Re: Living the Life
Ok, I see nothing about this in the original post, but others mentioned nurse and 3months...is she going to be a travel nurse? That's something I can help out with, as that's exactly what we're doing now.
#1. Parking. First assignment we stayed at a mobile home/rv park. $275/mo plus utilities in Houston, TX. Once we got the bill for the electric and water, it would have just been a few hundred more per month to stay in a regular RV park. With a 2 1/2 year old, the playground and pool would have been nice. You also want to move as little as possible, so your gf won't have to constantly take a different route home. Some hospitals do have electric and water hookups for RVs, and a dump station nearby, but the vast majority do not. If she gets an assignment at one that does have this, don't assume you'll get to use it (it's intended for friends and family of patients). Make sure it's stated in the contract that you get to stay on site. Now, the current assignment we're camper hosts for the school district in Anchorage, AK. Were supposed to be in a school parking lot for two months, then stay at a park for two months. The park for two months just fell through, but they're looking for an alternative. It's hard to beat free.
#2. Housing subsidies. They're tax-free, IF you're having to stay away from your tax home. If you're living in your bus, then the subsidies will be taxed like regular income (and thus, there's no reason to take it; see if the agency will roll it into her hourly, thus making even more money if she works overtime). You might try to claim her family's home as your tax home, but there's some hoops to jump through. First, you have to have ties to the area. Have your bank accounts there. Have the vehicles registered there. Return there occasionally after assignments. PAY RENT. Set up a formal arrangement where you rent a room for say $100/mo. They'll have to claim the $100/mo as rental income on their taxes. You should get receipts showing that you paid this per month. Actually pay the $100/mo. In return, you won't get taxed on the housing subsidies. A standard subsidy seems to be about $2500/mo, so if you're taxed at about 20%, that's $500/mo extra you get to pocket if you can get it tax-free. Well worth paying $100/mo for a room you'll hardly ever use. You also get to deduct travel expenses, including travelling to and from work every day (if you're living in your bus, then you can't deduct travelling to and from work; but if you're staying away from home, all work related travel while away from home is deductible).
I better stop this post before it becomes a novel. If this is what you're doing and you want more advice, let me know. If not, sorry I rambled on and on about useless info.
|