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How An Accountant Can Help Doctors To Save Thousands on Taxes
Kausik MukherjeeAccounting
Doctors in the UK lead hectic lives. They have to often juggle between long shifts, emergency calls, and patient care. This left them with little time to manage their taxes. Moreover, the tax rules are complex and with their NHS pensions and earnings from private practice, it becomes overwhelming to handle their finances. However, they can benefit significantly from working with an experienced accountant. So, if you are also a doctor in the UK, know the multiple ways an accountant can help you save thousands on your overall taxes.
Suggest the Best Tax-efficient Structure
As a doctor, you can be a self-employed practitioner, someone working in partnership with other doctors or running a limited to deliver healthcare services. Now, while working as a self-employed practitioner may have less administrative burden, it is not tax-efficient.
An experienced accountant can advise on whether to operate as a sole trader or a limited company for tax efficiency. They can suggest the best tax-efficient structure to you. For example, partnerships are ideal for NHS GP practices and forming a limited company can prove more tax-efficient for high-earning private doctors.
Claim All Allowable Expenses
Do you know you may be entitled to claim expenses such as your training and CPD costs, your travel costs for conferences or your costs related to medical equipment and uniforms? You can claim many more expenses. An accountant can help you identify the deductions that you are missing and will claim expenses to ensure that your taxable income becomes less.
Take Care of Pension Contributions and Tax Relief
As a doctor, you must know that additional pension contributions offer tax advantages. Accountants help by ensuring that your pension contributions never exceed the annual allowance as this may attract excess tax charges. He can advise on the best pension strategy for maximizing your tax savings.
Manage IR35 Legislation
If you are a doctor working as a locum or through a limited company, you may already know that IR35 legislation is crucial. An accountant helps to determine the IR35 status and eliminates the chances of any penalties. He will structure your contracts and earnings to keep you compliant and, at the same time, will reduce your tax liabilities.
Reduce Tax on Property Investments
Many doctors invest in property, and maybe you are also doing the same. An accountant can help choose the best tax structure for buy-to-let properties. He can even help you make the most of capital gain tax allowances when you sell your property.
VAT and Tax Planning
Some doctors running private clinics or working in the private sector require expert VAT and tax planning advice. An accountant helps them manage their VAT exemptions on certain medical services and also determine whether VAT registration is necessary or not.
Avoid Common Tax Mistakes
Doctors are not very aware of the tax intricacies. They are also less aware of the changes in tax regulations. As a doctor, you may be encountering problems like not maintaining an effective record-keeping practice. An accountant ensures accurate tax returns by effective record keeping and prevents HMRC penalties.
With complex tax rules and potential savings at stake, doctors can thus benefit significantly by hiring an experienced accountant. So, whether it is about optimizing tax structures, claiming expenses, or avoiding common mistakes, an experienced accountant can save thousands of pounds each year. If you are a doctor looking to reduce your tax bill, contact Coreadviz for expert guidance tailored to your medical profession.