01Accounts and tax returns
Year-end accounts and Self Assessment or company returns for prison doctors, filed on time.
02Fixed-fee advice through the year
Questions answered by your named accountant, without the clock running.
03Making Tax Digital
Compatible software set up and quarterly updates filed where MTD applies.
04NHS pension tax
Annual allowance and taper calculations, with Scheme Pays guidance where a charge arises.
Your questions, answered
- What does an accountant for prison doctors do?
- An accountant for prison doctors prepares your accounts and tax returns, keeps you compliant with HMRC deadlines and advises on the decisions specific to your work: how income is structured, which expenses are allowable, VAT where it applies and, for NHS scheme members, pension tax. At Medical.Accountants the work is quoted as a fixed monthly fee, agreed in writing before we start.
- Are prison doctors employed or self-employed?
- Employment status depends on the real working relationship: who controls the work, whether you can send a substitute, whether you carry financial risk and how integrated you are. A contract label alone does not decide it. HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool and case law set the tests, and getting it wrong can leave the engager owing PAYE.
- Is prison GP work inside IR35?
- For locum engagements with NHS bodies, the hirer must decide IR35 status and issue a Status Determination Statement; the small-company exemption does not apply to public bodies. The test looks at control, substitution and mutuality of obligation in the actual working arrangement. You can ask the hirer to review a determination you disagree with, and it must respond within 45 days.
- How much does an accountant for prison doctors cost?
- Our packages for prison doctors start at £45.83 + VAT a month, with Core at £62.50 and Growth at £75 + VAT. The right package depends on your income sources, whether you trade through a company and any payroll, VAT or pension work. We confirm the exact fee in writing before any work begins, so there are no surprise invoices.
- Do prison doctors need to comply with Making Tax Digital?
- Making Tax Digital for Income Tax applies from 6 April 2026 to sole traders and landlords whose qualifying income (gross self-employment plus property income) is over £50,000, falling to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. PAYE salary does not count. Prison doctors trading through a limited company or a partnership are not brought in yet. We set up compatible software and file the quarterly updates for you.
General information for the 2026/27 tax year, prepared from the official guidance linked below. It is not personalised tax or regulated financial advice. Rules and circumstances can change; confirm your position before acting.
Official sources referred to on this page: HMRC: claim tax relief for job expenses (P87); HMRC approved professional bodies list (List 3); NHSBSA Pension Savings Statements; HMRC tax codes guidance.
Official guidance
