29/09/2026
Specialist Accountants for GPs, Consultants & Locum Doctors
Accountants for Doctors in Macclesfield
Medical careers rarely follow a single, tidy pay structure. NHS salary, private consultations, locum shifts, consultancy work and professional expenses can all land in the same tax year — and each one brings its own record-keeping and reporting requirements. Our accountants for doctors in Macclesfield help you bring that picture together, handling Self Assessment, bookkeeping and tax planning so your figures are accurate, your deadlines are met and your financial decisions are made with the full picture in front of you.
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Which Doctors Do We Support With Accounting and Tax?
Accounting support for doctors is never one-size-fits-all, because no two medical careers look exactly the same. We work with GPs, hospital doctors and consultants, salaried doctors on NHS contracts, locum doctors moving between placements, private practitioners running their own clinics or lists, and doctors who combine NHS work with private or medico-legal income. A salaried hospital doctor may only need a straightforward Self Assessment covering a modest amount of private work, while a GP partner faces partnership accounts, profit shares, practice VAT and pension complications, and a locum working through an agency may need advice on employment status, expenses and whether a limited company suits their circumstances. Because tax treatment can depend on your employment status, the mix of income you receive, your business structure and your individual circumstances, the starting point is always a proper conversation about how you work — not a template.
GPs
Accounting and tax support for GPs with NHS income, private work, practice interests or additional professional earnings.
Hospital Doctors
Support with Self Assessment, professional expenses and tax matters alongside employment income and other professional earnings.
Consultants
Accounting support for consultants managing NHS employment, private practice income, professional expenses and tax obligations.
Locum Doctors
Support with Self Assessment, locum income, allowable expenses, bookkeeping and relevant business structure considerations.
Salaried Doctors
Tax and accounting support for salaried doctors with additional professional income or expenses requiring reporting.
Private Practitioners
Accounting support for doctors providing private medical services through individual practices, partnerships or companies.
Accounting and Tax Services Built Around Medical Careers
Our services are shaped around the way doctors actually earn and spend. That typically includes Self Assessment tax returns that correctly capture NHS salary, locum income, private practice fees and consultancy earnings in one place, along with the expenses and reliefs that genuinely apply to your circumstances. We can prepare annual accounts for private practice and consultancy work, handle bookkeeping so your records stay current rather than becoming a year-end scramble, and manage payroll where you employ practice staff or pay yourself through a company. Where private medical income pushes you past the VAT registration threshold, we can advise on registration and ongoing VAT returns, and where you operate through a partnership or limited company we can prepare partnership accounts, Corporation Tax computations and statutory financial reporting. Alongside compliance, we look at the wider picture: business structure reviews, profit extraction, pension considerations, management accounts for practice owners and forward tax planning that takes account of income fluctuating from year to year. For locum doctors working through agencies, we can also help you understand how employment status rules may affect your arrangements.
Self Assessment Tax Returns
Preparation and support for doctors with employment, locum, private practice or other taxable income.
NHS & Private Income
Help organising accounting records where income comes from NHS work, private services, locum assignments or other professional activities.
Accurate records built around the way GP practices, partnerships and locum doctors actually work, with cloud software set up for you.
Tax Planning for Doctors & Consultants
Incorporation reviews for private practice, profit extraction, capital allowances and timing of income to keep your effective tax rate down.
Locum Tax & IR35 Support
Contract and IR35 status reviews, limited company versus sole trader comparisons and expense claims for locums working across multiple trusts.
The Accounting and Tax Challenges Doctors Commonly Face
Doctors rarely deal with a single, simple income stream. The challenges below come up regularly, though how much they affect you will depend on your employment status, income sources and business structure.
- Reporting multiple income sources through one tax return. NHS salary, locum earnings, private fees and consultancy income often need to be pulled together in a single Self Assessment, and each source may be reported differently or taxed at different points.
- Identifying genuinely allowable professional expenses. Medical indemnity insurance, GMC and royal college subscriptions, specialist training and professional development, equipment and reference materials can all be relevant — but whether something is deductible often depends on whether the cost relates to employment or self-employment.
- Travel, mileage and multiple work sites. Moving between hospital sites, practices, clinics and home visits raises regular questions about what counts as business travel rather than ordinary commuting, and the answer can differ depending on your working arrangements.
- Keeping records organised across employers and systems. Payslips, P60s, locum invoices, agency statements, practice drawings and receipts accumulate quickly, and missing paperwork is one of the most common reasons a return takes longer than it should.
- Pension considerations and how they interact with tax. NHS Pension Scheme membership, annual allowance questions and additional private pension contributions can all affect your overall tax position, and the interaction is rarely obvious without careful review.
- Choosing and reviewing a business structure. Deciding between sole trader, partnership and limited company — or reviewing a structure that no longer fits — is a significant decision for private practitioners, locums and consultants, and it is not purely a tax question.
- Managing practice and partnership finances. GP partners and practice owners deal with profit shares, drawings, staff payroll, practice expenses and VAT on private work, all of which need accurate records and timely reporting.
- Meeting filing and payment deadlines. Registration requirements, return deadlines and payments on account can fall at inconvenient points in a busy clinical year, and late filing or underpayment penalties are avoidable with better forward planning.
Why Doctors Choose CruseBurke for Accounting and Tax Support
Doctors come to us because they want an accountant who already understands the vocabulary — NHS income, private fees, locum contracts, medical indemnity, partnership profit shares — rather than one who needs the basics explained each year. That familiarity means fewer questions about your work and more useful questions about your circumstances. We focus on clear communication: explaining what is required, why it matters and what options exist, without burying you in technical language. We keep your records organised and your filings on schedule, so Self Assessment, accounts and any VAT or payroll obligations are handled properly and on time. Just as importantly, we adapt to how you work. A salaried doctor with a small amount of private income needs something quite different from a consultant running a private practice or a GP partner involved in partnership accounts, and our support is structured accordingly. Where your circumstances change — a new role, a move into private practice, a change of structure, or a fluctuating income year — we can review the position and adjust the approach rather than simply repeating last year’s return.
Healthcare Focus
We support GPs, locum doctors, consultants and other medical professionals with accounting and tax matters tailored to their individual circumstances.
Every Allowable Expense Claimed
GMC and indemnity fees, royal college subscriptions, exams, courses, equipment and mileage — nothing left on the table.
NHS Pension Specialists
We calculate your pension input amount, check tapering and advise on Scheme Pays before a charge becomes a problem.
IR35 & Locum Confidence
Status reviews on your engagements and a clear answer on limited company versus sole trader for your circumstances.
Deadlines Handled for You
Returns, accounts and payroll filed on time, with reminders well in advance so penalties never happen.
Fair, Fixed Fees
One agreed monthly fee, quoted up front, with no hourly billing and no surprise invoices.
A Simple Three-Step Process to Get Started
Getting your accounting onto a sound footing does not need to be complicated. It starts with a conversation about your circumstances: how you are employed, whether you have NHS income, private practice fees, locum or consultancy earnings, how long you have been working that way and what records you currently hold. From there we review your accounting and tax requirements — the returns and accounts that apply to you, any deadlines already approaching, how your income sources need to be reported, and where record keeping or structure could be improved. The third step is putting the right support in place, whether that is straightforward Self Assessment, bookkeeping and annual accounts, partnership or limited company reporting, VAT and payroll, or ongoing tax planning. If you are moving from another accountant, we can work with you on a handover of records and authorisations so the transition is orderly. The pace and scope are set by your circumstances, and you will always know what is happening and what is needed from you.
1. Initial Consultation (It’s Free):
We begin by getting to know your practice and understanding your unique needs. This step ensures we have a clear picture of your operations and your goals.
2. Customised Plan:
Based on our initial discussion, we create a personalised plan designed specifically for you. The aim is to keep everything organised and easy to follow. You can rest assured that your numbers are being handled with expert precision.
3. Ongoing Support & Updates:
From there, we take care of the ongoing work and keep you updated with reports. You’ll always know what’s happening, and we’re always here to answer your questions, ensuring you have a clear picture of your financial health at all times.
What Makes CruseBurke Different for Doctors
The difference is in how we approach a doctor’s finances. Rather than treating a tax return as an isolated paperwork exercise, we look at how your income sources fit together — NHS employment, private practice, locum work, consultancy, teaching or medico-legal fees — and how expenses, pension contributions and structure decisions affect the overall position. That means paying proper attention to the details that are easy to overlook: which costs are allowable and under which income source, whether travel between sites qualifies as business mileage, how medical indemnity and professional subscriptions should be treated, and whether your current structure still makes sense as your work evolves. We also recognise that doctors’ income can vary considerably from year to year, which makes forward planning and accurate record keeping more valuable than a last-minute scramble. Compliance work such as Self Assessment, annual accounts, bookkeeping, VAT and payroll is handled thoroughly and on schedule, but it is paired with practical advice you can act on. And because accounting treatment depends on individual circumstances, we explain the reasoning behind our recommendations rather than applying blanket rules.
Technology Driven
We use Xero, Quickbooks, Sage & many other online software.
Dedicated Medical Accountant
Meet, call or email the same qualified accountant who knows your practice and your pension position.
Unlimited Support
Free telephone & email support
throughout the year.
Experienced Team
Our team have over 100 years of combined experienced.
Free - Email Reminders
Never Miss any deadline with our automated email reminders.
Yes, We Are Chartered!
We’re an ICAEW, ACCA & AAT accredited Firm.
How to Switch to Our Doctor Accountants
Take a back seat and let our specialist healthcare accountants handle everything. Switching part way through the year is straightforward and you never need to speak to your old accountant:
Get in touch
Reach out to us, and we’ll discuss your needs and how we can help your healthcare practice thrive.
Letter of Engagement
We’ll send over a simple letter to formalise our partnership and get everything in motion.
Previous Accountants
If you're switching, we’ll take care of contacting your previous accountants to make the transition smooth.
We Do the Rest
From there, sit back and relax. We’ll manage your accounts, taxes, and everything in between, keeping your practice running smoothly.
FAQs
Not every doctor does. If you are salaried, taxed through PAYE and have no other income, your tax affairs may be straightforward enough to manage yourself. An accountant tends to become valuable once there is anything beyond a single employment — private practice fees, locum income, consultancy or medico-legal earnings, rental income, investment income, or a partnership or company involved. At that point, correctly reporting multiple income sources, claiming the expenses that genuinely apply and keeping ahead of deadlines becomes more involved, and the cost of getting it wrong usually outweighs the cost of proper support.
Your NHS salary is usually taxed through PAYE, and your private or locum income is generally reported through Self Assessment. In practice this means filing a return that brings both together, with the tax already deducted from your employment taken into account. Depending on your total income and the tax already paid, you may find you have additional tax to pay, and you may be asked to make payments on account towards the following year. Because the calculation depends on your specific income, expenses, pension contributions and allowances, the figures need to be worked through rather than estimated.
Medical indemnity cover, GMC registration and relevant royal college or specialist society subscriptions are commonly claimed, but the correct treatment depends on your circumstances. Where you are employed, the expense generally needs to be incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in performing your duties, and some costs may be reimbursed by your employer instead. Where you are self-employed or in private practice, the test is different. It is worth checking each cost rather than assuming, particularly where it relates partly to employed work and partly to private work.
Not automatically. Many locums operate as sole traders, invoicing agencies or practices directly and reporting the income through Self Assessment. A limited company can be worth considering in some situations, but the decision involves more than tax rates: employment status rules, the way contracts are structured, IR35 considerations where an agency or intermediary is involved, and the administrative obligations of running a company all come into play. The right answer depends on your contracts and how you work, so it is worth reviewing your specific arrangements before making a change.
Common claims include professional body and registration fees, medical indemnity, specialist equipment, reference materials and textbooks, relevant training and continuing professional development, and business travel or mileage where it genuinely relates to your work rather than ordinary commuting. The precise position varies depending on whether the cost relates to employment or self-employment, and mixed-use items may need to be apportioned. Keeping receipts and a clear note of what each cost was for makes the whole process considerably easier.
VAT is only an issue once your taxable turnover for relevant services crosses the registration threshold, which many doctors never reach. Where private work does grow, some medical services may be exempt while others are standard-rated, so the position needs to be looked at carefully rather than assumed. If registration applies, we can handle registration and ongoing returns so it does not become an administrative burden.
Yes. Partnership work brings its own requirements, including partnership accounts, allocation of profit shares, reporting each partner's income and dealing with practice VAT and staff payroll where applicable. If you also operate through a limited company for private or consultancy work, that adds a further layer of accounts and Corporation Tax reporting. Because partners' circumstances differ — different profit shares, different other income, different pension positions — the reporting needs to reflect the individual as well as the partnership.
Yes. Most of what an accountant needs from a doctor can be shared securely online, including payslips, invoices, bank records, expense receipts and signed documents. Many clients prefer a mix of remote document exchange and scheduled conversations, which suits doctors working shifts or moving between sites. What matters most is that your records reach us in a usable form and that you can ask questions when something changes.
Usually less than people expect. We would need your authorisation to contact your current accountant, who then provides the relevant handover information such as prior returns, accounts and tax computations. You would also need to update your agent authorisation with HMRC. Once records are transferred, we review the position, confirm any upcoming deadlines and take it from there. If you have been handling things yourself rather than using an accountant, we can work from whatever records you hold.
Speak to an Expert
Take the Pressure Out of Medical Tax Admin — Accountants for Doctors in Macclesfield Can Help. You Focus on Patients, We Will Handle the Paperwork.
If your income now comes from more than one direction — NHS pay alongside private fees, locum shifts or consultancy work — keeping the reporting straight and the deadlines met can feel like a second job. CruseBurke supports doctors with Self Assessment that accurately brings together multiple income sources, along with bookkeeping and clear advice on the professional expenses and reliefs that actually apply to you. Whether you are newly self-employed, a GP partner or a consultant reviewing your structure, a straightforward conversation about your circumstances is the best place to start.