29/09/2026
Specialist Accountants for GPs, Consultants & Locum Doctors
Accountants for Doctors in Melbourne Derby
Doctors rarely have a straightforward financial picture. NHS pay, private practice fees, locum shifts and consultancy work can all arrive through different routes, each with its own tax treatment and reporting requirements. Our accountants for doctors in Melbourne Derby help you make sense of that complexity, from Self Assessment and bookkeeping through to tax planning, so your records stay organised, your returns are prepared accurately and you can make decisions with a clear view of your finances.
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Which Doctors Do We Support?
Accounting support for doctors is not a single service, because doctors do not all earn, spend or structure their work in the same way. A salaried hospital doctor paying tax through PAYE has a very different position from a GP partner sharing practice profits, and both differ again from a locum doctor working through several agencies or a consultant building a private practice alongside NHS commitments. We support GPs, hospital doctors and consultants, locum and salaried doctors, private practitioners, and doctors who combine NHS and private work in a variety of arrangements. The right approach depends on your income sources, your employment status, whether you work alone or in a partnership or limited company, and the professional costs you incur along the way. Whether your main concern is a Self Assessment return that has grown more complicated, keeping on top of practice or partnership finances, or planning tax around a mix of medical income, the starting point is understanding your own circumstances rather than applying a one-size-fits-all 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 for Doctors
Our work with doctors covers the practical accounting and tax tasks that follow from a medical career, as well as the planning decisions that sit behind them. For doctors with self-employed income, that often means preparing and filing Self Assessment tax returns, maintaining bookkeeping records for locum or consultancy work, and identifying the professional expenses that can properly be claimed. Where a private practice or medical business is involved, we can prepare annual accounts, management accounts and financial reporting, alongside Corporation Tax returns for limited companies, partnership accounts and tax returns for practices, and VAT registration and returns where turnover and activities bring them into scope. Payroll support is relevant for doctors who employ staff or pay themselves and others through a company, and business structure advice can help when you are considering whether to work as a sole trader, through a partnership or via a limited company. Tax planning sits across all of this, looking at how NHS income, private medical income and other earnings interact, and how pension contributions and allowable expenses may affect your overall position. Because treatment depends on individual circumstances, we explain the reasoning behind our recommendations rather than simply producing figures.
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.
Common Accounting and Tax Challenges for Doctors
Doctors often face a set of accounting pressures that build up gradually rather than all at once. The challenges below are common considerations, though how far each one affects you will depend on your working arrangements, income sources and business structure.
- Blending NHS and private income: NHS pay, private fees and other medical earnings can be taxed in different ways, and keeping them clearly separated makes both your records and your tax position easier to manage.
- Multiple income sources: A doctor may receive salary, locum fees, consultancy income, partnership profits or company dividends in the same tax year, which can affect reporting, payment deadlines and how much tax is ultimately due.
- Self Assessment obligations: Not everyone inside the tax system needs to file a return, but self-employment, partnership income, higher earnings and certain other circumstances usually do, and missing a deadline can lead to penalties.
- Allowable professional expenses: Medical indemnity insurance, professional subscriptions, training and professional development costs, equipment, and travel or mileage can all be relevant, but only where the expense meets the rules for the type of income it relates to.
- Record keeping through a busy working year: Shifts, on-call work, expenses and invoices accumulate quickly, and disorganised records tend to create stress and cost at the point a return is due.
- Pension considerations: NHS pension arrangements and private pension contributions can interact with your tax position in ways that are worth thinking about before the year closes, not afterwards.
- Choosing and reviewing a business structure: Sole trader, partnership and limited company arrangements each carry different reporting, tax and administrative consequences, and the right answer can change as your work develops.
- Practice and partnership finances: Doctors involved in a practice face profit shares, drawings, staff costs and reporting obligations that go beyond a personal tax return.
- Deadlines and cash flow: Payments on account and filing dates do not always line up neatly with when income actually arrives, which can create avoidable pressure.
Why Doctors Choose CruseBurke
Doctors tend to come to us for the same reasons: they want an accountant who already understands the shape of a medical career, and who can explain the tax consequences without drowning them in jargon. We look at your income sources as a whole, whether that is NHS salary, private fees, locum work, consultancy income, partnership profits or a combination of several. From there, we help you put sensible bookkeeping in place, keep your records in order, and prepare returns and accounts in good time so that deadlines do not become a source of anxiety. Just as importantly, we communicate clearly. If you are weighing up whether to incorporate, how to treat a particular expense, or how pension contributions might affect your position, we set out the options and the trade-offs in plain terms. Our role is to give you an accurate, well-organised financial picture and practical guidance you can act on, whatever arrangement you work under.
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.
Our Simple 3-Step Process
Getting the right accounting support in place should not feel like another administrative burden. The first step is a conversation about how you work. We will ask about your income sources, which might include NHS salary, private medical income, locum fees, consultancy work, partnership profits or a mix of these, along with how your records are currently kept and any deadlines you are working towards. The second step is a review of your accounting and tax requirements, covering matters such as Self Assessment, bookkeeping, VAT, payroll, annual accounts, business structure and any planning questions you want to explore. That review gives us a clear picture of what needs attention and where the priorities lie. The third step is putting the appropriate support in place: agreeing how information will be shared, setting up a workable record-keeping routine, and preparing what needs to be prepared. From there, the relationship continues with ongoing support as your circumstances change, whether that means taking on more private work, adjusting your working pattern, or revisiting how your affairs are structured.
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
What sets our approach apart is the way we connect the technical side of accounting with the realities of medical work. Doctors frequently move between employment and self-employment, take on additional sessions, build private lists or step into a partnership, and each of those changes has accounting consequences that are easy to overlook until a return is due. We work through those consequences with you, looking at how NHS income, private fees and locum or consultancy earnings sit together, which costs are genuinely allowable, how bookkeeping can be kept simple during a demanding working week, and whether your current structure still fits what you are doing. Where a limited company, partnership or practice is involved, we handle the accounts, returns and reporting that come with it, and where your affairs are straightforward, we keep things proportionate rather than adding unnecessary complexity. You get clear explanations, organised records and a considered view of your tax position, with the detail tailored to your circumstances rather than pulled from a standard template.
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
It depends on your circumstances. A doctor who works solely as an employee and has no other income or complications may manage without one. However, once self-employment, locum work, private fees, partnership profits, a limited company, additional pension contributions or higher-rate tax enter the picture, the position becomes considerably less straightforward. An accountant can help you keep accurate records, claim the expenses you are entitled to, meet filing deadlines and understand how different income streams interact. Many doctors value the reassurance of knowing their return is prepared correctly and that planning questions have been considered.
Not every doctor does, but several common situations bring you within Self Assessment. These include self-employed income from locum or private work, partnership income from a practice, income from a limited company, untaxed income that needs to be declared, or certain other circumstances such as higher income levels combined with specific reliefs. If you have already registered, returns are usually required each year even if your income is low. We can review your position and confirm whether a return is needed, and handle the preparation and filing if it is.
NHS salary is normally taxed through PAYE, with tax deducted at source. Private medical income, including fees from private practice, is typically treated as self-employment income and reported through Self Assessment, with tax paid separately rather than being deducted at source. That distinction matters because it affects how much you need to set aside, when payments are due, and what expenses can be claimed against each type of income. Doctors who hold both will usually need to report them correctly and keep them clearly separated in their records.
Typically, you can claim expenses that are wholly and exclusively incurred for the purposes of the income being taxed. For doctors, this often includes medical indemnity or defence union costs, professional body subscriptions, relevant training and professional development, some equipment, and business travel or mileage. What is allowable can differ depending on whether the expense relates to employment, self-employment or a company, and some costs that seem obviously work-related do not meet the rules. Because the detail matters, it is worth reviewing your expenses with an accountant before a return is submitted.
These are among the costs doctors most frequently ask about. Medical indemnity cover and subscriptions to professional bodies are commonly claimed where they relate to your professional work, but the correct treatment can depend on your income source and employment arrangements. Rather than assuming, we look at how the cost has been incurred and which income stream it belongs to, so the claim is accurate and defensible.
Locum work is generally treated as self-employment, which means registering with HMRC, keeping records of fees and allowable costs, and reporting income through Self Assessment. Locum doctors often have irregular income, expenses spread across multiple agencies or trusts, and travel costs that need proper records to support a mileage claim. Working through an agency does not automatically make you an employee, and how you engage with agencies can affect your tax position. It is worth reviewing your arrangements rather than assuming a particular treatment applies.
There is no universal answer, and it depends heavily on your circumstances. A limited company can suit some doctors with substantial private or consultancy income, particularly where it provides flexibility over how income is extracted. For others, the administrative requirements, reporting costs, payroll obligations and IR35 considerations mean the benefits are less clear. The decision should only be made after comparing your likely position under different structures, taking into account your total income, pension arrangements and future plans. We can talk through the options with you rather than recommend a structure by default.
We start with a conversation about your circumstances: how you work, what income you receive, how your records are currently kept and what you want from an accountant. From there we review your accounting and tax requirements and agree how to move forward. Accounting rarely requires regular face-to-face meetings, so information can be shared securely online through much of the year, with calls or meetings arranged when a discussion would be more useful. If you are moving from another accountant, we can help coordinate the handover of information and professional clearance.
Speak to an Expert
Take the Pressure Out of Your Tax Position with Specialist Support. Speedy, Clear and Organised Accounting for Doctors in Melbourne Derby Starts with One Conversation.
If your income comes from more than one place, keeping on top of it can feel like a job in itself. CruseBurke helps doctors in Melbourne Derby bring order to that picture, from Self Assessment and bookkeeping through to clarity on allowable professional expenses such as medical indemnity and professional subscriptions, so nothing important is left to the last minute. Whether you are a locum, a salaried doctor with private fees, or working in a practice or limited company, we can review your circumstances and put sensible support in place. Get in touch to talk through your situation and see how we can help.