Accountants for Locum Doctors, GPs and Hospital Locums
Locum work gives you flexibility. It also gives you three or four income sources, pension forms with deadlines and a tax return that never looks like anyone else's. Phinch's accountants for locum doctors look after GP locums, hospital locums and doctors mixing NHS, agency and private work across Weston-super-Mare, Bristol, Bath and the rest of the UK, so your finances stay clear while you focus on patients.
Built around locum work
We know the difference between a GP locum session, an agency shift, trust bank work and out-of-hours cover, and how each one is taxed.
NHS pension, done properly
Locum forms A and B, the 10-week rule and annual allowance checks, so pensionable income is not lost and charges do not arrive as a surprise.
Clear, practical guidance
No jargon. Straight answers on whether a limited company is worth it, what you can claim and how much to put aside each month.
Local and remote
Based in Weston-super-Mare, close to Weston General, Southmead, the BRI and Musgrove Park, and working online with locums across the UK.
Sole trader, limited company or umbrella?
The right structure depends on the kind of locum work you do, not on what a colleague did. There is no single answer, and the wrong choice can cost you NHS pension or leave you paying to run a company that IR35 stops you from using.
| Self-employed (sole trader) | Your own limited company | Agency PAYE or umbrella | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical for | GP locum sessions, some out-of-hours and private work | Private practice, non-NHS consultancy, medico-legal work | Hospital locum shifts through an agency or trust bank |
| NHS pension | Yes. GP locum income can be pensioned via forms A and B | No. income earned through a company is not NHS-pensionable | Trust bank: yes. Agency or umbrella: usually no, a workplace pension instead |
| IR35 | Does not apply, there is no intermediary | Applies. NHS bodies decide status and most locum work is deemed inside, so PAYE is deducted anyway | Already PAYE |
| Admin | Self Assessment, records, payments on account, MTD quarterly updates | Company accounts, Corporation Tax, payroll, dividends, plus your own Self Assessment | Payslips. Check deductions, holiday pay and what the umbrella charges |
| Best when | Most of your work is GP locum or self-employed and you want the NHS pension | A meaningful share of income is private or outside IR35 | Short-term hospital cover with no other income to plan around |
A note on IR35 and off-payroll working
Since 2017, NHS trusts and other public bodies have been responsible for deciding whether a locum working through a personal service company is inside or outside IR35. In practice, almost all agency locum shifts are deemed inside, which means tax and National Insurance are deducted before the money reaches your company. That removes most of the benefit of incorporating for hospital work. If you are a self-employed GP locum with no company, IR35 is simply not your problem.
The NHS Pension Scheme for locum doctors
GP locums: forms A and B and the 10-week rule
Freelance GP locums in England and Wales can pension their locum earnings, but only if the paperwork is done. Each practice completes a Locum Form A with you for the work carried out, you summarise the month on Form B and pay both the employee and employer contributions to PCSE (or your Local Health Board in Wales). Forms must be submitted within 10 weeks of the work being completed, regardless of when the practice pays you. Miss that window and the income cannot be pensioned. PCSE makes no exceptions, and it cannot be added back later.
Mixing salaried and locum work
If you also hold a salaried GP post, you will need an annual Type 2 self-assessment certificate as well as the locum forms. We reconcile both to your accounts so the figures agree with what NHS Pensions holds.
Annual allowance and tapering
The standard annual allowance is £60,000 for 2026/27. If your threshold income is over £200,000 and your adjusted income is over £260,000, it tapers by £1 for every £2 above £260,000, down to a floor of £10,000. NHS pension growth is measured on the increase in your benefits rather than what you paid in, which is why a busy year can trigger a charge even though your contributions felt modest. We review your pension savings statement each year, tell you whether a charge is due and whether Scheme Pays is the sensible option.
Umbrella and agency pensions
Agency and umbrella work usually comes with an auto-enrolment workplace pension rather than NHS membership. Small, scattered pots are easy to lose track of; we list them on your annual review so nothing is forgotten.
What locum doctors can claim
Most locums under-claim because nobody has told them what counts. A few also over-claim travel, which is where HMRC looks first. Here is the short version.
Usually allowable
- GMC registration fee and revalidation costs
- Medical indemnity (MDU, MPS, MDDUS) and professional insurance
- BMA and royal college subscriptions on HMRC's approved list
- CPD courses and conferences that maintain existing skills
- Equipment: stethoscope, diagnostic kit, laptop and software
- A proportion of home office and phone costs
- Travel between two workplaces on the same day
- Accountancy fees
Needs care
- Travel from home to a hospital or practice you attend regularly. HMRC treats this as commuting, and won the Samadian case on exactly this point
- Exams and courses that give you a new qualification rather than maintain one
- Ordinary clothing, even if only worn at work
- Meals, unless you are genuinely travelling away from your normal pattern
- Anything with a private use element. Claim the business proportion only
NI when you have several jobs
Every employer deducts Class 1 National Insurance as if they were your only employer. With two or three PAYE roles plus self-employed profits, it is common to pay more than the annual maximum without realising. HMRC does not always refund this automatically. We check the position every year, reclaim any overpayment and, where you know in advance that you will exceed the limit, apply for deferment on form CA72A so the deduction stops at source.
Self-employed locum profits also carry Class 4 National Insurance, paid through your Self Assessment. We build it into your quarterly estimates so it never lands as a surprise.
Accountancy services for locum doctors and GPs
Everything below is available on a fixed monthly fee, agreed up front, with a named accountant who knows your file.
Self Assessment tax returns
NHS PAYE, agency work, locum sessions and private income brought together in one accurate Self Assessment tax return, with payments on account explained and diarised.
Limited company accounts and Corporation Tax
Where a company is the right answer, we run the year-end accounts, Corporation Tax return, confirmation statement and your director's tax return together.
Payroll and dividends
Director's payroll and a salary-and-dividend plan that reflects your other PAYE income rather than a generic template.
NHS pension forms and annual allowance
Locum forms A and B, Type 2 certificates and an annual allowance review each year, with Scheme Pays advice when a charge is due.
Expenses review
A line-by-line review of what you can claim, what you cannot and what needs evidence, so your return is generous but defensible.
Quarterly tax estimates
A short update every quarter on what you will owe and what to set aside. No January shocks.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
MTD now applies if your gross self-employed income is over £50,000, dropping to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. We set up the software and file the quarterly updates for you.
Switching accountant
We contact your previous accountant, collect the records and pick up mid-year without you chasing anyone.
A simple, three-step way of working
No complicated onboarding and no unnecessary admin. Just a clear process designed to understand how you work, organise your finances and support you through the year.
Talk
A free, no-obligation call to understand your mix of NHS, agency, locum and private work, your pension position and how your records are kept today.
Plan
We agree the right structure and the right level of support, from a single Self Assessment to a company with payroll, on a fixed fee agreed up front.
Support
We keep your returns, pension forms and deadlines organised, send quarterly tax estimates and are on the end of the phone when a rota changes your plans.
Locum nurses, pharmacists, consultants and other clinicians
The same issues apply well beyond doctors: several income sources, agency PAYE alongside self-employed work, NI on multiple jobs and professional expenses. We work with locum nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and allied health professionals too.
Looking for an accountant for a hospital consultant doing private practice? You are in the right place. If you are a management or IT consultant, our accountants for consultants page is the one you want.
Accountants for dentists and dental associates
Associate self-employed status, NHS superannuation, locum dentists and limited companies for private fee income.
Hair & beautySelf-employed practitioners in hair and beauty
Chair rental, cash and card takings, VAT on retail products and Making Tax Digital for sole traders.
All sectorsSector-specific accountancy support
Every sector we work with, from healthcare and consultants to trades, hospitality and tech, in one place.
Common questions from locum doctors
Sometimes, but not by default. Locum GP income earned through a company cannot be pensioned in the NHS Pension Scheme, and most agency hospital locum work is treated as inside IR35, so PAYE is deducted anyway. A company tends to suit doctors with private or non-NHS income. We run the numbers on your actual mix of work before recommending anything.
They apply when you work through your own limited company for an NHS body or agency. Public-sector off-payroll rules mean the trust or agency decides your status, and most locum shifts are deemed inside IR35 with tax deducted at source. If you are a self-employed GP locum with no company, IR35 does not apply to you.
It depends on the pattern of your work. HMRC has successfully argued that travel from home to a hospital or practice you attend regularly is ordinary commuting and not allowable, even for locums. Travel between two workplaces on the same day, or to a genuinely one-off location, is usually claimable. Keep a log and we will apply the rules to your diary.
Each practice completes a Locum Form A with you for the work done, you summarise the month on Form B and pay both the employee and employer contributions to PCSE (or your Local Health Board in Wales). Forms must be submitted within 10 weeks of the work being completed, regardless of when the practice pays you. Miss that window and the income cannot be pensioned. We prepare the forms, track the deadline and reconcile the contributions to your accounts.
Yes. The same issues apply: multiple income sources, agency PAYE alongside self-employed work, NI on several jobs and professional expenses. We work with locum nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and other allied health professionals as well as doctors.
For self-employed locum profits, a working rule is 30 to 40 percent once you are a higher-rate taxpayer, remembering payments on account fall due in January and July. Rather than guess, we send you a quarterly estimate based on your real income so the figure you put aside is the figure you will owe.
Testimonials
What our clients say about us
Request a free consultation
Tell us how you work and we will tell you, plainly, what structure and support makes sense. No obligation, no sales script.
Call: 01934 404000
Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00
Office: 505 Park Way, Worle, Weston-super-Mare BS22 6WA
You will be looked after by our UK tax team and meet the people who will actually do the work.
