Finding an accountant who actually gets locum GP work

You don’t need a medical-specialist accountant to survive as a locum. But the right one makes locum life noticeably easier — and the wrong one can cost you more in missed allowances than their fee ever saves you.

Why “generalist” sometimes isn’t enough

A perfectly good general accountant might not know that home-to-practice mileage has its own quirks for locums, or that NHS pension contributions interact with your tax position, or that Form A and Form B exist at all. None of that makes them bad at their job — it just means locum GP work isn’t their bread and butter, and you might end up explaining your own situation to them rather than the other way round.

Questions worth asking before you sign up

• “Do you currently work with any locum GPs or other medical locums?” — not a dealbreaker if the answer’s no, but worth knowing.
• “How do you usually handle mileage for someone travelling between multiple practices?”
• “Are you familiar with how NHS Pension Scheme contributions affect a self-employed doctor’s tax position?”
• “What’s included in your fee, and what counts as extra?” (Some charge more for MTD quarterly submissions than a traditional annual return — worth knowing upfront, not in month four.)
• “How do you prefer to receive records — spreadsheet, export, direct access to something?”

What to bring to the first conversation

Turn up with a rough picture, not a perfect one: how many sessions a month, roughly what you’re earning, whether you’re pensioning your locum income, and whether you’re sole trader or thinking about a limited company. You don’t need to have it all figured out — a decent accountant will help you figure out the rest, that’s the point of hiring one.

The bit that makes their job (and your bill) easier

However good your accountant is, they can only work with what you give them. Locums who track sessions, mileage, and expenses throughout the year — rather than reconstructing it all from memory in January — tend to get a smoother, cheaper, less stressful experience out of their accountant relationship. It’s the same records either way; the only question is whether you built them gradually or all at once under deadline pressure.

This isn’t a recommendation for any specific accountant or firm — just a starting point for the conversation. The right fit depends on your situation.