Travel CNA: What It Is, How It Works, and How to Get Started
A travel CNA is a certified nursing assistant who takes temporary contracts at healthcare facilities away from home. You work through a staffing agency, not the facility, and the pay comes as a package: an hourly wage plus stipends for housing and meals.
Nursing assistants who work for staffing agencies earn a median of $22.99 an hour, $2.67 more than all nursing assistants, and travel contracts add the stipends on top.
Set on traveling? Go to the step-by-step guide on how to become a travel CNA. Not certified yet? Start with CNA programs in your state.
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Travel CNA at a glance
- Agency median wage
- $22.99/hr
- nursing assistants at staffing agencies, vs $20.32 for all
- Federal per diem
- $181/day
- $113 lodging + $68 meals, most of the US
- Contract length
- 4–13 weeks
- long-term care often 30 days, hospitals 13 weeks
- Experience
- 6 mo–2 yrs
- what agencies ask for
Sources: wage, BLS. Per diem, GSA standard rate. Contract length and experience, agency pages: LeaderStat, SnapCare, Host.
On this page
Where to Start
Pick what you want to know first.
How Travel CNA Contracts Work
You do not apply to facilities. You sign up with one or more staffing agencies, a recruiter offers you contracts that match what you want, and you accept or pass. Each contract sets the facility, the shift, the length and the pay package.
How long a contract runs depends on the setting and the agency. What agencies say on their own pages:
| Agency | Contract length | Source |
|---|---|---|
| LeaderStat | Long-term care: usually 30 days, with the option to extend, sometimes 8 or 10 weeks. Hospitals: 13 weeks. | Agency page |
| Catsol | Typically 8 to 13 weeks. | Agency page |
| SnapCare | Usually 6 to 13 weeks, depending on the facility and your preferences. | Agency page |
| Host Healthcare | 6 to 20 weeks, usually around 13. | Agency page |
Extensions and cancellations. If the facility likes your work, it will often offer to extend your contract. You do not have to accept. A facility can also end a contract early if its staffing needs change, and cancellation terms vary by agency. Ask about them before you sign.
Gaps between contracts. Time off between contracts is normal, and there is no pay during it unless you pick up per diem shifts. Many travelers line up the next contract before the current one ends.
Looking for a contract with housing?
Travel contracts come with agency housing or a housing stipend. Tell agencies where and when you want to work and what you need: get matched with travel CNA agencies.
Where Travel CNAs Work
In nursing homes and other long-term care, hospitals, rehab centers and assisted living, often in rural areas that struggle to hire.
Nursing care facilities employ more nursing assistants than any other setting: 534,270 of the 1,448,910 in the US (BLS). Hospitals, rehabilitation centers and assisted living facilities use travel CNAs too.
Facilities in rural and underserved areas struggle to recruit permanent staff and lean on travelers to fill the gaps. If you picture travel work as living in a big coastal city, adjust your expectations: popular places have more permanent staff and more travelers who want to go there, so they tend to pay less. Less popular areas pay more because agencies need better packages to attract someone willing to relocate.
How Much Do Travel CNAs Make?
There is no official travel CNA wage. The closest official figure is for nursing assistants employed by staffing agencies: a median of $22.99 an hour, or $47,810 a year. Travel contracts add stipends for housing and meals on top, which is why weekly totals in job ads look far higher than a staff wage.
What nursing assistants earn, by employer
| Employer | Median hourly | Median yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing agenciestravel and local agency staff | $22.99 | $47,810 |
| Nursing care facilitiesskilled nursing, long-term care | $20.67 | $43,000 |
| General hospitals | $20.02 | $41,650 |
| Assisted living and continuing care | $18.99 | $39,490 |
| Home health care | $18.29 | $38,040 |
| All nursing assistantsnational median | $20.32 | $42,260 |
Source: BLS, nursing assistants by industry. Wages only: stipends are not in these figures.
The pay package
A travel offer splits your pay into parts. Ask for each one in writing, because a single "total" figure hides which part is taxed.
| Part | What it is | Taxed? |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly wage | Your pay for the hours you work, set in the contract. | Yes, like any wage |
| Housing stipend | Weekly money for rent. If the agency gives you housing instead, you get the housing, not the money. | No, up to the federal rate, while you work away from your tax home |
| Meals and incidentals (M&IE) | Daily or weekly money for food and small expenses. | No, up to the federal rate, while you work away from your tax home |
| Travel reimbursement | Money toward getting to the assignment and home again. | Ask the agency how it is paid |
The federal per diem: where tax-free stipends stop
The federal government sets daily rates for lodging and for meals and incidentals in every part of the country. Stipends up to these rates are not taxed while you work away from your tax home, and anything paid above them is reported as wages on your W-2. In most of the US the standard rate is $181 a day:
| Federal per diem, standard rate | Per day | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| Lodging | $113 | $791 |
| Meals and incidentals | $68 | $476 |
| Total | $181 | $1,267 |
Source: GSA per diem rates, standard rate for the continental US. 295 higher-cost areas have higher rates. Rates for Alaska, Hawaii and US territories are set by the Department of Defense. Tax rules: IRS Publication 463.
What job ads show
Job boards publish weekly averages for travel CNA ads, but they rest on the few postings that show pay and may or may not include the stipends. Salary sites quote very different figures for the same job title, because some count only the wage, some add the stipends and some mix in staff jobs. Compare offers on the hourly wage and each stipend, not the total.
$3,000 a week?
At the standard federal rate, tax-free stipends stop at $1,267 a week. To reach $3,000, the rest would have to be a taxable wage of about $48 an hour over a 36-hour week, more than twice the agency median of $22.99. Ask for the breakdown before you believe the total.
For taxes, the tax home rule and a worked example, read Travel CNA Stipends Explained.
Requirements to Become a Travel CNA
An active CNA certification, the experience agencies ask for, a clean set of credentials, and a certification in each state you work in.
- Active CNA certification in at least one state. Not certified yet? Find CNA programs in your state.
- Experience. Agencies ask for 6 months to 2 years of CNA experience: LeaderStat says 6 months to a year, Aya a year, SnapCare 1 to 2 years, and Host says most facilities prefer two. Facilities expect a travel CNA to work independently from the first shift.
- Credentials. Your agency checks them before your first contract: usually a background check, drug screen, TB test, physical, immunization records, CPR/BLS and references.
- Certification where you work. There is no travel CNA license, and CNAs are not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which covers RNs and LPN/VNs only. You need a certification in each state where you take a contract. Transfer your certification through the state's reciprocity process: use the CNA reciprocity tool to check the rules between two states.
Is Travel CNA Worth It? Pros and Cons
It can be, if you have the experience, can move every few weeks or months, and want higher pay more than stability.
Pros
- Higher pay. The wage plus stipends usually adds up to more each week than a comparable staff job.
- Housing support. The agency provides housing or pays a stipend toward it.
- Flexibility. Between contracts you choose whether to take a new one, extend, or take time off.
- Variety. Different facilities, patient groups and record systems make you more adaptable and build your résumé.
- New places. You can live in different parts of the country without moving for good.
Cons
- Income gaps. No pay between contracts unless you pick up per diem shifts, and contracts can fall through.
- Always the new person. New facility, new coworkers, new routines and a new record system every time.
- Little orientation. Facilities expect travelers to start working on day one.
- Rural placements. The best-paying and most available contracts are often in small towns, not big cities.
- Time away from home. Weeks or months away from family, pets and friends is a real cost.
- Weaker benefits. Agency insurance, retirement plans and paid time off can be thinner, and may pause between contracts.
- Housing logistics. With a stipend, you find and set up a short-term place yourself, every contract.
Housing: Stipend or Agency-Provided?
Travel CNAs get housing support one of two ways: the agency gives you a furnished place, or it pays you a weekly stipend and you find your own.
| Agency housingthe agency finds and pays for it | Housing stipendyou find your own place |
|---|---|
| What you get | |
| A furnished apartment, extended-stay hotel or shared place near the facility | Weekly money toward rent, tax-free up to the federal rate while you work away from your tax home |
| Control | |
| You do not choose the unit, and you may share it | You choose where you live and whether you live alone |
| Money | |
| Nothing left over | Find a place for less than the stipend and you keep the difference |
| Work | |
| Show up and move in: no lease, no deposit | You search, book and furnish every contract |
| Best for | |
| Your first contract, while you learn the ropes | Experienced travelers who want control |
Furnished Finder, monthly stays on Airbnb and extended-stay hotels are common options for travel healthcare workers who take the stipend. If this is your first contract, agency housing is the simpler choice. You can switch to the stipend once you know what to expect.
Who Is Travel CNA Work Right For?
Good fit if you
- Have the experience agencies ask for and feel confident working independently.
- Are comfortable relocating every few weeks or months.
- Want higher pay than a staff position and accept the trade-offs.
- Handle change well: new coworkers, routines and places.
- Have savings to cover one to two months of expenses between contracts.
- Have no obligations, such as young children, aging parents or pets, that make moving hard.
Think twice if you
- Are a new CNA. Most agencies will not place you yet.
- Need steady, predictable income with no gaps.
- Do not want to be the new person at every facility.
- Want to live in one specific city. Popular places pay less and fill faster.
- Rely on stable employer benefits: health insurance, paid time off, retirement matching.
Not ready to travel yet?
Try per diem shifts through an app to get used to working at different facilities without a contract, or read what to do before you have the experience. For a better staff job in the meantime, our CNA jobs page lists CNA openings near you.
Travel CNA Guides
- How to Become a Traveling CNA →Certification, experience, documents, picking an agency, credentialing and your first contract.
- Travel CNA Stipends Explained →How housing and meal stipends work, the tax home rule and a worked example.
- Travel CNA vs Per Diem →Contracts away from home compared with single shifts near home.
- Can You Be a Travel CNA With No Experience? →Why agencies ask for experience and what to do meanwhile.
- Travel CNA Agencies →Agencies that place travel CNAs, compared.
Travel CNA contracts
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much do travel CNAs make?
There is no official travel CNA wage. The closest official figure: nursing assistants who work for staffing agencies earn a median of $22.99 an hour, against $20.32 for all nursing assistants (BLS). On top of the wage, travel contracts pay stipends for housing and meals. While you work away from your tax home, they are tax-free up to the federal per diem rate of $181 a day in most of the US, about $1,267 a week (GSA). For how the package adds up, see Travel CNA Stipends Explained.
Do you need experience to be a travel CNA?
Yes, almost always. Agencies ask for 6 months to 2 years of CNA experience: LeaderStat says 6 months to a year, Aya a year, SnapCare 1 to 2 years, and Host says most facilities prefer two. Facilities hiring travel CNAs expect someone who can work independently with minimal orientation. If you are not there yet, read Can You Be a Travel CNA With No Experience? for what to do in the meantime.
Do travel CNAs get free housing?
Not free, but covered. The agency either provides furnished housing near the facility or pays a weekly housing stipend and you find your own place. Agency housing replaces the stipend you would otherwise get. Many experienced travelers take the stipend because it gives them more control and can leave money over.
Can you choose where you go as a travel CNA?
You set preferences for location, but you do not pick a specific facility. Your agency presents contracts that match your preferences, and you decide whether to accept each one. Popular places tend to pay less because more travelers want to go there. Less popular areas, especially rural ones, often pay more because they are harder to fill.
Do travel CNAs get benefits?
Benefits vary by agency. Some offer health insurance, dental, vision and a 401(k) to travelers on active contracts, often after a waiting period or a minimum number of hours. Benefits can pause between contracts. Ask each agency before you sign.
What is the difference between a travel CNA and per diem?
A travel CNA works a fixed contract through a staffing agency, usually away from home, with a pay package that includes housing and meal stipends. A per diem CNA picks up single shifts as needed, usually locally, with no guaranteed hours and no stipends. Some app-based platforms list per diem shifts as travel jobs, but they are not the same thing. For a full comparison, see Travel CNA vs Per Diem: What's the Difference?.
How long does it take to become a travel CNA?
If you are already a certified CNA with enough experience, you can start right away. Credentialing, the agency's check of your documents and background, takes 10 days on average at AB Staffing, a travel healthcare agency, and anywhere from 3 to 21 days. If you are not certified yet, add the time to finish CNA training. See the full step-by-step guide.
Is travel CNA worth it?
It can be, if you have the experience agencies ask for, can move every few weeks or months, and want higher pay more than stability. The trade-offs are gaps between contracts, being the new person at every facility, and time away from home. The pros and cons above set out both sides.
Information accuracy: pay, allowance rates and agency requirements change. Check the details with the agency and your state before you sign. If you spot a mistake, let us know.