Specialist dental accountants
Dental accountants for UK practices, principals and associates
We work only with dentists. Every client is a dental practice, a dental partnership, a corporate dental group, or a self-employed associate or locum. That focus is the point. Specialist work needs specialist context.
Why a specialist dental accountant, not a generalist
Most generalist accountants in the UK have a handful of dental clients on their book. The work gets done, but the sector-specific decisions get missed because the accountant has no pattern to compare against.
A specialist dental accountant sees the same questions weekly. NHS UDA contract values that differ between regions. The 1995 vs 2008 vs 2015 sections of the NHS Pension Scheme. Goodwill amortisation rules for goodwill acquired post-1 April 2019. The associate self-employment tests after the IR35 reforms. The VAT borderline between exempt clinical work and standard-rated cosmetic treatment.
Those are not advanced techniques. They are baseline competence for working with dentists. If your accountant cannot quote the current UDA value range across England, Wales and Northern Ireland from memory, they are learning on your account.
What we actually do across a year
Compliance is the floor, not the work. The work is the decisions that compliance reveals.
- Monthly or quarterly management accounts that separate NHS UDA income, private fee income, capitation/plan income and lab fee recharges so you see where margin actually sits
- Annual statutory accounts and corporation tax return for limited companies, partnership return and partners' self-assessment for partnerships, sole-trader self-assessment for unincorporated practices
- Salary and dividend extraction modelling each year at the 2025/26 rates, including the NHS Pension contribution interaction and the tapered annual allowance for higher earners
- Goodwill amortisation tracking, capital allowance claims on chairs / compressors / X-ray units / autoclaves, Structures and Buildings Allowance for post-October-2018 premises spend
- VAT scope review for mixed NHS/private practices, including the borderline cases (tooth whitening, clear aligners, cosmetic bonding)
- BADR pre-sale planning, Section 162 incorporation relief modelling, sale-and-leaseback structuring for principals approaching exit
How we are different from corporate dental accountants
Some dental accountancy firms have grown into corporate-style operations that allocate junior staff to client work and only escalate up the chain when something goes wrong. The named partner is rarely on the call.
Our model is the opposite. The senior accountant working on your account is the senior accountant. The same person who reviews your year-end is the person you email when an NHS contract reform letter arrives or a buyer wants due diligence by Friday.
We deliberately stay small enough to keep that real.
Worked example
How we work with a typical mixed practice
A two-surgery NHS-and-private practice in the West Midlands. One principal, two associates, three nurses, one hygienist on a self-employed contract. NHS UDA contract worth around £180,000 per year, private fee income around £140,000.
Day one: we map the existing accounts, the NHS contract documentation, associate agreements, payroll structure and the principal's personal tax position. Within 30 days we produce a baseline management report showing margin by income stream.
Month one: we identify that the principal is drawing salary above the optimal NI threshold and is missing roughly £4,200/year in NI by doing so. We adjust the payroll. We also identify that goodwill from a 2021 partial buy-out has not had the 6.5% amortisation claim made; we file the amendment for the recoverable years.
Ongoing: monthly management accounts, quarterly review call, year-end accounts and CT return inside the deadline, personal self-assessment for the principal and a salary-and-dividend annual review every March.
Frequently asked
- What makes you a 'specialist' dental accountant?
- Every client we work with is a dentist, a dental practice or a dental group. We are not a general accountancy firm with a dental department. That focus shows in the questions we know to ask, the decisions we model, and the pace at which we work because we have seen the same shape of practice before.
- I'm already with a specialist dental firm. Why would I switch?
- Most often, fee structure or response time. We work on fixed monthly fees with a stated scope; you should never get a year-end surprise invoice. We respond inside 24 hours, usually same day. If your current firm meets both standards and you are getting proactive advice, there is no reason to switch.
- Do you work with associates as well as practice owners?
- Yes. Self-employed associates, limited-company locums and salaried associates with side income. Associates often need lighter-touch support (self-assessment, expenses, indemnity treatment, NHS Pension AVCs) but the dental specifics still matter, particularly around employment-status risk after the IR35 reforms.
- How much do you charge?
- Fixed monthly fees scaled by practice size and service tier. Associates and single-handed sole-trader practices typically sit in the Essentials tier. Multi-associate limited-company practices fall into the Growth tier. Multi-site groups and exit-stage principals work in the Specialist tier. We quote a fixed fee after a 30-minute scoping call so you know the cost before signing.
- Can you help with NHS Pension Scheme decisions?
- We model the financial impact of NHS Pension decisions: annual allowance interaction, tapered allowance at higher earnings, McCloud remedy implications for members with legacy 1995 or 2008 section benefits, and the dental retainer vs full membership choice. For regulated advice on accessing pension benefits we work alongside an FCA-authorised IFA.
Free scoping call
Talk to a dentist-only specialist
30-minute scoping call, no obligation. We will review your current position, flag the immediate opportunities, and tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Book your free call
We will be in touch within 24 hours.