Hire Smarter. Work Better.
Two offers, two numbers — $38/hr with $100/day per diem, or $44/hr straight? The blended rate is what an offer really pays per hour worked, wages and per diem together. Enter any offer below — or add a travel partner to see your combined household take-home.
💡 Tax-free per diem punches above its weight — at your tax rate, matching your per diem with taxable wages would take about $0/wk in gross pay.
*Per diem is generally tax-free only with a qualifying tax home, a temporary assignment, and a rate within the federal (GSA) ceiling for the work location. **Take-home is a rough estimate using the tax rate you enter — a planning number, not tax advice or payroll. Track all three free on RoadTrades →
A free RoadTrades account tracks your per diem against the IRS ceiling, logs your expenses by snapping receipts, and keeps every cert in one wallet. Built for the road.
It’s your total weekly pay — wages plus per diem — divided by the hours you actually work. Traveling trades offers mix the two, so comparing hourly rates alone is misleading: per diem isn’t taxed (when it qualifies), so a dollar of per diem is worth more than a dollar of wages. The blended rate puts every offer on one scale. Overtime counts at 1.5× after 40 hours where it applies; per diem is usually paid per day, seven days a week, whether or not you work.
Take-home is what actually hits your bank after taxes. Because qualifying per diem isn’t taxed, a dollar of per diem lands in your pocket whole, while a dollar of wages is trimmed first — so the calculator estimates your weekly take-home at the tax rate you set, and shows the gross-up: how much extra taxable pay it would take to match your tax-free per diem.
Two travelers working the same job site can each collect wages and per diem. Turn on the household option to add your partner’s offer and see your combined blended rate, combined take-home, and how much of the household check is tax-free — the real number a traveling couple lives on.
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