Choosing a Travel Therapy Company
as a Physical Therapist

For physical therapists choosing a travel company: what to look for in pay transparency, licensing support, the settings on offer and your recruiter's clinical knowledge. Use the checklist to compare the offers you have.

🏋 These profiles are filtered for PTs. PT Compact state coverage, the hourly rate a PT contract pays and the clinical setting mix (SNF, IRF, outpatient, home health) are what to weigh first as a PT.

📋 What PTs Should Look For

🧾 PT Compact States

38 states issue PT Compact privileges as of October 25, 2026, and PTs buy a separate privilege for each state. Full PT Compact guide. Your agency should understand which states are Compact members and help you obtain your Compact privilege efficiently.

💰 Understanding PT Pay

A PT travel package combines a taxable hourly rate with housing and meal stipends that are non-taxable when the IRS tax-home rules are met. The ProTherapy pay index publishes the current median weekly pay for each discipline.

Always ask to see the full package breakdown and confirm the stipend is within GSA limits for the assignment location.

🏥 Clinical Setting Mix

Confirm the agency has active contracts in your preferred setting. Ask which settings the agency has open PT contracts in right now; the mix differs between agencies and from month to month. Home health PT travel contracts are available but require more planning. If you already know the PT setting you want, tell a recruiter which one: Find my next contract.

👥 Recruiter Clinical Knowledge

A recruiter who understands PT practice will know the difference between a PDPM caseload and an outpatient productivity standard. Ask your recruiter: “What’s the average PT productivity expectation at this facility?” If they can’t answer, that’s a red flag.