How it works
The U.S. General Services Administration sets per diem rates for federal employees’ travel: a maximum lodging rate per night, plus a separate allowance for meals and incidentals. For fiscal year 2027 — nights from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 — the standard lodging rate is $113 a night in most of the continental US, and 295 higher-cost locations have their own rates, many changing by season. The calculator looks up the area you pick, prices each night of the assignment at its month’s rate, and adds them up. Nights outside fiscal year 2027 aren’t priced until GSA publishes the next year’s rates.
A worked example
A 13-week assignment is 91 nights. In Phoenix and Scottsdale, where the rate follows the seasons, when it starts matters:
| Topic | Lodging ceiling | Per week | Per 30 nights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix / Scottsdale, from October 1, 2026 | $15,015 | $1,155 | $4,950 |
| Phoenix / Scottsdale, from February 1, 2027 | $19,160 | $1,474 | $6,316 |
| A standard-rate area, any start | $10,283 | $791 | $3,390 |
The February start costs $4,145 more at the ceiling because February and March are Phoenix’s highest-rate months ($232 a night). Load the example in the calculator above, then move the start date to see it.
Ceilings, stipends and taxes
A travel nurse’s agency either arranges housing or pays a housing stipend, and the nurse finds their own place. Many agencies use GSA rates as a reference point for the housing part of pay, but they set their own amounts. A stipend is generally tax-free only if the nurse keeps a qualifying tax home they’re paying for while they travel — IRS Publication 463 covers tax homes and temporary assignments. That’s between the traveler and their tax adviser; this page isn’t tax advice.
For landlords: pricing against the ceiling
If you rent furnished homes to travelers — a midterm rental, or a medium-term rental in some markets — the ceiling tells you what a traveler’s housing budget can stretch to in your area and season:
- Compare your monthly rent with the per-30-night figure for your area and season. Under it, a traveler’s budget can cover your home with room to spare; well over it, expect them to look elsewhere.
- Price against furnished comps, not the ceiling. Travelers keep what they don’t spend, so they compare homes. The full method is in how to price a mid-term rental.
- Plan for extensions. Assignments often extend — see renting to travel nurses for contracts, screening and a lease that handles both an extension and an early move-out.
Whether you rent out one furnished home near a hospital or run a portfolio, Nexxus keeps travel-nurse stays on one calendar with your other bookings: the lease is e-signed, rent for the whole assignment is scheduled with partial months prorated by the day, and an extension adds the months that follow. Nexxus also lists homes on Furnished Finder and brings its leads into one inbox. See mid-term rental software, or open the live demo set up for mid-term — no sign-up.
Where the rates come from
The rates are GSA’s own fiscal-year 2027 lodging per diem for the continental US, taken from GSA’s Per Diem API in one call and published here unchanged — the calculator makes no calls while you use it. GSA publishes each fiscal year’s rates in August, effective October 1, and this page is updated when it does. To check an area, use GSA’s per diem lookup. Nexxus isn’t affiliated with GSA. Alaska, Hawaii and US territories use separate rates and aren’t included.
Travel nurse stipend FAQ
How much should a travel nurse housing stipend be?
Agencies set stipends, and they vary by agency, assignment and the traveler’s tax situation. This calculator shows the federal ceiling for lodging in the assignment’s area over its nights — a useful reference when you compare offers or housing, not a figure any agency has to pay.
How do I convert the GSA nightly lodging rate to a monthly housing budget?
For a quick figure, multiply the nightly rate by 30. In seasonal areas the rate changes by month, so this calculator prices each night of the assignment at its own month’s rate and gives the average per 30 nights.
Does the GSA lodging rate change by season?
In many higher-cost areas, yes. Phoenix and Scottsdale, for example, run $165 a night from October to January, $232 in February and March, $171 in April and May, $122 from June to August and $165 in September for fiscal year 2027. The standard rate — $113 for fiscal year 2027 — is the same every month.
Are travel nurse stipends capped at the GSA rate?
GSA rates are what the federal government reimburses its own travelers; they don’t set an agency’s pay. Many agencies use them as a reference point, and whether a stipend is tax-free depends on IRS rules and the traveler’s tax home. Ask a tax adviser.
When do GSA per diem rates change?
Every October 1, when the federal fiscal year starts. GSA publishes the new year’s rates in August — the fiscal year 2027 rates, effective October 1, 2026, came out in August 2026 — and this calculator is updated when they do.
Should a landlord charge a travel nurse the GSA rate?
No. Price against comparable furnished homes near the hospitals and treat the GSA figure as the top of a traveler’s range. If your monthly rent sits under the per-30-night ceiling, the traveler keeps the difference — which is part of why furnished mid-term rentals appeal to them.
Sources
Checked September 28, 2026.
- GSA: per diem rates, per diem bulletin FTR 27-01 (FY2027 standard rates; 295 non-standard areas) and the Per Diem API
- IRS: Publication 463 (tax home; temporary work assignments)