Self-employed Pharmacy Locum

niceguy_tourist

Hi!

I am thinking of becoming a Locum Pharmacist which would me I would be self-employed. Does anyone have any tips for becoming a self-employed Locum Pharmacist and what to look out for. Also if would you be able to give me an idea of what to charge for mileage ect.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Sam_26

Speak to an accountant and they will probably advice you to set up a limited company. Most the locums who work for us, trade via a Ltd Company. Pitfalls are higher accountancy charges and statutory declarations and paperwork filing.

Benefits are a lower rate of corporation tax and able to take money out as dividends and salary.

Other altermative is self-employed locum, where you pay normal tax rates, so are no better off than an employee when you take into account holidays and sickness.

Need to be careful you don't get caught out by IR35 though, as did the IT contractors.

digp

what is ir35?

sam: do you run a locum pharamcy agency?

Sam_26

I don't run an agency, but was a locum myself for a while. IR35 is where the IT consultants when from employed to self-employed by the same company and the Inland Revenue deemed it as still employment, as they where still working with the same perks and in the same location.

In other words, a locum should be mobile, in different locations and different employers.

soolin

It's a bit 'off field' but you might want to see if your local PCT (Primary Care Trust) has any locum schemes that might work for you.

My one operates both GP and pharmacy locum schemes where finding the vacancies and a lot of the paperwork is fed through the PCT. It's a similair, but not identical scheme, to the bank agencies for clinical staff where people that need a session covered call the main manager and he finds a locum to cover.

Soo

jimladin

i was a locum last year. The most important advice i could give is to keep a detailed diary of where you worked and how much you earned each day. Most of the time i was phoned directly by pharmacy managers looking for cover. It's amazing how quickly your name and number spreads when you care about your work and do a good job (not blowing my own trumpet ).

You can also write of some expenses on your tax return, so it is very important to keep receipts! Things that were allowed by the tax man to be written off included: work clothes, petrol, part of my mortgage payments, internet access costs etc.

During my six months of locuming i had a good time in the majority of cases. There were some nightmare days, but i just saw those days out and anytime that that particular place called i was always "booked-up for that date".

nads

A friend of mine is a pharmacy locum and so his friend, they have ahuge folder full full of every thing they spent and every place they went, as jim has said, keep a diary with you and don't forget to chase up the "places" taht don't pay.

My friend has had a rough pay deal with Boots everytime but it's proably jsut abd luck, you don't really want to blow off Boots the chemist!