FAQ: What is NASGP’s ‘locum rates calculator’?
Complete NASGP’s locum rates calculator to help you work out your baseline hourly or sessional locum rate. Once you’ve done this, you can then tailor the rate according to your experience, skills and different practices you work in.
Two main factors influence the rates you should charge GP practices as a GP locum: what seems fair, given the costs you incur, and the market rate for someone with your experience, providing the service you offer. All these things affect how much you can earn as a GP locum.
Our locum rates calculator covers the first of these, taking into account all the expenses you have to pay – such as professional memberships, NHS appraisal, and accountancy and tax advice.
The second factor – market rate – is more difficult to define. The BMA used to publish suggested rates, but no longer does this due to legal concerns about anti-competitive behaviour (see below).
Other factors affect rates too. These could include skills and experience, how much notice the GP locum gets before the practice books them, and local supply and demand. You’ll probably need to weigh up many influences when deciding your rate.
Join NASGP’s free three-month trial for news and advice on GP locum work.
How our locum rate calculator works
Read our full article for advice on how to decide your rates.
If it seems too difficult to balance all these factors – and you can’t ask other GP locums, given the legal difficulties of discussing rates with colleagues – you could base your rates on what you’d expect to earn for the same workload in a fairly paid salaried post. Include an allowance for your professional and personal running costs, and for leave (annual, sick and study) and this should help you arrive at a ballpark sessional or hourly rate. This is basically how our locum rates calculator works.
"Since joining NASGP Locum Chambers I have noted a positive change which I feel has made a significant contribution in both my professional and personal life.
LocumDeck's booking system puts me in touch with a large number of surgeries. I work part-time and the software is intricately tailored to facilitate working at my pace and choice.
In addition, I have access to the NASGP Locum Chambers' supporting infrastructure such as the Chambers Manager through whom all my admin work (like generating invoices and pension forms) is organised. In the past this felt like a load. Now I feel that my time is 'freed up' and so I have a better work-life balance. Working with NASGP Locum Chambers has simplified my life."
Dr Smita Iyer, GP, Essex