Tax Implications that Athletic Trainers May Be Ignoring

As athletic training becomes more mobile through PRN staffing, event medicine, telehealth, and the interstate compact, there’s a conversation the profession may not be fully prepared for yet:

👉 Taxes, payroll, and multi-state compliance.

For years, many athletic trainers worked primarily:

➡️ locally

➡️within one school district

➡️one clinic

➡️one hospital system

➡️or one state

But the profession is changing and evolving.

Now many ATs are:

✅traveling for tournaments

✅covering camps nationwide

✅working PRN for multiple companies

✅contracting independently

✅virtually providing care

✅or supporting athletes across state lines

The clinical side of portability gets most of the attention.

The administrative side often gets ignored.

Questions many ATs may not realize they need to ask:

🎯 Which state am I actually being taxed in?

🎯 Does working one weekend in another state matter?

🎯 Am I classified correctly as a W-2 or 1099?

🎯 Is my company withholding taxes properly?

🎯 Could I owe taxes in multiple states?

🎯 What documentation should I be keeping?

🎯 Does working for a nationwide company change anything?

Most healthcare education programs never teach:

❌ payroll systems

❌labor law

❌tax implications

❌business compliance

❌or interstate workforce operations

But as athletic training becomes more mobile, these topics may become increasingly important for:

🌎 protecting yourself financially

🌎staying compliant

🌎and understanding the true operational side of healthcare mobility.

Over the next few posts, I want to explore some of the hidden administrative and tax implications that may come with interstate athletic training practice.

DISCLAIMER - Not legal or tax advice. Every state has different laws and requirements. Please seek a tax professional for more support and information.

This is a conversation I think the profession needs to start having more openly.