NHS Pension, GP partnership and locum tax guides
Six reference guides for UK doctors, each covering one area end to end rather than skimming several. The NHS Pension annual allowance and the taper. GP partnership accounts, profit allocation and notional rent. Consultant private practice tax. The locum limited company, umbrella and sole trader comparison. What medical expenses HMRC actually accepts. And IR35 for locums, including who issues the determination. Every figure is tagged to a tax year, and nothing here is generic small-business tax advice with the word doctor added.
NHS Pension Calculator Guide for Doctors: Pension Annual Allowance, Accrual and Increases
This guide explains how an NHS pension is built up and increased, not how the annual allowance charge is worked out. An NHS pension is calculated from your section's accrual rate: 1/80th of final pensionable pay for each year of service in the 1995 section, 1/60th in the 2008 section, and 1/54th of each year's earnings in the 2015 section. The 2015 slices are then revalued at CPI plus 1.5% while you stay active. Every active member has built up in the 2015 section since 1 April 2022. The annual allowance arithmetic itself, including the taper and the year by year allowance history, belongs to the NHS pension annual allowance calculator linked at the end.
Consultant Private Practice Tax: A Complete Guide
Managing NHS salary alongside private practice income creates a complex tax picture. This guide covers the right income treatment, when to incorporate your private practice, medico-legal work, and NHS pension planning for consultants.
GP Partnership Accounts: What Every GP Partner Needs to Know
GP partnership accounts are more complex than most accountants assume. This guide covers profit allocation, NHS superannuation, notional rent, the basis period reform, and how individual partners file their tax returns.
Locum Doctor: Limited Company vs Umbrella vs Sole Trader
The choice between limited company, umbrella, and sole trader determines how much of your locum income you keep. This guide explains when each structure wins, how IR35 interacts with the decision, and what the real take-home difference looks like.
Medical Expenses: What Doctors Can Claim on Tax
Expense claims are where a doctor's return most often falls short. This guide lists what HMRC accepts for GPs, consultants, locums, and junior doctors, with the supporting rules and common pitfalls.
IR35 for Locum Doctors: Status, Risk, and Practical Guidance
IR35 is one of the most misunderstood areas of locum doctor tax. This guide explains how the tests apply to medical engagements, what the NHS agency SDS process means for you, and what to do if you receive an inside-IR35 determination.
Free calculators
Free calculators for UK doctors
Use these alongside the guides to put numbers on the position. The figure appears on the page, and the one ask before it is skippable.
- NHS Pension Annual Allowance CalculatorTapered allowance and any charge on your pension growth, from your NHSBSA statement figures.
- Locum Doctor Tax CalculatorNet take-home and the tax bill on locum income, including student loan repayment.
- Private Practice Incorporation CalculatorSole trader against limited company take-home on private practice income.
- NHS Pension Scheme Pays CalculatorWhether the mandatory test is met, and what a Scheme Pays election costs the pension.
- GP Partner Drawings PlannerDrawings against profit share, superannuation and the tax a partner has to set aside.
By role
Find advice for your role
Every type of UK medical professional reads a different half of this library. Choose your role for the guidance written for it.
GP Partners & Salaried GPs
Partnership accounts, NHS pension, GP self-assessment
Hospital Consultants
NHS salary, private practice, medico-legal income
Locum Doctors
IR35 status, locum tax returns, Ltd vs umbrella
Junior Doctors
Locum shifts, student loans, training expenses
GP Partners
Profit share and drawings, Type 1 certificate, buy-in and exit
Salaried GPs
Locum sessions alongside a salaried post, Type 2 form, 10-week pension window
NHS Doctors
NHS pay, pension input, private or locum income in one return
Retiring Doctors
Partial retirement, retire and return, annual allowance and Scheme Pays
Medical Limited Companies
Salary against dividends, IR35, director's loan account, closing down
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