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Locum Tenens Pay Guide 2026 | Independent Physician Pay Resource
Independent Physician Pay Resource

Know what you’re worth.
Negotiate accordingly.

The independent pay guide for locum physicians. No agency funding. No conflicts of interest. Specialty rates, state guides, and contract intelligence written for physicians — not recruiters.

Editorial independence disclosure: This site has no financial relationship with any locum tenens agency. We do not accept agency advertising, sponsored content, or placement fees. Locumstory.com — a widely cited locum information resource — is owned and operated by CHG Healthcare, the same company that owns CompHealth and Weatherby Healthcare. This site is not affiliated with CHG or any staffing company. About our editorial standards →

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2026 Locum Salary Negotiation Cheat Sheet

The one-page reference guide for negotiating your next locum contract. Bill rate math, package components to push for, red flag contract clauses, and the questions every physician should ask before signing.

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Most locum tenens information online is produced by the agencies that profit from the gap between what hospitals pay and what physicians receive.

Locum Tenens Pay Guide was built to change that. Every guide on this site is produced without agency funding, without sponsored content, and without the conflicts of interest that compromise the information physicians rely on to negotiate their contracts.

The site covers pay rates by specialty and state, licensing logistics, contract red flags, tax and business structure for 1099 physicians, and independent reviews of the agencies that dominate the locum placement market — including the ownership relationships that most physicians don’t know exist.

No star ratings designed to drive affiliate clicks. No “best agency” lists funded by placement fees. Independent analysis, cited sources, and honest acknowledgment when the data is thin.

Read our editorial standards →