One of the most significant financial advantages available to locum tenens physicians is the ability to contribute substantially more to tax-advantaged retirement accounts than their employed counterparts. As a 1099 independent contractor, you are both the employee and the employer — which means you can make contributions from both sides of that relationship, dramatically increasing…
Choosing a locum tenens agency is one of the most consequential decisions in your locum career — and most physicians make it with almost no framework for evaluation. Agencies are not interchangeable. They differ in margin structure, specialty focus, contract terms, credentialing speed, and how they treat physicians when an assignment goes wrong. This guide…
The housing and meal stipend is one of the most financially significant components of a locum tenens compensation package — and one of the most misunderstood. When structured correctly and supported by the right facts, stipends are tax-free, which can add tens of thousands of dollars in effective annual compensation relative to an equivalent taxable…
Montana is a frontier locum market with a profile unlike almost any other state in the country. No corporate practice of medicine doctrine, a sweeping new non-compete ban that took effect January 1, 2026, full NP and CRNA practice autonomy, and a vast rural geography with persistent physician shortages combine to create one of the…
Pennsylvania is one of the more physician-friendly locum markets in the country heading into 2026. A flat 3.07% state income tax, full Interstate Medical Licensure Compact membership as of July 2025, and a recently strengthened non-compete law that explicitly protects physicians create a favorable operating environment. Add persistent rural shortages across a large and medically…
New York is one of the largest physician markets in the country, but for locum tenens work it operates differently than almost any other state. High patient volume, dominant health systems, no interstate licensing compact, strict corporate practice rules, and a top marginal tax rate approaching 11% mean that working locum in New York rewards…
Wyoming is the most operationally favorable state for locum physicians in the country when evaluated on the full set of variables that matter: fast licensing with SPL status in the IMLC compact, no income tax, no franchise tax, a physician non-compete void by statute, no corporate practice of medicine restriction, and frontier-level rate premiums driven…
Hawaii is one of the most sought-after locum markets in the country for obvious reasons — and one of the most misunderstood for the same ones. The combination of island geography, extreme cost of living, and severe physician shortages on the neighbor islands creates a market where gross hourly rate is an even less complete…
Alaska is one of the highest-paying locum tenens markets in the country in gross hourly terms — and one of the most operationally distinct. The combination of extreme geography, severe physician shortage, independent APP practice authority, and a compensation structure that includes meaningful housing and travel support creates a locum market that operates by different…
Florida is one of the most active locum tenens markets in the country by assignment volume, driven by a large and growing population, significant rural shortage areas in North Florida and the Panhandle, and a health system landscape that generates consistent demand across specialties. For locum physicians and CRNAs evaluating Florida assignments, the state offers…