[nurseck25]

what are the rules for taking an assignment where you place of residence is? some people are telling me that it has to be 100 miles or more away. So if i live in MA then i cant take assignments in RI,CT,NH??

[artwife]

I had a position in the same small town that I live in and worked it for 6 months. I also had another assignment less than 50 miles from the same town. I'm not sure how anyone would know where you live unless you actually told them. The 2 different companies both knew where I lived before I was hired. I think that it is the hospitals that put that restriction on the travel companies. Not much help. I'd ask the recruiters.

[artwife]

Oh and I forgot to say that I still got my housing subsidy even though I lived in my own home. Nice perk!

[Anmutasc]

I also asked this to my recruiter and she said that you could work in another state even if it is not more than 50 miles away. So living in Quincy, I would be able to work in Providence, and I would get fully subsidy nontaxed! Not a bad deal if you want to drive!

[OutWest]

You can take an assignment anywhere you want, although some facilities do have policies against hiring a traveler who lives within a certain distance.

The issue is what you can legally claim as non-taxable income. Despite what you may hear from travel companies, the IRS does NOT specify how many miles, only that you travel outside the metropolitan area in which you maintain a residence. See Tax Topics - Topic 514 Employee Business Expenses

The general rule of thumb is if the distance is great enough to reasonably require an overnight stay then you are ok. But if you are able to live in your own home while you work a travel assignment then you should pay tax on the housing stipend.

Also, the IRS stipulates that the job must be temporary (less than 180 days) in order to claim housing stipends and per diem allowances as non-taxable. Furthermore, you should not claim more non-taxable housing/per diem than what you actually spend and the IRS expects you to be able to prove this.

Yes, you can probably get away with not paying the taxes but if you ever get audited by the IRS you'll be in trouble! As far as the IRS is concerned, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure you pay your taxes correctly and do not claim more non-taxable income than you are allowed. They will not care what your recruiter or travel company told you. Honestly, if I were you I would not take my opinion or anyone else's as gospel -- spend a few dollars and consult with a tax attorney or CPA to make sure you are doing this right. I did and it is well worth it.

[disholicious]

I lived 85 miles away from my last facility I contracted with. They have a policy that you must live >100 miles from any of the facilities that are in their affiliation. I live 50 miles from one of their facilities so they still allowed me to work there, but I had to take the "local agency pay" which was about $10 less per hour.

[kimberlysue1215]

From what I have heard from every travel agency that I have dealt with , you must be at least 50 miles from your home address.

[AmandaWIRN]

For most agencies, the rule is that you must live 50-60 miles away from the assignment location.

[Tankity]

I travel (through Supplemental) to Buffalo from my home in Rochester and still get the housing/travel pay because it is over 50 miles.