurse in the 32% federal bracket comparing a $2,600/week all-taxable offer against a $1,400/$1,200 split would keep about $475 more per week with the split once 7.65% FICA is included – roughly $6,200 over a 13-week contract, before state income tax.
The blended rate trap
Some agencies quote pay as a “blended rate” – dividing the total weekly package by the contracted hours. A $2,400/week package at 36 hours becomes a quoted “blended rate” of $66.67/hr. This number is meaningless for tax purposes and useless for comparing packages. When you’re evaluating offers, always ask for the package broken into its three components. Compare taxable bases separately from stipends. Never compare blended rates across agencies.
The low-taxable-wage risk
Agencies have an incentive to shift compensation into the non-taxable stipend column because it reduces their payroll tax liability. A very low taxable base – below roughly $15–18/hr – is a warning sign. It can create problems if your tax home doesn’t qualify (stipends get reclassified as income), it reduces your Social Security contribution base, and it can make it harder to qualify for mortgages or loans that use W-2 income. If the taxable base looks unusually low, ask the agency why it’s structured that way and consult a travel nurse CPA before signing. See our travel nurse salary guide for typical base rate benchmarks by specialty.
Guaranteed hours clause: the most negotiated term in any travel contract
The guaranteed hours clause is the most financially significant clause in your contract. It determines whether you still get paid if the hospital starts canceling shifts.
What guaranteed hours means and what it doesn’t
A guaranteed hours clause specifies that the agency will pay you for a minimum number of hours per week regardless of whether the hospital uses you. A typical clause guarantees 36 hours/week for a 36-hour contract. If the hospital cancels one shift (12 hours) due to low patient census, you still receive pay for those 12 hours.
What it does not mean: guaranteed hours clauses are only as strong as the language around them. Many contracts include at-will employment language that technically supersedes the guarantee, or limit guarantees to hours available at the facility rather than hours contracted. A clause reading “Nurse is guaranteed 36 hours per week, subject to facility staffing requirements” is functionally worthless – it guarantees nothing.
Strong guaranteed hours language looks like: “Agency guarantees payment for a minimum of 36 hours per week regardless of facility census or scheduling changes, unless nurse is absent or non-compliant with facility policy.”
Low census: the systematic risk
Low census cancellations are one of the main ways hospitals cut labor costs during slow periods. Travel nurses are often the first staff canceled when census drops: they cost more per hour from the hospital’s perspective (via the bill rate), they sit outside hospital bargaining units, and many hospital cancellation policies and union contracts put agency staff at the front of the queue.
As an illustration, 3 canceled 12-hour shifts over a 13-week assignment represent 36 hours of lost pay – roughly $1,000–$1,500 at a $28–$42/hr taxable rate, and more if the contract also prorates stipends for missed shifts.
Ask your recruiter specifically: “Does this facility have a history of frequent low-census cancellations?” A good recruiter will know. An evasive answer is informative.
Float pool language and its effect
Many hospital contracts include float clauses requiring travel nurses to float to other units when their primary unit has low census but the hospital overall doesn’t. Floating to an understaffed unit is clinically very different from floating to your specialty – floating an ICU nurse to telemetry is manageable; floating them to pediatrics raises patient safety questions.
Your contract should specify exactly which units you can be required to float to, ideally restricted to units within your documented competency. Vague language like “float as needed to maintain patient-to-nurse ratios” gives the hospital unlimited discretion. Negotiate for a float restriction clause that limits floating to units within your specialty or clinical experience, and specifies that floating does not affect your guaranteed hours calculation.
Housing: stipend vs. agency housing
Travel nurse housing is a choice you make on each assignment, and each option suits different situations.
When the stipend wins
The housing stipend gives you full control over where you live, who you live with, and under what lease terms. For nurses who travel with a partner or pet, prefer a specific neighborhood or commute route, or value flexibility, the stipend is usually the better option.
Stipend amounts are capped by GSA per diem lodging rates for your assignment location. In a moderate-cost area where the GSA lodging rate is $140/night, you could receive up to $980/week in non-taxable housing stipend. In San Francisco, GSA rates run significantly higher, which means larger potential stipends. Rural areas fall under the GSA standard rate, which is the floor for every CONUS location: $110/night in FY 2026 and $113/night from 1 October 2026 (FY 2027), or up to $791/week.
The catch: you bear all the risk of housing arrangements falling through. If your short-term rental gets canceled two weeks before the assignment starts, that’s your problem to solve – the agency is not obligated to assist if you opted for the stipend.
When agency housing makes sense
Agency-arranged housing removes the logistics burden – particularly useful for first-time travelers or nurses taking assignments in unfamiliar cities with tight rental markets. Some agencies have established relationships with corporate housing providers or extended-stay hotels near major medical centers, which can simplify logistics.
The financial trade-off: agency housing typically costs the agency less than the full stipend value, and the agency keeps the difference. If agency housing costs the agency $700/week but your GSA rate would support a $1,100/week stipend, you’ve effectively left $400/week on the table. Over 13 weeks, that’s $5,200.
Agency housing also creates dependency: the lease or booking is typically in the agency’s name. If your contract is terminated early – by the hospital, the agency, or yourself – housing goes with it. You may be out of both income and housing simultaneously with little notice. Negotiate for a clause that extends housing coverage for a minimum of two weeks after any contract termination not initiated by you.
Ask before you commit
Key housing questions to resolve before signing:
- If I take the stipend, am I responsible for all housing arrangements?
- If housing is agency-provided, who holds the lease?
- What happens to my housing if the contract is terminated early by the hospital?
- Is the stipend paid in advance (first week before I arrive) or in arrears?
Licensing and credential costs: who pays?
Licensing and credentialing costs can run $200–$800 per assignment depending on the state and specialty. In a contract where you’re absorbing these costs, they reduce your effective package value.
License endorsement fees
Working in a new state requires either a multistate compact license (valid across the jurisdictions that have implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact) or a new state endorsement application. Endorsement fees are set by each board and vary widely: California’s Board of Registered Nursing charges $350 for endorsement from another state, plus $49 for out-of-state fingerprint card processing and an optional $100 temporary license, and its processing times are among the longest travelers report. Most boards sit well below that, but budget for the fee, fingerprinting, and any verification-of-licensure charge from your original state. If you’re working in non-compact states and need a new license for each assignment, this adds up quickly.
Two states worth planning around specifically: Alaska has not joined the compact – enabling bills were still pending in the 2025–26 legislative session – and New York has never enacted the compact – bills have been introduced without passing – so both require a state-issued license regardless of what multistate license you hold.
Most agencies will reimburse endorsement fees, but the timing and conditions vary. Some reimburse upfront; many reimburse after completion of the contract. Read the reimbursement terms carefully: if you terminate early, even for cause, you may forfeit the reimbursement.
Background checks and drug screens
Pre-employment background checks and drug screens are almost universally required by hospitals. Some agencies absorb these costs; others deduct them from your first paycheck. Confirm in the contract which applies. Costs typically run $50–$150.
BLS and ACLS renewal
Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certifications must be current and are often required at assignment start. If your certification expires mid-contract, you need renewal. Agency policies vary: some cover the cost, some expect you to arrive current and pay your own renewal costs.
Most hospitals require the American Heart Association versions, which run on a two-year cycle (the American Red Cross also offers BLS and advanced life support courses, so check which the facility accepts). AHA renewals are normally delivered as blended learning: an online cognitive portion priced by the AHA itself, plus a hands-on skills session priced independently by whichever authorized training center you use. The AHA’s HeartCode online components run roughly $37 for BLS and around $184 for ACLS; the skills session is charged on top and varies by center and region. By our estimate, budget roughly $75–$130 all-in for BLS renewal and $250–$350 for ACLS, and confirm the specific center’s total before booking. Textbooks are sold separately.
Continuing education requirements
Some facilities require specialty-specific continuing education documentation as part of credentialing. These are separate from your state licensure CEU requirements. Ask which CEUs the facility requires and whether the agency covers any of those costs.
Contract length, extension, and exit clauses
Standard 13-week mechanics
The 13-week contract is the industry standard for one simple reason: assignments shorter than 13 weeks can make the logistics of moving, credentialing, and onboarding hard to justify financially. Thirteen weeks is long enough to be useful to the facility, short enough that nurses aren’t locked in indefinitely.
Some agencies offer 8-week or 26-week contracts. Shorter contracts often come with lower pay (less certainty for the facility), longer ones sometimes include higher completion bonuses. The contract start date, shift preferences, and sometimes the contract length itself can be negotiated. Pay rates, call requirements, and float obligations are largely set by the facility-agency master contract and are harder to move, though the taxable/stipend split can sometimes be adjusted.
Extension options vs. extension guarantees
If you love an assignment and the hospital loves you, you can extend. The distinction that matters: an extension option gives you the right to extend if both parties agree. An extension guarantee – rare, and hard for an agency to honor when the hospital no longer has the need – would lock in an extension regardless of the hospital’s current needs. Read any extension language as an option, not a guarantee, and plan your housing and availability accordingly.
Extension pay packages are frequently renegotiated. A common mistake is assuming the extension rate will match your original contract. Facility needs change, market rates shift, and agencies often push lower rates for extensions because they know you’re comfortable and may be reluctant to move. Know your comparable market rate before any extension discussion.
Early termination: nurse-initiated
If you need to leave before the contract ends – for personal, family, or clinical safety reasons – your contract will specify the financial consequences. Common provisions include:
- Notice requirement: commonly 2–4 weeks written notice
- Stipend clawback: some contracts require repayment of housing or travel stipends if you leave before a minimum period
- Penalty fees: less common but exist; by our estimate $500–$2,000, framed as covering agency administrative costs
- Benefits continuation: coverage often ends immediately upon departure
The enforceability of penalty clauses varies by state. In some states, deducting penalties from final paychecks violates wage payment laws, and under the federal FLSA a deduction for the employer’s benefit cannot cut your pay below minimum wage or eat into required overtime (DOL Fact Sheet 16). If an agency attempts to withhold your paycheck as a penalty for early termination, contact your state labor board. This is a separate matter from contractual clawbacks, which may be enforceable.
Hospital-initiated termination
Hospitals can and do cancel travel nurse contracts early – sometimes with 24 hours’ notice, occasionally with no notice at all. Common reasons include facility census drops, budget freezes, permanent staff returning from leave, and unit restructuring.
Your contract should specify what the agency owes you if the hospital cancels without cause. Strong protective language might include: payment for the current week’s hours in full, two weeks of guaranteed pay, and housing coverage for a minimum of two weeks after termination. These are negotiable, and some agencies include versions of them in their standard contracts. Ask explicitly.
Non-compete clauses
Non-compete language appears in a minority of travel nurse contracts but is worth flagging when it does. Two types exist:
- Broad restriction: prevents you from working at that facility in any capacity – including as direct-hire staff – for a period (often 6–12 months) after your assignment ends
- Agency restriction: prevents you from going back to the same facility through a competing agency
Enforceability is governed by state law, and the patchwork is wide. California voids employee non-compete clauses outright (Business and Professions Code section 16600), with narrow exceptions such as the sale of a business. Texas now caps non-competes for nurses and other health care practitioners licensed under Chapter 301 of the Occupations Code at one year and five miles, with a mandatory buyout no greater than annual salary, for covenants entered into or renewed from 1 September 2025 (SB 1318). Several more states have moved against non-competes in the past two years. Utah’s HB 270 bans new post-employment non-competes for healthcare workers, including nurses, signed on or after 6 May 2026. Virginia’s SB 170 makes a covenant entered into or renewed from 1 July 2026 unenforceable if you are discharged without cause and without disclosed severance. Washington’s HB 1155 bans non-competes for all workers and voids existing covenants from 30 June 2027. Florida remains at the permissive end.
Do not expect federal relief. The FTC’s 2024 rule banning most non-competes was set aside in Ryan LLC v. FTC (N.D. Tex., August 2024), the agency dropped its appeal in September 2025, and the rule was formally removed from the Code of Federal Regulations effective 12 February 2026. State law is the only thing determining whether the clause in front of you is enforceable. Broad restrictions are overreaching and worth pushing back on; ask the agency to remove them or limit them to the narrower agency-only restriction.
The employer clause nobody reads: who issues your W-2
Buried in the definitions at the front of most travel contracts is a statement of who your employer is. That employer is the agency, and if you carry federal student loan debt, that line has a price attached to it.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness counts qualifying months based on the entity issuing your W-2. Most travel staffing agencies are for-profit companies, so months worked through one accrue nothing toward forgiveness even when every shift is at a nonprofit hospital. Hospital-direct internal traveler programs can qualify, because those employ you through the health system – but only where that system is governmental or a 501(c)(3), which excludes for-profit hospital chains. The Department of Education narrowed its qualifying-employer criteria effective 1 July 2026, so check any prospective employer against the official PSLF Employer Search rather than relying on the facility’s nonprofit status.
Confirm the employer of record in the contract itself; a recruiter’s description is no substitute. A traveler chasing forgiveness who spends three years on agency contracts has three years of payments that do not count.
For more on finding the right agency to work with, see our travel nurse agencies guide.
Clause-by-clause red flags table
| Clause | Red-flag language | Why it matters | What to ask instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed hours | "Hours subject to facility staffing needs" / no minimum specified | Effectively guarantees nothing; hospital can cancel unlimited shifts without pay | "What is the guaranteed minimum hours per week regardless of census?" |
| Low census cancellation | No mention of low-census pay / "at-will" language that supersedes guarantees | You absorb all financial risk of hospital staffing decisions | "If I'm canceled due to low census, does my guaranteed hours clause still apply?" |
| Float requirement | "Float to any unit as directed by the facility" | Could place you in unfamiliar clinical settings outside your competency, creating safety risk and exposure to practice-standard complaints; check how your liability coverage treats out-of-competency assignments | "Can we restrict floating to units within my documented specialty?" |
| Pay package | Only a blended or gross weekly rate quoted; no component breakdown | Cannot evaluate taxable vs. non-taxable split; cannot compare packages fairly | "Please provide the breakdown: taxable base rate, housing stipend, M&IE stipend separately." |
| Housing (agency-provided) | Agency controls lease; no nurse exit provision if contract is terminated | Early termination by hospital leaves you with no income and no housing simultaneously | "If the hospital terminates early, will housing coverage extend for at least 2 weeks?" |
| Early termination (nurse) | Penalty fees deducted directly from final paycheck | May violate state wage payment laws; potentially unenforceable but still coercive | "What are the early termination terms, and how are penalties collected – not paycheck deduction?" |
| Non-compete | "Nurse shall not work at this facility in any capacity for 12 months following assignment end" | Prevents direct hire at a facility you may want to join long-term | "Can we limit this to agency-restriction only, not direct employment?" |
| Overtime | Overtime calculated only on taxable base rate, with stipends reduced for every missed shift | Under the FLSA, bona fide expense reimbursements can be left out of the overtime rate, but in Clarke v. AMN Services (9th Cir. 2021) per diems prorated by hours worked were held to be pay that belonged in the regular rate | "How is overtime calculated, and are stipends reduced when shifts are canceled or missed?" |
Negotiation script: what to ask before you sign
You don’t need to be adversarial – most recruiters want to place you and will answer direct questions in a straightforward way. What you need is to ask the right questions clearly, get the answers in writing, and walk away if the answers are evasive.
These questions reveal whether the agency is hiding something:
On the pay package
“Walk me through the full bill rate breakdown – what is the facility paying per hour, what is the agency margin, and what is the remaining amount that becomes my compensation?”
A recruiter who answers this clearly and completely is signaling transparency. One who deflects with “the bill rate isn’t something we share” is telling you they don’t want you to know how much of the pie they’re keeping.
“Can you give me the contract with the taxable base, housing stipend, and M&IE stipend listed separately? I need the breakdown in writing.”
This is a standard request. Any agency unwilling to provide it in writing should raise concerns.
On guaranteed hours and cancellations
“What is the guaranteed minimum hours per week, and is that guarantee maintained during low-census situations?”
Follow up: “Can you show me exactly where in the contract that guarantee is written?”
“What is your policy if the hospital cancels my contract early? What will you pay me, and how long will housing coverage continue?”
The answer tells you how protected you are in the most common disruption scenario.
On floating
“What units am I required to float to, and can we get that restriction written into the contract?”
If the recruiter says float restrictions aren’t possible at that facility, that’s useful information – it means you’re accepting real clinical flexibility risk with no contractual protection.
On housing
“If I take agency housing, what happens to my housing if the assignment is canceled or terminated before the end of the contract?”
“Is the housing stipend paid before I arrive, or in arrears? When does the first stipend payment hit?”
This matters for cash flow: if you’re arriving in a new city and paying first month’s rent out of pocket before your first paycheck, you need to know.
On credentials and costs
“Who pays for the state license endorsement, background check, and drug screen? If reimbursed, when – upfront or at contract completion?”
“If I terminate early for any reason, do I forfeit credential reimbursements?”
The verification step
Once you’ve discussed terms verbally, request that all negotiated terms appear in either the signed contract itself or in the “confirmation” document – the facility-specific attachment that covers unit, shift, schedule, and any special arrangements. Verbal commitments from recruiters are not legally binding. Everything that matters must be in writing.
Understanding the contract you haven’t signed yet: state law matters
Most travel nurse contracts name a governing-law state, often the agency’s home state. Wage payment, overtime, and sick leave laws of the state where you work generally apply regardless of that clause, and non-compete enforceability can turn on both states’ law. All of these vary by state.
A few examples that come up frequently in travel nurse contracts:
- California assignments: California’s labor laws generally benefit travel nurses working there: paid sick leave (at least 40 hours or five days a year), daily overtime after 8 hours in addition to weekly overtime after 40, and a ban on employee non-competes. Health care employers can adopt a voted alternative workweek of 12-hour shifts, in which hours 9–12 are paid at straight time and hours beyond 12 at double time (IWC Wage Order 5), so check which schedule the unit uses.
- Texas assignments: At-will employment is the default, so your written guaranteed-hours and cancellation terms carry the weight. Non-competes must be reasonable in time, area, and scope, and nurse non-competes signed or renewed from 1 September 2025 face the SB 1318 limits above.
- Compact vs. non-compact states: If you’re working in a non-compact state and need a full license endorsement, confirm that’s included in the agency’s credentialing costs. See our best states for travel nurses guide for state-by-state demand and licensing context.
For anything that seems legally ambiguous – particularly non-compete clauses, penalty provisions, or paycheck deduction language – a one-hour consultation with a nurse-focused employment attorney is worth the $150–$300 fee.
References
- Internal Revenue Service, “Publication 463: Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses.” Tax home requirements, the one-year rule for temporary versus indefinite assignments, and itinerant taxpayer status governing whether stipends are non-taxable.
- US General Services Administration, “FY 2026 Per Diem Rates” (1 October 2025–30 September 2026: standard CONUS lodging $110 per night) and “Maximum Per Diem Reimbursement Rates for the Continental United States (CONUS),” FY 2027, Federal Register doc. 2026-18439, 10 September 2026 (from 1 October 2026: standard lodging $113 per night; M&IE tiers unchanged at $68–$92 per day, standard $68). These ceilings govern how large a non-taxable housing or M&IE stipend an agency can pay.
- Internal Revenue Service, “Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee?” Worker classification tests relevant to agencies proposing 1099 rather than W-2 travel contracts.
- US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, “Fact Sheet 13: Employment Relationship Under the Fair Labor Standards Act,” and “Fact Sheet 16: Deductions From Wages,” relevant to early-termination penalties collected by paycheck deduction.
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing, “Nurse Licensure Compact,” jurisdiction enactment and implementation status, nursecompact.com. Enacted and implemented are distinct: several states have passed compact legislation without operating as compact states.
- California Board of Registered Nursing, “Fee Schedule” and “Application for Licensure by Endorsement,” rn.ca.gov. Registered nurse endorsement application $350; out-of-state fingerprint card processing $49; optional temporary license $100.
- Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Board of Nursing, “Nurse Licensure Compact,” and the Office of the Governor’s announcement of HB 131 and SB 124 to enact the compact in Alaska.
- Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, No. 3:24-cv-00986 (N.D. Tex., 20 August 2024), setting aside the FTC’s non-compete rule; the FTC dismissed its appeal in September 2025 and removed the rule from the Code of Federal Regulations effective 12 February 2026.
- California Business and Professions Code sections 16600–16600.5, voiding contracts that restrain a person from engaging in a lawful profession or trade.
- US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, “Public Service Loan Forgiveness,” qualifying employer criteria and the PSLF Employer Search tool.
- American Heart Association, “BLS and ACLS Courses” and ShopCPR HeartCode BLS/ACLS product listings, instructor-led and HeartCode blended-learning course structure and pricing, cpr.heart.org and shopcpr.heart.org.
- California Industrial Welfare Commission, Wage Order 5-2001 (Public Housekeeping Industry), section 3, including the health care industry alternative workweek of up to 12-hour shifts; California Labor Code section 510 (daily overtime) and section 246 (paid sick leave, 40 hours or five days).
- Texas Senate Bill 1318 (89th Legislature, 2025), amending Texas Business and Commerce Code section 15.50 to limit non-competes for physicians and health care practitioners, including nurses licensed under Occupations Code Chapter 301 (one-year duration, five-mile radius, buyout capped at annual salary), for covenants entered into or renewed on or after 1 September 2025.
- Utah HB 270 (2026), Healthcare Worker Post-Employment Amendments, effective 6 May 2026; Virginia SB 170 (2026, Chapter 883), effective 1 July 2026; Washington HB 1155 (2026), voiding noncompetition covenants from 30 June 2027.
- Clarke v. AMN Services, LLC, No. 19-55784 (9th Cir., 8 February 2021), holding that per diem payments prorated by hours worked functioned as compensation and belonged in the FLSA regular rate for overtime.