Healthcare accountants Archives

News,May 2018

How NHS Doctors Can Avoid the 60% Tax Trap

Chris04/09/2026Healthcare accountants

If you are an NHS consultant, a busy GP partner, or a high-earning locum, you have likely heard stories about the dreaded NHS doctor tax trap. The 60% tax trap catches thousands of doctors every year. Even the most diligent professionals can fall into it. Why? Because the rules around allowances, pensions, and tax thresholds are complex. This guide sets out exactly how the tax trap for NHS doctors works in the current 2026/27 tax year, and more importantly, how you can protect your earnings. What Is The 60% Marginal Tax Rate Trap? The NHS doctor tax trap is mainly linked to the gradual loss of the Personal Allowance once your adjusted net income goes above £100,000. The standard Personal Allowance for 2026/27 is £12,570, although not everyone receives the full amount. It is gradually reduced where adjusted net income exceeds £100,000 and is reduced to zero at £125,140. For every £2 you earn above £100,000, you lose £1 of your allowance. By the time you reach £125,140, the whole £12,570 has gone. In that £100,000 to £125,140 band, you’re already paying 40% higher rate tax on the income itself. Then you’re also losing your tax-free allowance bit by bit, which means income that used to be tax-free is now taxed at 40% as well. Add it together, and you get an effective marginal rate of 60% (though this rate is higher for doctors who are Scottish taxpayers). Income band What’s happening Effective tax rate Up to £12,570 Personal allowance, tax-free 0% £12,571 to £50,270 Basic rate 20% £50,271 to £100,000 Higher rate 40% £100,000 to £125,140 Higher rate plus loss of personal allowance 60% Over £125,140 Additional rate (no personal allowance left) 45% Some NHS doctors facing tax traps do not realise they are in this bracket until they file their Self Assessment return after the tax year ends. Note: Income tax bands and rates differ for taxpayers in Scotland. How To Avoid The NHS Doctor Tax Trap? You need to stay below the £100,000 mark or manage your adjusted net income in order to retain your full Personal Allowance. Here are the most effective ways to manage NHS Doctor Tax Issues. Strategy 1: Claim Every Single Professional Expense Before spending money on personal contributions, ensure you have deducted all employment expenses. Depending on the circumstances, claimable professional expenses include: General Medical Council (GMC) annual fees British Medical Association (BMA) or trade union subscriptions Medical indemnity insurance (MPS, MDU, MDDUS) Royal College membership fees Mandatory training courses, exams, and professional equipment Qualifying deductions can reduce adjusted net income and may reduce the impact of the Personal Allowance taper, depending on your circumstances. Strategy 2: Make Strategic Pension Contributions A pension contribution can reduce adjusted net income and may help restore some or all of your Personal Allowance. Do check your annual allowance position first, though, especially if you’re also close to the tapered pension limits. Paying more into a pension when you’ve already used up your allowance just creates a different tax bill. Therefore, always calculate your pension input amounts carefully before making extra personal contributions or consult with a financial advisor. This will help you avoid the NHS doctor tax trap. Strategy 3: Make Use of Gift Aid Donations Qualifying Gift Aid donations can reduce adjusted net income. If you’re giving to charity anyway, doing it through Gift Aid is a great way to avoid the NHS doctor tax trap. Charitable donations made through Gift Aid extend your basic-rate band and reduce your adjusted net income for personal allowance purposes. So if you already support charities, make sure the Gift Aid is being claimed correctly and included in your tax planning if you want to avoid the NHS doctor tax trap. Strategy 4: Restructure Private Work via a Limited Company If you generate income from private practice, consulting, or external locums, working as a sole trader means every penny is piled directly onto your NHS salary. This quickly triggers both the 100k trap and pension tapering. A limited company can separate qualifying private-practice income from your personal NHS employment income for tax purposes, but incorporation does not automatically reduce your overall tax liability. The company and your personal finances need to be considered together. That way, the revenue belongs to the company, not you personally. Then you can pay yourself a combination of salary and dividends to keep your personal income precisely capped at £100,000. Just make sure that your locum or private roles are legally designated as “outside IR35,” as inside-IR35 roles cannot utilise this structure. Strategy 5: Equalise Income with Your Partner If you hold income-generating assets outside of your NHS job, having them in your name unnecessarily inflates your Adjusted Net Income and drags you closer to the threshold. Where appropriate, couples may consider how savings and investments are held between them, taking account of beneficial ownership, the Personal Savings Allowance and the wider tax consequences. Simply moving cash between accounts does not necessarily change who is taxable on the underlying income. Where spouses or civil partners jointly own property in unequal beneficial shares, they may be able to use a Form 17 declaration so that property income is taxed according to their actual beneficial interests, provided the statutory conditions are met. This can help you stay outside, or reduce the impact of, the NHS doctor tax trap. Quick Summary: NHS Doctor Tax Trap The NHS doctor tax trap usually refers to the £100,000 to £125,140 Personal Allowance taper. The standard Personal Allowance is £12,570 for 2026/27. You lose £1 of Personal Allowance for every £2 earned over £100,000. The allowance starts reducing once adjusted net income goes above £100,000. It disappears completely at £125,140. Claiming professional expenses like GMC and BMA fees lowers your taxable income. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the effective marginal rate in this range is 60%. Scotland has different Income Tax rates, so the effective rate can differ. Locum and private practice income can push an NHS doctor into the trap. Pension contributions can potentially reduce adjusted net income. NHS …

Doctors Payslip – A Guide To Understanding Your Payslip

Chris03/09/2026Healthcare accountants

A doctor’s payslip often seems confusing. Lots of lines and lots of numbers that no one ever explained to you what they mean. So here we are going to explain what the different parts of a doctors payslip mean. What’s On A Doctor’s Payslip Every NHS doctors payslip has three main parts: What you have earned (gross pay) What has been taken off (deductions) What is left (net pay) So let us walk through how your doctor salary slip works. Payments Section This part of your doctors payslip is where all the hard work shows up. It lists every single stream of income your hospital trust owes you. Remember that this is before anything gets deducted or taken off. If you have done extra shifts or worked heavy weekends, this top section of the doctors payslip is where you should be checking if payroll actually listened to your rota coordinator. Basic pay: This is your core salary for the month. One twelfth of your annual nodal point salary. Night duty enhancement: Resident doctors in England can receive a 37% enhancement for qualifying hours worked during specified night periods. Under the resident-doctor arrangements, night hours are generally those worked between 9pm and 7am, subject to the applicable terms and conditions. Weekend allowance: This is paid based on how often you work weekends, from 1 in 8 to 1 in 2. Naturally, the more frequent your weekend shifts are, the higher the allowance percentage becomes. On-call supplement: If you are non-resident on call, this is usually 8% of your basic salary. HCAS (High Cost Area Supplement): This is an additional payment for eligible NHS staff working in defined high-cost areas around London. Eligibility and the amount depend on the relevant HCAS zone and employment terms. Gross pay: This is basically everything above, added together. It forms the highest total on your doctors payslip. Just know that it is before anything gets taken off. Deductions Section This might be the most painful section to read on your doctors payslip. This is because it actually explains why your final take-home pay looks quite different from your base salary. It outlines exactly where your hard-earned cash goes before reaching your bank account. Some rates are fixed by HMRC. Some depend on how much you earn. NHS Pension: This is taken off before tax. So you get automatic tax relief. Your rate depends on your pensionable pay. Income tax (PAYE): The Personal Allowance is £12,570. Above this, you pay 20% up to £50,270, 40% from £50,271 up to £125,140, and 45% on any earnings above £125,140. National Insurance: This is 8% on monthly earnings between £1,048 and £4,189. It then drops to 2% on earnings above that. Student Loan: This only comes off once you cross your plan’s threshold. 9% of everything above it (6% for Postgraduate Loan). Note that the standard Personal Allowance can be reduced where adjusted net income exceeds £100,000, and it is fully withdrawn at £125,140. Net Pay This single figure at the bottom is the only number most people jump straight to when reviewing a doctors payslip. This is normally the amount that reaches your bank account. Everything above this point on the doctors payslip exists to explain how the trust got from your gross figure down to this one. A simplified version looks like this: Gross pay – tax – National Insurance – pension – other deductions = net pay It is therefore perfectly possible for a doctor with a gross monthly salary of several thousand pounds to receive considerably less in their bank account. Other Things You’ll See On Doctors Payslip Beyond the payments and deductions, most doctors payslips carry a bit of admin information too. It is easy to skip past this. But know that a couple of these fields matter more than they look. Yes, especially if you are claiming tax relief or checking your P60. Assignment Number: Your unique employee reference with the specific hospital trust. PAYE Reference: Your employer’s HMRC reference number. You need this to log into a Personal Tax Account or fill out a self-assessment tax return. Tax Code: Usually 1257L for standard workers. If yours is different and you do not know why, ask payroll. It often needs updating to reflect the professional fees you can claim tax relief on. Year to Date (YTD) Figures: Your running totals for the current tax year. Tax period 01 is April, and tax period 12 is March. What Does Pensionable Pay Mean? Pensionable pay is the portion of your earnings that counts for NHS pension purposes. It is important to know that not every payment is necessarily pensionable. For NHS staff, the pension rules can depend on the type of payment, employment arrangement and working pattern. This is particularly worth checking if you regularly work extra hours or have more than one role. Why Doctors on the Same Grade Get Different Net Pay? It is incredibly common to compare salaries with a colleague on your exact same shift rota and find out your pay doesn’t match. The same job title does not mean the same take-home pay. Subtle differences in your personal history and employment contract change the final calculations behind the scenes. Your take-home totals on any doctors payslip are highly individualised. It usually comes down to a few variables: A different pension tier due to locum work A wrong tax code on your doctors payslip after changing hospital rotations Different rota patterns with more or fewer unsocial hours Working inside a High Cost Area Supplement zone Having a different student loan plan type The Bottom Line A doctors payslip isn’t complicated once you know what each line means. Gross pay in, deductions out, net pay left over. Keep the 2026/27 rates above handy. So that next time you review your doctors payslip, it will make a lot more sense. How CruseBurke Can Help At CruseBurke, our team of specialist doctors accountants understand the unique challenges doctors face. We look at doctors’ payslips every single week. Because of that, we spot the errors most people miss, like the wrong pension tier, missed banding percentages, or an incorrect emergency tax code. From monthly bookkeeping …

Individual Savings Accounts for Doctors UK: 2026/27 Tax Guide

Chris02/09/2026Healthcare accountants , Tax Saving Tips

Individual Savings Accounts for doctors are tax-efficient accounts that can hold cash or investments without income tax or Capital Gains Tax on returns. For the 2026/27 tax year, doctors can put up to £20,000 into ISAs, with no tax on interest, dividends, or capital gains. From 6 April 2027, the amount you can put into a Cash ISA specifically will be capped at £12,000 for savers under 65, though your overall annual ISA allowance will remain at £20,000. This makes this year an excellent opportunity to maximise your cash savings while the full allowance still applies. If you are a doctor building up savings, this is a good time to understand how ISAs actually work! Why Individual Savings Accounts for Doctors Matter Medical salaries often push doctors into the higher (40%) or additional (45%) income tax bands. Outside of an ISA, interest, dividends and investment gains may be subject to the relevant UK tax rules and allowances. Setting up dedicated individual savings accounts for doctors helps protect your hard-earned income from the start. The Personal Savings Allowance (PSA): Basic-rate taxpayers can earn £1,000 in savings interest tax-free, higher-rate taxpayers get £500, and additional-rate taxpayers get £0. Dividend and Capital Gains Taxes: Investments held in standard trading accounts are subject to changing capital gains allowances and dividend taxes, which drag down your compounding returns over time. An ISA removes that problem in one go. Setting up individual savings accounts for doctors ensures you do not hand over unnecessary tax on your growth. Inside an ISA, all interest, dividends, and capital gains are 100% tax-free, and withdrawals are completely exempt from income tax. An ISA does not give tax relief on the money you pay in. Instead, it protects the interest, dividends and investment gains generated inside the account. This makes individual savings accounts for doctors useful for building accessible savings alongside a pension. The Four Main ISA Options and Savings for Doctors You have a total £20,000 allowance for the 2026/27 tax year. You can put it all into one account, or split it across the four different types available to adult savers in the UK. There are four main types of ISA: Cash ISA Stocks and shares ISA Innovative Finance ISA Lifetime ISA 1. Cash ISAs A Cash ISA is the simplest option as it works broadly like a tax-free savings account. You deposit money with an ISA provider and receive interest. The interest is not subject to Income Tax while it remains within the ISA. When choosing individual savings accounts for doctors, standard cash accounts are brilliant for emergency funds or for short-term goals. For the 2026/27 tax year (ending 5 April 2027), you can save up to £20,000 in a Cash ISA. From 6 April 2027, the cash ISA limit for people under 65 will drop to £12,000, though the total overall ISA allowance remains £20,000. Those aged 65 and over keep the full £20,000 cash limit. You must be a UK resident aged 18 or over to open an adult account. Options available to open include easy-access accounts (withdraw anytime) and fixed-rate accounts (lock your money away for a set period) 2. Stocks and Shares ISAs A Stocks and Shares ISA allows you to invest rather than simply hold cash. Depending on the provider and investments selected, this could include investments such as: Shares Bonds Funds Investment Trusts Other Qualifying Investments Investment returns within the ISA can benefit from the tax-free ISA wrapper. This includes income and capital gains from qualifying investments. However, there is an important distinction. Unlike a cash ISA, a stocks and shares ISA does not guarantee that you will get back what you invested. This means a Stocks and Shares ISA is not risk-free. The value of investments can fall as well as rise. You could get back less than you invested. This is where ISA options and savings for doctors need to be considered alongside the actual purpose of the money. For long-term personal savings strategies for doctors, this is more suitable because investments have more time to recover from market falls. 3. Lifetime ISA (LISA) A Lifetime ISA, often called a LISA, is available to individuals aged 18 to 39 to help buy a first home or save for retirement. You can contribute up to £4,000 each tax year. The Government adds a 25% bonus, subject to the relevant conditions. A maximum £4,000 contribution can therefore receive a £1,000 bonus. It’s meant for a first home purchase or retirement from age 60. Younger doctors and medical students saving for a first flat near the hospital often find this one of the better ISA options and savings for doctors just starting out. Funds can be withdrawn penalty-free for your first home (costing up to £450,000) or for retirement after you turn 60. Just be aware that a withdrawal charge generally applies if you take money out for another reason. The charge is normally 25% of the amount withdrawn. As a result, you might end up losing the bonus and some of your own savings. 4. Innovative Finance ISA An Innovative Finance ISA is less commonly used by doctors, and it covers peer-to-peer lending-style investments. This means you are lending your money directly to businesses or individuals through a platform. While it can offer higher interest rates than a standard Cash ISA, it comes with much higher risks. There is no protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) if the borrower or platform defaults. Therefore, these particular individual savings accounts for doctors are not usually the first option a doctor would consider simply for building an emergency fund. ISA Allowance For The 2026/27 Tax Year As discussed above, the overall ISA allowance is £20,000 for the 2026/27 tax year. The Government has confirmed that the £20,000 annual ISA subscription limit will remain unchanged until April 2031. You can split it however you like across the different ISA types, as long as the total doesn’t go over £20,000 combined. ISA type 2026/27 annual subscription limit Overall ISA allowance £20,000 Lifetime ISA £4,000 (counts within the …

What Can Doctors Claim Tax Back On? 2026/27 UK Guide

Chris01/09/2026Healthcare accountants , tax

UK doctors can claim tax back on mandatory professional fees, royal college exam costs, medical equipment, and business travel. Doctors claim tax refunds on work expenses paid out of their own pocket, deducting them directly from their taxable income. This applies as long as the expense is incurred “wholly, exclusively, and necessarily” in the performance of your duties. However, the rules are different for employed doctors, locum doctors, self-employed doctors, GPs and doctors working through partnerships or companies. This guide explains what doctors can claim tax back on during the 2026/27 tax year in detail. Let’s get into it! How Does Tax Relief for Doctors Work? Before we get into the list of doctor tax deductions, it would be really helpful to understand how the system works. Tax relief means you get back the tax you paid on money you’ve spent for work purposes. When doctors claim tax relief as a basic rate taxpayer spending £100 on an allowable expense, they get £20 back. If you’re a higher rate taxpayer, that’s £40 back. Additional rate taxpayers get £45 back on every £100. Here are the income tax rates and bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2026/27. Tax band Taxable income Rate Personal Allowance Up to £12,570 0% Basic rate £12,571 to £50,270 20% Higher rate £50,271 to £125,140 40% Additional rate Over £125,140 45% Scotland has its own bands, which are a bit different (including a starter rate, intermediate rate, advanced rate, and top rate). One more thing you must know is that this doesn’t just apply to tax relief for doctors. Most of what’s below applies whether you’re an NHS employee, a private consultant, or a locum. How doctors claim tax back usually depends on their specific employment setup. What Can Doctors Claim Tax Back On? The Full List Doctors may be able to claim tax relief on several professional expenses they pay personally. Here is the full breakdown of everything you can claim. 1. Professional Subscriptions and Registration Fees Professional subscriptions are a major area of tax relief for doctors in the UK. If you must pay a professional body to do your job, HMRC usually allows you to claim tax back. However, the organisation must be on the approved list, known as List 3. Most doctors claim tax rebates on these essential memberships without hassle. Here are the main doctor tax deductions for professional memberships: General Medical Council (GMC): Annual retention fees. British Medical Association (BMA): Subscriptions are 85% tax-deductible Medical Indemnity Insurance: Such as MDU, MPS, or MDDUS. Royal Colleges: Your annual membership fees for your specific college (e.g., RCP, RCSEng, RCGP). Note: If your trust or employer reimburses you for any of these fees, you cannot claim tax relief on them. You can only claim for money that came directly out of your own bank account. 2. Exam, Training and CPD Costs To qualify for doctor tax deductions on exam fees, the exam must be a formal requirement of your training contract. Claimable Exams: Royal College membership exams like MRCP, MRCS, MRCGP, MRCPCH, and similar mandatory components. Claimable Courses: Mandatory Resus courses like ALS, ATLS, APLS, and NLS when mandated by your training post or employer and not fully reimbursed. Portfolio Fees: E-portfolio access fees required by your Deanery or Royal College. Optional career courses or voluntary conferences that are not explicitly required by your training pathway do not qualify. HMRC views these as optional career development rather than mandatory job expenses. 3. Travel, Mileage, and Rotational Placements Commuting from your home to your permanent hospital base is non-deductible personal travel. HMRC will not give you tax relief for this. However, clinical work often involves temporary posts and varied travel routes. You can claim tax back on travel for: Rotational Placements: If your training programme operates under a single central “Lead Employer” contract, rotating to a hospital placement for less than 24 months allows you to claim tax relief on your travel. This is because each site counts as a temporary workplace. (Note: If you sign separate contracts with each individual NHS Trust, these do not qualify). Home Visits and Community Clinics: Driving from your main GP surgery to see patients at home. Travelling Between Sites: Moving from one hospital site to another during your working day. If you use your own car for work travel between sites, hospitals or clinics, you can claim mileage. When eligible doctors claim tax relief on mileage, HMRC’s approved rates apply: Vehicle First 10,000 business miles Miles after 10,000 Cars and vans 45p per mile 25p per mile Motorcycles 24p per mile 24p per mile Bicycles 20p per mile 20p per mile If your employer reimburses you at a lower rate than this, you can claim the difference back through HMRC. 4. Uniforms, Scrubs, and Equipment Washing Do you wash your scrubs or clinical uniform at home? If your hospital does not provide free laundering facilities on site, HMRC provides a flat-rate tax allowance for doing it yourself. Standard Flat-Rate Expense: Doctors can claim HMRC’s standard flat-rate expense of £80 per tax year. Tax Relief Value: A £80 allowance puts £12 a year back in your pocket at the basic tax rate (20%) or £24 a year at the higher tax rate (40%). Across the current year and a 4-year backdated claim, that is up to £120 in tax relief. Actual Cost Claims: If your laundering expenses exceed £80 over the tax year, you can claim your actual expenditure by keeping proof of costs. If you purchase your own stethoscope, surgical footwear, or personal medical tools strictly for work use, you can also claim tax relief on their actual purchase price. When doctors claim tax for equipment, receipts are essential. Doctor Tax Deductions: Employed vs Self-Employed The rules genuinely change depending on how you’re engaged. Description Employed doctors (NHS or private) Self-employed / locum doctors How you claim P87 form if expenses are £2,500 or less; full Self-Assessment if over £2,500. Self-assessment tax return What you can claim Limited to specific allowable employment expenses Broader range of genuine business expenses Home office costs No individual claim allowed from HMRC (Abolished from April 2026; …

Starting Your Career as a Locum GP: Your 2026 Guide

Chris28/08/2026Healthcare accountants

Starting a locum GP career can give you more control over your working life. But it also means taking responsibility for areas that an employer would usually manage for you. Whatever your reason is for starting a locum GP career, the first few months might feel confusing. You need to understand registration, the NHS Performers List, indemnity, appraisals, contracts, tax, pensions and finding reliable work. It is a lot to take in while also treating patients. This guide explains the essential steps to launching your locum GP career and much more. Let’s break it down! Is Starting a Locum GP Career Right For You? Starting a locum GP career sounds incredibly glamorous when you are exhausted from a sixty-hour week at a single practice. The idea of choosing your own hours, earning a great day rate, and avoiding workplace politics is of course highly appealing. But you should also know that this way of working is not a perfect fit for every doctor. To help you decide if starting a successful locum GP career aligns with your lifestyle, let’s just look at the pros and cons of starting a locum GP career. The Upside of Starting a Locum GP Career Flexibility: You choose when and where you work. Perfect if you value control over your diary. Variety: Different practices, different patient groups. Keeps things fresh. Income Potential: Locum session rates can sometimes be higher than the equivalent salaried rate, although income is less predictable and locums must cover costs such as unpaid leave and professional expenses. Career Exploration: You can test different settings before committing to one. The Challenges of Starting a Locum GP Career Uncertainty: Shifts aren’t always guaranteed. You’ll need to be proactive in finding work. Admin Load: Invoices, tax returns, pension forms; it’s all on you. No Fixed Team: You may miss the stability of working with the same colleagues. Financial Planning: Budgeting is key. Income can fluctuate month to month. What Are The Steps for Starting a Locum GP Career? Here is the order most doctors work through when starting a locum GP career: Step #1: Confirm Your GMC Registration and Get on the Performers List The first thing you need to do is have a full GMC registration with a licence to practise. GPs providing NHS primary medical services in England generally need to be included on the National Performers List, subject to the rules and circumstances of the role. This is now managed via PCSE on behalf of NHS England. If you are already included on the relevant Performers List, check whether your change in working arrangements requires you to update your details or notify the appropriate organisation. It is much easier than a fresh application. Know that Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent lists. So you need to check the right one for your specific area when preparing for a locum GP career. Step #2: Sort Your Medical Indemnity For NHS general practice work in England, most clinical negligence cover is now provided through the state-backed Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP). Note that CNSGP does not replace all professional indemnity arrangements. This took a lot of the financial sting out of indemnity compared to a decade ago. That said, you’ll still typically need separate cover for things CNSGP doesn’t touch. For example, GMC representation, employment disputes, private work, and non-clinical negligence claims. Major providers like the MDU, MPS, and MDDUS all offer specific packages for starting a locum GP career. Don’t skip this step just because CNSGP exists. It covers much less than people assume. Step #3: Decide How You Will Find Work This is where preparing for a locum GP career gets a bit more personal. You’ve got three main routes: Locum Agencies: Locum agencies are quick to get set up with. They handle the booking admin, but they charge the practice a fee on top of your hourly rate. Locum Chambers: These are GP-run collectives. A group of local locum GPs team up to share the administrative workload of running a business. The chamber can provide administrative and booking support, although their structure and services vary between organisations. In return, you may pay membership or service fees, which may be deductible where they are incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of your business. Direct Booking: Direct Booking is a method where a locum GP secures shifts by interacting directly with a GP practice. Here, you completely bypass third-party recruitment agencies and digital marketplaces. In this arrangement, you act as an independent freelance professional. It means you have to manage your own terms, relationships, and paperwork. Most doctors use an agency or chamber when starting a locum GP career. They then shift toward direct bookings once they build a solid local reputation. Step #4: Build Your CV and References Practices want to see recent clinical experience, any special interests, and up-to-date references. You should keep digital copies of your mandatory training certificates ready. If you’re moving from partnership or salaried work, this step would be quite straightforward. If you’ve had a career break, there might be a bit more scrutiny and possibly a period of supervised sessions first. How Do You Choose Between Sole Trader, Limited Company, or Umbrella? One of the biggest choices when preparing for a locum GP career is how you manage your income. A locum GP can choose between operating as a sole trader, setting up a limited company, or using an umbrella company. The right structure depends entirely on your daily session rates, your overall expected earnings, and whether IR35 tax rules apply to your roles. Business Structure Pros Cons Best For Sole Trader Simple admin, easy to submit via Self Assessment, and straightforward drawing of profits. Income Tax and Class 4 National Insurance hit directly as your earnings rise. Locums earning lower annual incomes or those who want minimal bookkeeping. Limited Company Greater tax planning flexibility if working outside IR35, and clear separation of personal and business assets. Higher accountancy costs, strict legal director duties, complex dividend taxes, and no NHS …

Running a Dental Practice: Tips and Strategies For 2026/27

Chris27/08/2026Healthcare accountants

Running a dental practice is a lot harder than it looks from the dental chair. One minute you’re focused on patients and treatment plans, the next you’re dealing with payroll, CQC inspections, associate contracts and a VAT question you didn’t even know existed. It’s a lot. And most of it was never covered at dental school. So let us break down exactly what actually matters when it comes to running a dental practice in the UK in 2026/27. Important: Dental regulation differs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. References to CQC and NHS England in this article mainly apply to practices in England. Practice owners should check the requirements of the relevant regulator and health authority for their nation. What Does Running a Dental Practice Actually Involve? Running a dental practice involves many things. Yes, other than providing dental treatment. The clinical side is what you trained for. The business side includes staffing, cash flow, marketing, and equipment. The regulatory side covers CQC registration, GDC requirements, infection control standards, and data protection under UK GDPR. If you are focused on managing a dental practice properly, none of these areas can be ignored for long because they all affect each other. Poor cash flow affects your ability to hire. Weak compliance can shut you down. Bad staffing hits patient experience, and it hits your reviews. Ultimately, it negatively affects your patient numbers. 12 Tips and Strategies for Running a Dental Practice There’s no single trick to running a dental practice well. If you want to build a highly profitable and smooth-running clinic, you need a mix of clinical excellence and sharp team leadership. Besides this, you also need solid financial planning. Here are the core strategies you need to implement to master how to run a dental practice in today’s competitive UK market. 1. Fix Your Front-of-House Patient Bottlenecks When you look at improving dental practice management, start at reception. A chaotic front desk creates long wait times and can result in frustrating patients before they even sit in the chair. If your receptionists are constantly stuck answering the phone just to confirm appointment times, they cannot welcome the person standing right in front of them. Running a dental practice smoothly requires an efficient reception area. You can switch to online intake forms that patients can complete on their phones before arriving. This simple change can help you keep your reception area quiet and running smoothly. 2. Build a Strong and Reliable Dental Team Managing a dental practice starts with having the right people and giving them clear responsibilities. Your reception team, dental nurses, hygienists, therapists, practice manager and other staff all have an effect on how the practice operates. Patients notice how they are greeted, how quickly calls are answered and whether staff communicate well with them. Give team members clear roles. They should understand what they are responsible for and when something needs to be escalated to the practice manager or owner. A team that understands the practice’s systems will usually work more confidently. 3. Run a 15-Minute Morning Huddle This is really important for successfully running a dental practice. Gather your team before the first patient walks through the door. Look at the day’s schedule together. Identify gaps where you can fit in emergency appointments. Spot any complex treatments that might run over. Check if any patients owe money from their last visit. This simple habit goes a long way toward improving dental practice management across the whole team. 4. Shift Toward High-Value Private Treatments Let’s be honest about the UK market right now. Many clinics are focusing more on private treatments like clear aligners, dental implants, and facial aesthetics. If you are growing a dental practice, your marketing needs to reflect this. Word of mouth is great, but local search visibility is where private patient acquisition happens. Make sure your online profiles are updated with real images of your clinical work. 5. Review Your Business Structure to Cut Tax Costs Optimising dental practice management includes reviewing how your business is set up. Operating as a limited company can offer valuable tax advantages over being a sole trader, especially with current Corporation Tax rates. It is a huge part of running a dental practice profitably. However, if you hold an NHS contract, incorporating will mean losing your ability to pay into the NHS pension scheme on those earnings. You must carefully weigh the Corporation Tax savings against the loss of your NHS pension benefits. Having specialist dental accountants can help you manage these tax decisions in a better way. 6. Separate Your NHS and Private Income Properly If you operate an NHS, private or mixed dental practice, it is important to track each income stream separately. These two income streams behave very differently for tax and accounting purposes, and lumping them together on one spreadsheet hides more than it reveals. Private income is far more variable month to month. But it usually carries better margins once lab fees and time are accounted for. Managing a dental practice with both income types means tracking them separately from day one. 7. Review Stock and Supplier Costs Regularly Dental consumables aren’t cheap, and over-ordering ties up cash you could use elsewhere. On the other hand, under-ordering disrupts your day just as much. A simple stock rotation system can keep this under control. Lab fees are worth a regular look too, since they tend to increase quietly if nobody’s checking. 8. Maximise Your 2026/27 Equipment Tax Relief Need a new 3D cone beam scanner or a digital chair? For the 2026/27 tax year, the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) lets you offset up to £1 million of qualifying clinical machinery against your profits in the very first year. It is a massive tax saver, but you have to time the purchase correctly before your accounting year ends. 9. Upgrade Your Practice Management Software A lot of practices are still running on outdated processes simply because nobody’s had time to change them. Cloud-based systems for scheduling, patient …

Do Doctors Need Accountants in the UK? A 2026/27 Guide

Chris26/08/2026Healthcare accountants

Yes, doctors need accountants, especially if they have multiple income streams, do locum work, or run a private practice. This is because things can become complicated quite quickly when you add locum shifts, private patients, partnership income, rental income, a limited company, professional expenses or pension contributions. That is where an accountant can be useful. This guide breaks down exactly why doctors need accountants and when a doctor might not need one. Let’s break it down! 4 Main Reasons Why Doctors Need an Accountant Doctors need an accountant because medical professionals handle exceptionally complex financial structures while facing severe time constraints due to demanding clinical schedules. Here is why every medical professional may need a specialist accountant: 1. Multiple Income Streams Few doctors have a single salary, but not all. As a doctor, over the course of a single financial year, you can have multiple income streams: NHS contracted sessions (PAYE) Ad-hoc locum shifts at varying trust rates Private practice income from your own clinics Academic honorariums or university teaching fees Different income streams can have different tax and National Insurance implications. A standard accountant might inadvertently let you overpay National Insurance across multiple employers. A specialist knows how to apply for an HMRC National Insurance deferment. This ensures that you are paying the exact amount required by law. 2. NHS Pension Tax Traps The NHS Pension Scheme remains a valuable asset for healthcare workers, but its tax rules are quite tricky. For the 2026/27 tax year, the standard Annual Allowance is £60,000. However, the tapered Annual Allowance may apply where the relevant income conditions are met, including threshold income above £200,000 and adjusted income above £260,000. If you need to calculate this, it requires tracking your “pension input growth” across different schemes. And it is totally different from just looking at what you contributed on your payslip. Without expert healthcare accountants, the NHS Pension Scheme can easily turn from a valuable asset into a massive financial liability. 3. To Claim Eligible Expenses Doctors incur significant expenses just to maintain their licence to practise. Many of these costs are fully tax-deductible. But still, many doctors end up overpaying tax. Yes, simply because most of them do not know what counts as an allowable expense. If you are paying out of pocket for these, you are essentially leaving free money on the table: GMC retention fees BMA or Medical Royal College memberships Medical indemnity insurance (MDU/MPS) Mandatory training courses and exam fees Travel and mileage for specific rotational placements This is one reason accountants can be useful for doctors. They can help you claim eligible expenses. 4. Structuring a Growing Private Practice If you are stepping into private practice, you face a major business decision: Should you operate as a sole trader, or structure your business as a limited company? The wrong choice can cost you thousands in unnecessary corporation tax or dividend tax. Working with specialist medical accountants ensures that your overall financial picture is designed in the most tax-efficient structure. Accountants can also manage the operational realities of running a business. When Might A Doctor NOT Need An Accountant? Not every doctor needs professional accounting support. Suppose you are a salaried doctor and your only income is your employment salary. Your employer deducts PAYE tax and National Insurance through payroll. You have no private work, no rental income, no investments that need reporting and no other complicated financial arrangements. This means that your tax affairs are quite straightforward. In that case, you might not need an accountant at all. You may still have reasons to submit a Self Assessment return, though. For example, other income or particular tax circumstances can create a filing requirement. The point is that being a doctor alone does not automatically mean you need an accountant. It is the complexity of your finances that matters. When Do Doctors Need An Accountant? Not every doctor is in the same boat. Here’s roughly where things stand. Your situation Do you likely need an accountant? Salaried NHS doctor only, no other income Usually not, though a one-off pension check is worth it Locum doctor (self-employed or via agency) Yes, almost always GP partner Yes, partnership accounts are genuinely complex Doctor running a limited company (locum or private) Yes, definitely Private practice alongside NHS work Yes, dual income needs careful handling High earner affected by the £100,000 Personal Allowance taper or approaching the relevant pension taper thresholds Yes, this is where mistakes get expensive If you fall into more than one of those rows, it is highly recommended to have an accountant. Do You Need a General Accountant or a Medical Specialist? It generally depends on your practice setup. But we all know that medical accounting involves unique rules. Therefore, most medical professionals benefit from a medical specialist. A medical specialist understands: How NHS pension growth is calculated alongside private practice profits. The difference between locum payments through agencies, trusts, and personal service companies. Specific HMRC agreements on professional fee deductions for medical staff. How to balance private practice income alongside PAYE hospital pay without triggering incorrect tax codes. Ultimately, hiring specialist medical accountants is recommended because of their healthcare industry expertise. The Bottom Line So, do doctors need accountants? Well, no, not by law. But having an accountant is highly recommended once you start combining NHS employment with private work, locum income, a partnership, a limited company, rental income or substantial pension contributions. And having an accountant usually pays for itself. This is because accountants help doctors stay compliant and save money! How CruseBurke Can Help At CruseBurke, our team of specialist doctors accountants understand the unique challenges doctors face. From monthly bookkeeping for healthcare and payroll for healthcare to reviewing NHS pension scheme tax issues and supporting long-term NHS retirement tax planning, we provide practical advice based on your circumstances. We would love to discuss how we can make life easier for your practice! Disclaimer: This article “Do Doctors Need Accountants in the UK? A 2026/27 Guide” is for general information only and does not constitute tax, financial or pension advice. Tax rules can change, and how they …

Mortgages for Doctors: A UK Guide for 2026/27

Chris25/08/2026Healthcare accountants

Doctors do not typically receive lower interest rates, but they have access to specialised “Professional Mortgages”. For doctors, specialist lenders will use 5 to 6 times your income instead of the standard 4 to 4.5 times. However, lenders still check your income, deposit, credit history, regular commitments and whether you could manage payments if interest rates rise. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about mortgages for doctors for the 2026/27 tax year. Let’s get into it! How Much Can a Doctor Borrow for a Mortgage? When you apply for a standard home loan, banks usually limit your borrowing to 4.5 times your salary. But if you qualify for specialist mortgages for doctors, those limits stretch significantly. Because doctors are statistically low-risk borrowers, several major UK banks offer enhanced income multiples. Here is a look at what some lenders are doing for medical professionals right now: Lender Maximum Income Multiple Key Requirements for Doctors NatWest Professional Up to 6.5x income Best for senior trainees and consultants Clydesdale Bank Up to 5.5x income Great for combining NHS pay with private practice TSB High Earner Up to 5.5x income Requires a minimum income of £100,000 Halifax Up to 5.5x income Very flexible with new employment contracts These numbers mean a doctor earning a combined base and banding salary of £70,000 could potentially borrow up to £455,000, instead of being capped around £315,000 on a standard high street product. Can Junior Doctors and Trainees (FY1 to ST8) Get a Mortgage? Junior Doctors and Trainees (FY1 to ST8) on rotational contracts can successfully secure a mortgage. While standard automated systems see changing hospital trusts as risky, specialist underwriters understand the NHS training structure. Many flexible lenders will accept a mortgage application up to three to six months before your new rotation starts. This applies if you have a signed contract. They will also assess your borrowing power. They will assess it by using your full guaranteed banding and on-call pay, rather than just your basic rate. Can Locum Doctors Get a Mortgage? Yes, locum doctors can get a mortgage. Lenders look at your strong earning potential and career stability. The challenge is usually not the fact that you are a locum. It is how your income is evidenced. Working through an agency, directly for an NHS trust bank, or via your own limited company gives you flexibility. However, standard automated underwriting often demands two to three years of digital tax calculations and tax year overviews before considering an application. The banks that understand mortgages for doctors are much more relaxed and are far more comfortable with locum income. Can GP Partners Get a Mortgage? Salaried GPs are usually assessed in a fairly straightforward way. This is similar to any employed professional. GP Partners are a different story. Your income is based on drawings and partnership accounts. Instead of waiting for years of personal tax history, specialist lenders will evaluate the historic certified accounts of the medical practice itself. If the surgery has been profitable for years, they will approve your loan. Yes, based on your projected share of the profits from year one. Can Consultants with Private Clinics Get a Mortgage? Consultants with private practice on top of NHS pay tend to get the best treatment from specialist lenders. Because their income is high and often growing. High-street banks use rigid, automated algorithms that often struggle with multi-source income (NHS pay + private practice profits). Specialist lenders, however, look at the stability of the medical profession. Generally, they are happy to offer higher income multiples (up to 5.5x or 6.5x). This is because medical revenue is highly reliable. Do Doctors Pay Tax On Mortgage Payments? No, doctors do not pay tax on personal residential mortgage payments. This is because a doctor pays their residential mortgage using income that has already been taxed. For a home you live in, mortgage payments (both the capital and the interest) are a personal expense. And they cannot be deducted from income tax. But the rules change if a doctor owns property for business purposes: GP Partners / Clinics: If the GP partnership holds a commercial mortgage on the practice building, the mortgage interest can typically be claimed as a deductible business expense. You can claim it against the practice’s profits before individual shares are distributed. Buy-to-Let Investments: If you own a residential rental property in your personal name, you cannot deduct mortgage interest from your rental income, receiving a 20% tax credit instead. However, if you purchase the investment property through a limited company, the mortgage interest remains fully deductible against corporate profits. What Documents Do Doctors Need For A Mortgage? Doctors applying for a mortgage need standard identification, deposit proof, and bank statements, alongside income verification tailored to their employment type. Lenders will typically ask for: Employed / NHS Doctors: Last 3 months of NHS payslips, P60, and your latest employment or training contract showing pay scale and rotation details. Locum Doctors: Last 3 to 6 months of invoices, corresponding bank statements, and tax year summaries if self-employed. GP Partners / Directors: 2 years of certified business accounts, official HMRC Tax Calculations with Tax Year Overviews, and your partnership agreement. Identity Checks: Passport, proof of address, GMC registration confirmation (where requested), and visa documents where applicable. The Bottom Line on Mortgages for Doctors Mortgages for doctors can be more flexible than many people expect, particularly where a lender understands NHS employment, fixed-term training, regular bank work and established private income. The main thing is not going it alone with a generic high street application. Get your income evidence sorted, find a lender or broker who actually understands what a banding payslip looks like, and the rest tends to fall into place. How CruseBurke Can Help CruseBurke healthcare accountants work with healthcare practices across the UK. Whether you need advice on mortgages for doctors or help with bookkeeping for healthcare, payroll for healthcare, and NHS pensions scheme, our team is here to guide you every step of the way. Get in touch with our team today to get your finances mortgage-ready! Disclaimer: This article “Mortgages …

How to Pay Yourself as a Clinic Owner (Best Methods)

Chris24/08/2026Healthcare accountants

How to pay yourself as a clinic owner depends mainly on how your clinic is structured. If you run a limited company, the smartest method you can take is to combine a low salary with high dividends. For a sole trader or partnership, you take the owner’s drawings directly from your profits. But there’s no single “best” way to pay yourself as a clinic owner. It genuinely depends on your setup, so read on before you decide anything. This guide breaks down the ways to pay yourself as a clinic owner for 2026/27! A quick note before we dive in. We work with healthcare professionals and clinic owners every day on exactly this question, so some of what follows comes from real conversations we’ve had with clients, not just theory. How To Pay Yourself as a Clinic Owner: 4 Main Ways When deciding how to pay yourself as a clinic owner, there are essentially four main routes to consider. They are often used in combination: Director’s salary through PAYE Dividends from company profits Pension contributions made by the company Directors’ loans (short-term, and need care) Let’s go through each one properly to see how a clinic owner salary and dividend payment option works in practice. 1. Salary Through PAYE Paying yourself a Director’s Salary through PAYE (Pay As You Earn) means your clinic operates as a limited company and pays you a regular wage. This means you receive a regular salary just like all other employees. This is the most straightforward method of paying yourself efficiently as a clinic owner. For the 2026/27 tax year, you can earn up to £12,570 before you pay any personal Income Tax. The government has frozen this limit until April 2028. However, if you take a salary, it will trigger National Insurance (NI) tax. Yes, your clinic will have to pay 15% employer NI on any salary above £5,000 a year. And because this threshold is so low, taking a higher salary has become more expensive for your business. To handle this, clinic owners generally choose one of two routes: The Pension Protection Route (£6,708 per year): This matches the Lower Earnings Limit. It is the minimum amount needed to secure your free UK State Pension credits without paying personal NI. Your clinic will owe a tiny employer NI bill of about £256 for the year. This is the best option for solo owners. The Max Tax-Free Route (£12,570 per year): This uses your full personal allowance. You pay £0 personal income tax, but your clinic will owe £1,135.50 in employer NI. Knowing about these thresholds is a massive part of mastering how to pay yourself as a clinic owner. The Employment Allowance Exception If your clinic employs other staff, your business might qualify for the Employment Allowance. In 2026/27, this allowance wipes out up to £10,500 of employer NI bills. If you qualify, you can safely take the full £12,570 salary because the allowance cancels out the business tax bill completely. Single-director clinics with no other staff cannot claim this. 2. Dividends Dividends are payments made to shareholders from the clinic’s after-tax profits. If you own the company, you can use dividends to top up your modest base salary. Unlike a regular salary, dividends do not trigger National Insurance. Because of this, dividends tend to be the more tax-efficient route once your salary covers the basics. It is a classic strategy when weighing up how to pay yourself as a clinic owner. To use this method legally, your clinic must actually be making a profit. You cannot pay dividends out of borrowed money or if the business is running at a loss. Here is how the dividend tax rules work for the 2026/27 tax year: The Tax-Free Allowance: You can take your first £500 in dividends completely tax-free. This allowance is separate from your personal salary allowance. The Basic Rate Band (10.75%): Any dividends you take above £500, up until your total personal income hits £50,270, are taxed at 10.75%. The Higher Rate Band (35.75%): Once your total personal income goes over £50,270, the dividend tax rate jumps to 35.75%. The Additional Rate Band (39.35%): For high-earning setups where your total personal income from all sources exceeds £125,140, any dividends above this threshold are taxed at the top rate of 39.35%. Important condition: You can only pay dividends out of actual business profits after accounting for Corporation Tax. You cannot take a dividend just because there is cash sitting in the clinic’s bank account. 3. Pension Contributions This one gets overlooked constantly, and it shouldn’t. Because for a lot of clinic owners it’s genuinely one of the most tax-efficient ways to pay yourself as a clinic owner. This is especially true once you’re comfortably into higher rate territory. Instead of taking cash out as personal income and investing it, your clinic, working as a limited company, can make pension contributions directly on your behalf. These count as an allowable business expense. Thus, it reduces your Corporation Tax bill and does not count as your personal income. So no Income Tax or National Insurance either. It is basically one of the few genuinely “free” tax reliefs left in the system. For the 2026/27 tax year, your company can contribute up to £60,000 per year into your pension tax-free. If you haven’t maxed out your pension in recent years, you can often “carry forward” unused allowances to contribute even more. You can do that from the previous three tax years. So pension contributions are more useful when you are thinking about how to pay yourself as a clinic owner over the longer term. Yes, especially if you want to build retirement savings while keeping some profits inside the business. 4. Director’s Loans A director’s loan is when you take money out of your clinic’s bank account that is not classified as salary, dividends, or an expense. You are effectively borrowing money from your own company. This isn’t really a long-term strategy to pay yourself as a clinic owner. It is actually more of a short-term cash flow tool. But still, it is worth mentioning because a lot of clinic owners …

Specialist Tax Advisors For Medical Professionals: UK 2026/27 Guide

Chris20/08/2026Healthcare accountants , tax

Specialist tax advisors for medical professionals are accountants who focus specifically on doctors, dentists, GPs, surgeons, nurses and other healthcare workers, rather than general practice clients. For medical professionals, they matter. Because a specialist understands NHS pay slips, locum income, private practice, and pension tax traps in a way a generalist accountant often doesn’t. This guide covers why specialist tax advice for UK medical professionals is important! Why Do Medical Professionals Need Specialist Tax Advice? If you are a doctor, a surgeon, or a regular locum GP, you might have a primary NHS contract. You probably do some private clinic consultations on the side. You might even have a lectureship or a bit of clinical research funding. Every single one of these income sources can be taxed differently. The records needed can differ too. That is precisely why you need a dedicated partner to keep things straight and why specialist tax advisors for medical professionals can be useful. Who Can Benefit From Specialist Tax Advisors For Medical Professionals? Specialist tax advisors supporting UK medical professionals can help people at different stages of their career. NHS consultants with private practice income GP partners and salaried GPs Locum doctors working through agencies or directly for practices Dentists, associates and practice owners Pharmacists and pharmacy business owners Nurses, advanced clinical practitioners and healthcare contractors Therapists, psychologists and allied health professionals Medical practice owners and clinic directors Healthcare professionals with rental income or investments Retiring clinicians considering pension, succession or practice-sale issues The right advice, of course, will depend on how you work. That is where specialist tax advisors supporting UK medical professionals can provide more than just annual tax return preparation. What Can Specialist Tax Advisors for Medical Professionals Help With? A medical tax adviser may help with several parts of your financial and tax affairs, depending on your circumstances. This is where specialist tax advisors for medical professionals can be particularly useful. 1. Managing NHS and Private Income One of the most common reasons doctors go looking for specialist tax advisors for medical professionals is that they want someone who can manage the NHS and private income for them. NHS employment income is generally dealt with through PAYE, while private professional income may need to be reported through Self Assessment. If you mix a regular salary with self-employed income, your tax codes can easily get completely messed up. That is why working with specialist tax advisors is important. Expert tax advisors serving medical professionals UK look at both sides of your earnings together. They make sure that your NHS tax codes are accurate. They also calculate your private profits correctly. 2. Managing NHS Pension Growth and Annual Allowance Limits The NHS Pension Scheme is valuable, but calculating its growth for tax purposes is not that easy. In fact, it is quite difficult. In 2026/27, the pension annual allowance is £60,000, but HMRC evaluates the mathematical growth of your benefits rather than your cash contributions. Specialist tax advisors check your Pension Savings Statement properly each year They monitor your pension growth and identify spikes that are triggered by pay scale shifts or extra sessions. Also, they guide you on using options like “Scheme Pays” so that you do not have to pay large tax bills out of pocket. 3. Claiming Full Tax Relief on Mandatory Professional Expenses Here are the main things specialist tax advisors for medical professionals claim for you: Professional Registrations: GMC fees, BMA membership, and Royal College dues. Medical Defence Fees: MDU, MPS, or MDDUS indemnity insurance premiums. Exams and Training: Fees for mandatory postgraduate training exams like MRCP, FRCS, or RCGP. Work Mileage and Travel: Travel between different hospital sites or home visits during locum work. Uniforms and Equipment: Stethoscopes, clinical gear, and washing your scrubs. The best part is that you can claim back for the current tax year and the four previous tax years. If you have never claimed before, specialist tax advisors for medical professionals can help you with it. 4. Evading the Hidden 60% Income Tax Trap If your total income goes over £100,000, you step into one of the most expensive tax traps in the UK tax system. For every £2 you earn above £100,000, you lose £1 of your £12,570 tax-free personal allowance. Because you are paying 40% income tax on that money and losing your allowance at the same time, your real tax rate jumps up to 60% on income between £100,000 and £125,140. A good medical tax advisor monitors your income during the year. They show you safe and legal ways that can help you bring your adjusted income back below £100,000. For example by adjusting your pension contributions or shifting the timing of your private billings. How Can Specialist Tax Advisors Help Dentists and Dental Professionals? Dentists can have several different working arrangements. You could be: an associate dentist a self-employed dentist a practice partner a practice owner a company director someone combining NHS and private dental work A specialist tax advisor can help with the tax consequences of your particular structure. For practice owners, advice may also cover Corporation Tax, payroll, dividends, equipment, business expenses and VAT where relevant. For associates and self-employed dentists, the focus may be more on income, expenses, Self Assessment and tax planning. How Do You Choose the Right Specialist Tax Advisors for Medical Professionals? Before choosing an adviser, ask a few straightforward questions. Do they regularly work with doctors? Experience with ordinary self-employed clients is not necessarily the same as experience with NHS doctors. Do they understand the NHS and private income? This is one of the most common issues medical professionals face. So the tax advisor you hire must understand the NHS and private income. Do they understand NHS pension tax? If your pension is significant, you must ask them if they regularly deal with annual allowance calculations and related tax issues. Do they work with GP partnerships? This is really important if you are a GP partner or practice owner. Can they advise on companies? If you are considering incorporation, you want someone who …