25 Questions to Ask Your Travel Nurse Recruiter: A Contract Checklist

What to look for in a travel nurse contract: questions to ask your recruiter

Your recruiter emails a contract and says they need it back by Friday. The rate looks good. There's housing available nearby. City looks fun. So how do you know the terms are fair?

You work a list. This is that list, organized by category, and every item has what a good answer sounds like next to what a red flag sounds like.

It assumes you already have an offer in hand.

Still deciding which agencies to work with? Start with choosing a travel nurse agency instead. Interview not done yet? Travel nurse interview questions covers what you'll be asked and what to ask about the unit.

One rule before the list, and you already know it from charting: if it wasn't documented, it didn't happen.

Your contract works the same way. It's a legal document with your name on it, and it's what you & everyone you work with will refer back to when anything goes wrong on assignment.

So verify every line before you sign. Your paycheck, your schedule and your standing with that facility all ride on what it says.

How long are travel nurse contracts?

13 weeks, and it isn't close. In October 2026 I pulled 400 open contracts across ICU, ER, Med-Surg and L&D: 82% were exactly 13 weeks.

Most of the rest, out of those same 400:

• 14 weeks: 28 contracts
• 12 weeks: 15
• 26 weeks: 9
• 15 weeks: 5

Hours cluster just as hard. Across all 4,943 open contracts in those 4 specialties, 83% were 36 hours a week, 12% were 48, and 4% were 40.

So pin down the shape of the contract before you argue about any single clause:

1. "Is this standard 13 weeks at 36 hours?" Good: yes, or a concrete reason it isn't. Red flag: 48 hours a week or 26 weeks with no explanation.
2. "What's the exact contract length, and what's the extension process?" Good: specific start and end dates, plus a written extension policy that says whether your rate carries over or gets renegotiated. Red flag: "we'll figure that out later."

The 13-weeks-at-36 question matters more than it looks. Standard terms give you a natural exit ramp every 13 weeks.

If the unit turns out to be rough or the city isn't for you, you're out in a few weeks instead of 6 months. You can usually extend a contract you love.

Watch out - a 48-hour contract pays more per week, but rarely more per hour, because the extra 12 hours add taxable pay only. The 48-hour table has the numbers by specialty.

StellarNurse job search adjusts all pay packages to 36 hours to make your pay comparisons easier.

Orientation

3. "Is orientation paid at my full rate, modules included, and do modules start after my start date?" Good: your full contract rate and stipends from day 1, with module hours logged or a flat amount that matches the real time, in writing. Red flag: a separate "orientation rate," a flat payment for a fraction of the hours, or modules due before you start.

Orientation pay shows up on your first paycheck, not in the offer. One nurse on r/TravelNursing was paid $20 an hour for orientation against a $64 regular rate.

Federal law counts required orientation as work time, but it doesn't set the rate. So get the rate in writing, and don't start modules before your start date unless someone's paying you for them.

You shouldn't expect a long orientation. By my 3rd contract I was down to 2 days of facility orientation and went solo halfway through my 2nd day on the unit.

But you should get fair pay for whatever hours of orientation or modules you're required to complete.

Guaranteed hours

This is the clause I'd check first if I could only check one.

Hospitals cut shifts when the census drops. Without guaranteed hours in writing, those cut shifts are simply unpaid, and nobody has done anything wrong.

4. "How many hours are guaranteed per week, in writing?" Good: 36 or 40, stated as a number in the contract. Red flag: no guarantee at all, or "it depends on census."
5. "What voids the guarantee, and does it cover orientation week?" Good: a short, specific list, such as you calling off, and the guarantee starting day 1. Red flag: broad language letting the facility cancel shifts without triggering it, or a "voluntary" early send-home that counts as you calling off.
6. "What happens on a low-census week?" Good: you're paid to the guaranteed number, or offered a float assignment first, with a cap on how many shifts the facility can cancel per contract. Red flag: "you just don't get paid for that shift," or stipends prorated when the facility cancels you.

I've had shifts called off for low census, sometimes in 4-hour chunks. That's why this is the first clause I read now, and if it isn't there, I ask for it in writing.

Here's what 1 called-off 12-hour shift costs you, depending on what your contract says:

That last row is not hypothetical: some agencies prorate your stipends for the week when the facility cancels you. Check your contract for it before you sign.

One traveler treats stipends that stop on a cancelled shift as an immediate no, "because I paid to relocate and stay there." Your rent doesn't drop when the census does.

And know the difference between a cancelled shift and a "voluntary" one. If you agree to go home early on a slow day, ask before you leave whether that counts against your guarantee.

What does 40 hours guaranteed mean?

It means you get paid for 40 hours a week even if the facility cuts you to 24. What it doesn't mean is that the guarantee survives everything. Call off a shift yourself and most contracts let the agency drop the guarantee for that week.

Get both halves in writing: the number, and the list of things that void it.

Overtime and extra time

Hours past your contract come in 2 kinds, and most contracts only spell out 1 of them.

7. "What's my overtime rate, when does it start, and does it need approval first?" Good: 1.5x your blended rate, with the trigger stated as a number of hours and the approval process spelled out. Red flag: no mention of overtime, or 1.5x your base only.
8. "What do I make for extra time, the hours past my contracted 36 but under 40?" Good: at least your blended rate, in writing. Red flag: your taxable base alone, with no stipend money behind it.

Don't skip these because you never pick up shifts. Staying late to finish charting or give report is extra time too, and you shouldn't earn less for it than for the shift itself.

Extra time is hours 37-40 on a 36-hour contract. Your stipends were calculated on your contracted hours, so extra time usually pays your taxable base and nothing else.

Overtime starts past 40: the FLSA requires 1.5x your regular rate over 40 hours in a workweek, and some states add daily overtime rules.

A 4th 12-hour shift covers both. Here's what it pays on the $30-base package from my pay breakdown, all in 1 workweek:

The law only requires the bad deal, so negotiate the good one before you sign.

Ask about missed breaks while you're at it. In California, a missed meal break owes you 1 extra hour of pay at your regular rate, so find out how your agency wants it documented.

Do travel nurses get holiday pay?

Holiday pay comes from your agency, not the facility, so it follows the agency's rules.

9. "Which holidays does my contract cover, which hours count, and what's the rate?" Good: a named list of holidays, a defined window of hours, and 1.5x your blended rate. Red flag: 1.5x your base, or "we'll see when it comes up."

If your contract overlaps a holiday, get all 3 parts of that answer in writing before you start:

• Which holidays count. Your agency keeps its own list, and it may not match the facility's. Not every contract includes every holiday.
• The rate. 1.5x your blended rate is the one to hold out for. A flat premium or 1.5x your base leaves you with the same base-vs-blended gap as overtime.
• Which hours. The holiday itself, midnight to midnight, or the day the facility observes it. On nights, that decides whether a 7p-7a Christmas Eve shift earns the holiday rate for 5 hours or 7.

When the Fourth of July 2026 fell on a Saturday, one traveler's facility paid its own staff the holiday rate on Friday, while their agency paid it only for hours worked on Saturday.

Your pay package

One number is not a pay package, and the money coming in is only half of it.

10. "Can I see the full breakdown in writing, including deductions and when I get paid?" Good: taxable hourly rate, housing stipend, meals stipend and any one-time payments, itemized, plus all deductions, like parking or retirement contributions. Also weekly or biweekly pay, the date of your first check. Red flag: a single blended weekly figure and missed deductions.

How a pay package breaks down shows why the split matters as much as the total, and how travel nursing works covers where the money comes from.

Also worth doing before you sign: check what other agencies are paying for this exact contract. The same job usually goes out through several, and the gap between the best- and worst-paying one commonly runs $250-350 a week.

Ask about parking & other deductions

I learned the deductions half the hard way.

My first contract was in Kansas City. I'd asked about everything going into my paycheck, and forgot about what could come out.

First paycheck: $16 deducted for parking. Every shift. Inner city hospitals, ugh. 🤦‍♀️

Plus $20 a week into a retirement fund I didn't know had started.

On 3x12's, that's $68 a week, or $884 across a 13-week contract, out of a package I thought I'd already checked.

Nobody hid it. The pay package quote just only shows the money coming in, not what comes back out.

My recruiter and unit manager sorted it within 1 paycheck. Parking got reimbursed, and I kept the retirement contributions once I understood them.

Now I ask for a full breakdown, deductions included, and do my own math before I sign. One nurse writes parking reimbursement straight into their contract - that covers your bases!

Benefits

Travel contracts trade benefits for pay, and the trade isn't always written down. Ask about benefits before you sign, not at your first doctor's visit.

11. "When does my health insurance start, what does it cost me, and what happens to it between contracts?" Good: a start date, a weekly premium, and a plain answer on coverage in the gap between contracts, plus any 401(k) match, vesting period, PTO and sick leave, in writing. Red flag: "you'll get the benefits packet after you start."

Coverage that ends with your contract is the part that bites. If you plan a few weeks off between assignments, know before you sign whether you'll be insured during them.

Cancellation and call-off policy

This is where nurses get hurt most, and it's the section recruiters move past fastest.

12. "What's the cancellation policy, for both sides?" Good: a specific notice period, usually 2-4 weeks, with penalties spelled out and obligations running both ways. Red flag: you owe penalties and give notice, while the facility can cancel at will.
13. "What happens to my housing stipend if I get my contract cancelled?" Good: paid through the end of the pay period, or a defined wind-down. Red flag: it stops the day the contract does, while your lease doesn't.
14. "Is there a do-not-return list or a non-compete, and what puts me on either?" Good: a transparent policy with reasonable triggers, a way to respond if you're let go over a clinical concern, and no non-compete. Red flag: "at the facility's discretion," or a clause barring you from that whole hospital system for 2 years.
15. "What happens when I call off?" Good: you lose the hours you missed, nothing more, and your approved days off never count as a missed shift. Red flag: a dollar penalty per missed shift, or losing your stipends over 1 sick day.

Calling off can cost more than the shift: most contracts drop your guaranteed hours for that week, and some prorate your stipends too. The guaranteed hours table shows what 1 missed shift can cost you.

Read the cancellation clause in both directions. Most are written so that leaving early costs you a completion bonus and possibly a penalty, while the facility can end the assignment with little or no notice.

That asymmetry is the industry norm, not a drafting error.

A cancelled contract is a rent payment, a lease you signed, and a gap with no income, all landing in the same week. Travel RN postings in our data average $2,184 a week, so that's roughly what every week without the next contract costs you.

That's precisely what an emergency fund is for.

I've never had a contract cancelled, and some of that is my specialty. I'm L&D, which is always in high demand.

That's not a guarantee, though, so read this clause like it could happen to you.

Just in case of cancellation, I usually stick to large regional centers where I can easily land another contract without a long gap or a move.

Are travel nurse contracts legally binding?

Yes. It's an employment agreement with your agency, and breaking it can mean losing a completion bonus, owing penalties, and getting flagged as "do not return" at that facility.

Can you end a travel nurse contract early?

Yes, with consequences. Most contracts want 2-4 weeks of notice, and leaving early typically costs you the completion bonus and can get you flagged do-not-return at that facility.

Talk to your recruiter before you walk. An agency that helps you exit cleanly is worth staying with.

What are valid reasons to break a contract?

Unsafe staffing, being asked to work outside your scope or license, documented harassment, the facility violating its own contract terms, and family or medical emergencies.

Document everything in writing as it happens, not afterward. Emails and dated notes are what turn "she just left" into a defensible decision.

One-time payments and reimbursements

These are the terms people forget to check and then never see.

16. "Is there a travel reimbursement, how much, and when is it paid?" Good: a stated amount with a payment trigger, like your first or second check. Red flag: "we usually take care of that," or half held back until your last check, which a cancelled contract never reaches.
17. "Is there a completion bonus, and what exactly forfeits it?" Good: an amount and clear conditions. Red flag: a bonus you only hear about verbally.
18. "Who pays for licensing, certifications, the physical, titers and immunization records?" Good: agency-paid or reimbursed, in writing. Red flag: you front all of it and hope.

Some agencies split travel reimbursement between your first and last check. Ask for all of it up front, since you've already paid to get there.

Push to have licensing and certification costs reimbursed rather than paid out of pocket. Under an accountable plan, where you document the cost and the agency pays you back, that money reaches you tax-free.

Paying it yourself costs more, because W-2 travelers generally can't deduct those costs anymore.

Watch what the agency trades for it, though. A reimbursement funded by shaving your hourly rate isn't a reimbursement - the IRS treats it as taxable wages.

So aim for reimbursements on top of the package you were quoted. Your taxable rate and your tax-free stipends should both stay right where they were.

Facility-specific clauses

These are terms about the unit that belong in the document, not answers you get on a call. For the unit questions themselves, use the interview guide.

19. "Can I see the facility confirmation?" Good: yes, with your unit, shift, shifts per week, dates and every interview agreement on it. Red flag: "that's between us and the hospital."
20. "What's the float policy, and is it in the contract?" Good: named units or a defined scope, written down, and charge duty excluded if you don't want it. Red flag: "floats as needed" with no limit.
21. "Are my shift, weekends, schedule requests and time off in the contract?" Good: days or nights stated explicitly, the weekend requirement, any requested time off (RTO) dates and your schedule preference, block or spread out, written in. Red flag: "primarily nights," or "just work out your days off with the manager when you get there."
22. "Is on-call required, and what are the on-call and callback rates?" Good: both rates, the frequency, and what triggers callback pay, stated even if no call is expected. Red flag: not mentioned, then assigned once you arrive.

The confirmation is the document your agency sends the hospital, and it's what holds the hospital to what you agreed in the interview. If a promise from the interview isn't on it, the facility never agreed to it.

Float language is the one that surprises people most. "Floats as needed" can mean a Med-Surg assignment for an ICU nurse, and once it's signed it's the deal you agreed to.

I know floating can be frustrating. My first RN job was on a high-risk Perinatal Special Care Unit, where census was feast or famine, and in a famine they floated me.

My very first shift off orientation, I got floated to the PICU. 😭

As a junior active-duty Navy nurse, I was usually first to go, and I couldn't negotiate my way out of it.

I don't mind floating when I sign up for it. But bait-and-switch sucks: it wasn't the job I was hired for.

On L&D at busy hospitals I've almost never floated. But don't count on luck: ask about the float policy and typical census in the interview, and if you feel strongly, write a no-float clause into the contract.

Time off works the same way. Requested days off, like a wedding weekend, and schedule requests, like a block schedule or no weekends, go in the contract before you sign.

The facility schedules you from that confirmation, not from your recruiter's memory of the call. Ask once you arrive and you're asking a manager who never agreed to it.

Get callback written in even if the unit has no call. Some facilities only pay callback once you've left and been gone 2 hours, while others pay it for any hours after your shift, so get the trigger in writing too.

Housing terms

23. "Is this stipend or agency-provided housing, and is that in writing?" Good: stated plainly, with the stipend amount. Red flag: "we'll help you find something."
24. "If it's agency housing, what happens to it if the contract ends early?" Good: a defined notice period. Red flag: nothing in the document.

Confirm that housing actually exists near that facility before you sign, especially for rural assignments. If the options look bleak, that's a reason to pass on the contract, not to sign and hope. The travel nurse housing guide covers where to look and how to vet a place you can't visit.

Tax and compliance

Keep this short, because the travel nurse taxes guide covers it properly.

25. "Does this assignment location put me near 12 months in one place?" Good: the agency tracks it. Red flag: they've never thought about it.

An assignment expected to last more than 1 year is "indefinite" under IRS rules, and that location becomes your tax home, which makes your stipends taxable. Extending back-to-back contracts in one city is how nurses walk into that without noticing.

Contract red flags

If you see these, slow down. They're not maybes.

• Pressure to sign within hours. A contract that can't survive you reading it overnight isn't one you want.
• A rate that drops right before signing. Blamed on "bill rate changes," and it's the oldest move there is.
• Verbal promises that never appear in the document. Shift, unit, start date, bonus. If it's not written, it's not real, so ask for an email confirming anything you agreed on a call.
• A dollar penalty for a missed shift. Missing the shift already costs you the pay. A fine on top of that is a hard no.
• Stipends that stop when the facility cancels you. Your housing costs don't stop with them.
• A pay package they won't negotiate. The hourly rate, overtime, holiday pay, reimbursements and stipends are all negotiable, not just the headline number.
• Something that just feels off. You don't need a clause to point to. A recruiter who can't answer plainly is reason enough to slow down.

Take 24-48 hours to read it, the window hospitals typically give for an answer. And get the written contract before you say yes: AMN tells nurses "your verbal acceptance is binding."

A good recruiter expects that. One who won't allow it has told you exactly what working with them looks like.

Use a burner phone number and private email while you're shopping contracts around, before your real info lands in multiple agency databases. Here's how to set up a free burner number.

Sign it or don't

Guaranteed hours in writing. A cancellation clause that runs both ways. An itemized pay package. Float and shift language that actually commits to something. Every promise from the call, in the document.

If all 5 hold up, sign it. If the recruiter gets cagey on any of them, you have your answer, and there are other contracts.

Next: find travel nursing jobs on StellarNurse to see what else is open at what rate, sort out housing before your start date, and check the travel nurse salary guide if you want to know whether the number in front of you is any good. The rest of what I've written is on the guides page.

Thank you for spending this time with me. You now know which clauses decide whether a contract works out, and you're walking into the call knowing what to push for.

Got a contract in front of you that feels off? Send it my way. I'll tell you straight whether it's legit or shady.

Frequently asked questions