Reduce tax. Avoid surprises. Get clarity over your finances. Specialist support for locum doctors, GPs and healthcare professionals. Self Assessment & Tax Returns Tax Planning for Higher Earners NHS Pension Guidance Expense Reviews & Savings Limited Company Advice Fixed Monthly Fees
Many locum doctors come to us because they are experiencing one or more of these challenges.
You earn a good income but still get surprised by HMRC.
Personal allowance tapering, childcare issues and higher tax rates can become expensive.
Unsure how pension contributions affect your tax position.
Agency work, NHS shifts and private practice can make tax planning complex.
Not sure whether operating through a company would benefit you.
Many doctors fail to claim legitimate expenses and allowances.
Most accounting firms treat locum doctors like any other self-employed client. They miss NHS pension annual allowance traps, fail to capture medical-specific expenses, and don’t understand the interaction between PAYE and self-employed income. AccTek is built differently.
A dedicated accountant who understands your work pattern, knows your financial goals and provides advice tailored to your situation — not generic templated returns.
Annual allowance calculations, tapered allowance modelling, Scheme Pays elections and pension top-up guidance. We understand the pension rules that most accountants don’t.
NHS PAYE plus self-employed locum income plus private work — we ensure correct allocation, tax code management and reporting across all your income sources.
We model your PAYE income, locum earnings, pension position and expenses to minimise your tax bill legally — not just file what you give us at year-end.
Email queries answered the same working day — between shifts, not next week. A responsive accountant who is there when you need answers.
Digital record-keeping, quarterly submissions and software guidance included. Whether MTD ITSA applies to you now or from 2027, your setup is already compliant.
Penny is the AI assistant inside the AccTek Finance Lab. Message her like you'd text a colleague and she answers from your real, reconciled Xero numbers — in seconds, any time. She understands NHS pension rules, mixed PAYE and locum income, and the UK tax complexities that come with your work, and she knows exactly where her job ends and your accountant's begins.
Real questions locum doctors ask — answered from your own live numbers.
Illustrative examples · Penny answers; your chartered accountant signs off.
“Finally an accountant who understands NHS pensions. They calculated my annual allowance position, identified a Scheme Pays option I didn’t know about, and saved me from an unexpected tax charge.”
Dr Sarah — Locum GP, 2 years with AccTek
“Switching to AccTek was painless. They handled everything with my old accountant and had Xero set up within a week. I can see my expenses and tax position in real time between shifts.”
Dr James — Hospital Locum, 1 year with AccTek
“I was doing locum shifts with multiple trusts, not claiming expenses. Godwin helped me get a refund of thousands of pounds — plus thousands more saved in annual NHS pension allowance charges.”
Dr Amrit Kaur — Locum Doctor
Verified review on GoogleEvery AccTek package includes a named chartered accountant, proactive tax planning, NHS pension guidance, Xero setup and same-day email support. Your exact fee depends on your structure and turnover — get a personalised quote in under two minutes.
From first contact to fully managed accounts in under two weeks — here is what the process looks like:
Hi, I’m Godwin.
After spending years leading finance functions in large organisations, I met my now partner who works in the medical field. I realised how busy medics are saving lives that finance and tax takes a back seat. My partner had never claimed any expenses and was on the wrong tax code while working with multiple trusts.
Being an accountant, I felt this is a problem worth solving. At AccTek our approach combines professional expertise with modern systems to deliver proactive support at minimal cost.
For locum doctors, that means clearer financial decisions, fewer surprises and more confidence in your finances. We are more than simply filing returns.
Godwin
Godwin
Founder & Chartered Accountant
Most locum doctors we work with are switching from another firm — not starting from scratch. If your current accountant doesn’t understand NHS pensions, misses medical-specific expenses, or only contacts you at year-end, you deserve better.
We catch up any outstanding filings from your previous accountant at no extra charge. If your Self Assessment deadline is approaching, we prioritise getting your return filed on time.
Every locum doctor’s situation is different. We support:
Whether you operate as a sole trader or through a limited company, we ensure compliance and optimisation across all your income sources.
Specialist services tailored to medical professionals — everything you need, nothing you don’t.
We correct tax codes, ensure proper expense deductions, navigate NHS pension complexity and address IR35 concerns. The result: reduced tax and clarity over your finances.
PAYE income from NHS employment, self-employed locum income and private work — we ensure correct allocation, reporting and optimisation across all income sources.
Guidance on NHS pension contributions, annual allowance calculations, interaction with self-employed earnings and pension tax planning.
We ensure you correctly claim travel between practices, professional indemnity insurance, GMC registration fees, royal college subscriptions and use-of-home costs.
Monthly or quarterly bookkeeping, expense tracking automation, clear deadline reminders and predictable monthly pricing. Self Assessment, MTD quarterly updates and Corporation Tax if applicable.
Guides, tax tips and pension advice written specifically for UK locum doctors and GPs.
The Doctor’s Guide to Financial Health: 5 Common Tax Mistakes and How to Prevent Them (2026/27 Edition) Hello,…
Read more →
The NHS Pension for Locum Doctors: A Financial Prescription for 2026/27 Hello, medical masterminds! 🩺 As a Chartered…
Read more →
Hello again, medical movers and shakers! 🩺 As a Chartered Accountant who specializes in keeping doctors on the…
Read more →
The £100k Doctor Tax Trap: How to Diagnose and Treat Your 60% Effective Tax Rate (2026/27 Edition) Congratulations!…
Read more →
The Locum Doctor’s Prescription for Tax Savings: A Guide to Allowable Expenses (2026/27 Edition) Hello, wonderful healthcare heroes!…
Read more →
Should Locum Doctors Use a Limited Company in 2026? Ah, the age-old medical dilemma. Stethoscope or corporate seal?…
Read more →Deep-dive guides and specialist tools for every aspect of locum doctor finances.
Click any section below to expand the full guide.
Contracting as a locum doctor means navigating a web of tax rules that simply do not apply to permanently employed NHS staff. Mixed PAYE and self-employed income, NHS pension annual allowance calculations, GMC and BMA fee deductions, mileage between temporary workplaces and IR35 considerations all require accountants who understand the locum doctor landscape.
A generalist accountant handles Self Assessment returns but misses the details that matter for medical professionals. A specialist locum doctor accountant does that and proactively structures your affairs to minimise your tax bill legally, ensures your NHS pension contributions are optimised, and keeps you compliant with Making Tax Digital before HMRC enforces it.
AccTek provides specialist accounting built specifically for locum doctors:
Whether you work through agencies, multiple NHS trusts or your own limited company, AccTek keeps you compliant and tax-efficient with proactive, year-round support from qualified professionals.
HMRC’s “wholly and exclusively” rule is the test: an expense must be incurred entirely for business purposes. Common locum doctor expenses include:
For a comprehensive list with HMRC references, read our ultimate allowable expense checklist for 2026/27.
NHS pension contributions reduce your taxable income, but high earners face an annual allowance charge if total pension growth exceeds £60,000 per year in 2026/27. For locum doctors with adjusted income above £260,000, the tapered annual allowance can reduce this limit to as low as £10,000.
The calculation is complex because NHS pension growth is measured differently from money-purchase schemes — it uses “pension input amount” based on the increase in the value of your accrued benefits, not just your contributions. This means a pay rise or additional sessions can trigger a charge even without increasing your contributions.
AccTek calculates your annual allowance position, manages Scheme Pays elections where needed, and helps you plan pension contributions to avoid unexpected charges. Use our NHS Pension Calculator to estimate your position.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA) became mandatory from April 2026 for anyone with qualifying income above £50,000. Many locum doctors with self-employed locum income above this threshold must now keep digital records and submit quarterly updates to HMRC.
From April 2027, the threshold drops to £30,000, bringing significantly more locum doctors into scope. Note that NHS PAYE income alone does not count towards the MTD threshold — only self-employment and property income. But if you have locum self-employment income plus rental income, both count.
AccTek manages your MTD registration, quarterly digital submissions, End of Period Statement and Final Declaration as part of your monthly fee. Visit our MTD knowledge hub for a complete guide.
Fixed monthly fees. Dedicated accountant. NHS pension expertise. Get your instant quote in under two minutes.
Kishan Kedia ICAI, CAMS is a specialist accountant at AccTek with 20+ years of experience in locum doctor tax, NHS pension annual allowance, landlord tax, Section 24 planning and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. He holds the ICAI qualification and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
AccTek is a member firm of the Institute of Certified Practising Accountants (ICPA). Our accountants have a wide range of qualifications and accreditations from trusted professional bodies such as the AAT, ICPA, and ACCA.