Washington travel nurse pay 2026: $114,542, non-compact
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Washington
Travel RN contracts in Washington post an average base of $114,542 annualised — 13% above the national travel average of $101,132, and 1st-highest in the country.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Washington compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Washington average $121,540, 4th-highest in the country, against a $114,542 posted travel base — so Washington staff work out-earns the posted travel base, and a staff contract with benefits can win outright. Washington salary guide.
Licensing for a Washington assignment
Washington is not a compact state, so every assignment needs a Washington license in hand before the first shift — a multistate license does not cover you. The Washington Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission charges $143 and quotes 3–5 weeks. Start the application before you have a confirmed contract: agencies expedite and pay, but none of them shortens the Board's queue.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Washington has no state income tax, so the taxed half of a Washington package loses only federal tax and FICA and a Washington contract nets more than a nominally identical one across the state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Washington's travel markets are Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma. Regional price parity is 104.7 against a national 100, so Washington costs run 4.7% above average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Washington demand
Annual hospital staffing-plan submission required; 2023 ratio law (HB 1357 family) tightening enforcement; WSNA union strength; Seattle tech-region wage pull lifts all specialties.
Ratio law: Washington has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a Washington contract
What moves Washington rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Washington's $114,542 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Washington contract
Get the Washington license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Washington?
About $114,542 annualised posted base, 13% above the national $101,132 and 1st of 51.
Do I need a Washington license to travel there?
Yes — Washington takes no compact license, so endorse before your first shift ($143, 3–5 weeks).
Are Washington travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Washington
Idaho · Oregon · California · Alaska.
Related Washington guides
Washington RN salary · Washington licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.