GP Salary UK: What Salaried, Partner and Locum GPs Earn

How GPs in the UK are paid: salaried GP pay ranges, how GP partners share practice profits, how locum GPs set their rates, and what doctors earn through foundation and GP training on the 2025/26 resident doctor scale.

By Tony Musso on Wed Jun 17 2026

GP Salary UK: What Doctors Actually Earn

Ever wondered what really lands in a GP's bank account at the end of the month? If you're picturing a straight-forward salary that grows neatly each year, the reality is a little more complex. From the moment they start their training to the day they become a partner in a practice, a doctor's earnings change significantly. And while the papers often talk about six-figure salaries, that's not the whole story. Let's break down what a GP salary in the UK actually looks like - no fluff, no confusing jargon, just the honest numbers.

How Much Do GPs Actually Earn?

Let's get straight to it. There isn't one GP salary, because GPs are paid in three different ways: salaried GPs are employees on a contract, GP partners take a share of their practice's profits, and locum GPs are self-employed and charge for each session they work. NHS England publishes estimates of GP earnings and expenses each year, split between salaried GPs and contractor GPs (partners), and they show partners earning well above salaried GPs on average, with a very wide spread between practices. It's a bit like the average price of a house: the figure is real, but it says little about any one practice.

For a salaried GP - that is, a doctor employed by a practice - pay is usually set within the BMA's recommended range for salaried GPs, which was £68,975 to £104,085 in 2023/24 and has risen with each year's pay award since. This depends on experience, the specific responsibilities they have, and where in the UK they are based. London, for example, often comes with a higher salary weighting to cover the increased cost of living.

GP partners, on the other hand, are self-employed and own a stake in the practice. Their income is a share of the profits the practice makes, so it can be much higher than a salaried GP's, but it also comes with more risk and responsibility. If the practice has a bad year, their income reflects that. The next section explains how partner pay works.

Salaried GP vs. Partner GP: What's the Difference?

Understanding the distinction between a salaried GP and a GP partner is key to understanding the variation in earnings. It’s not just about the money; it’s about the entire way they work.

Salaried GPs:

The Employee: Think of a salaried GP as an employee of the practice. They have a contract, a set number of hours, and a fixed salary.
The Pros: This route offers stability and predictability. You know exactly what you’ll be earning each month. It also comes with standard employment benefits like sick pay, maternity or paternity leave, and NHS pension contributions. The administrative burden is much lower - you can focus on seeing patients without worrying about the day-to-day running of the business.
The Cons: The earning potential is lower than that of a partner. You have less say in how the practice is run and your role might be more narrowly defined.

GP Partners:

The Business Owner: GP partners are business owners. They are self-employed and their income is a share of the practice's profits. This means they are responsible for staff, premises, and the overall financial health of the practice.
The Pros: The biggest draw is the significantly higher earning potential. Partners have a direct impact on the success of the practice and reap the financial rewards. They also have a lot of autonomy and can shape the direction of the practice.
The Cons: With great power comes great responsibility. The financial risk is all theirs. A slow year for the practice means a lower income. The hours are often longer and the administrative workload is substantial. They are also personally liable for the practice’s debts.

How GP Partner Pay Works

"GP partner salary" is a slightly misleading phrase, because partners don't get a salary at all. A GP partnership is a business that holds a contract with the NHS to provide GP services. The practice receives NHS funding, mostly based on the number and needs of its registered patients, plus payments for extra services and quality targets, and some practices earn private fees too. Out of that income the partners pay the practice's costs: staff wages, premises, IT, insurance and supplies. What is left is profit, and the partners share it according to the partnership agreement.

That has some practical consequences:

Drawings, not pay slips. Partners usually take a fixed monthly drawing on account, and the final profit share is settled when the year's accounts are done.
Tax is your job. As self-employed people, partners pay income tax and National Insurance through Self Assessment, usually with help from an accountant who specialises in medical practices.
The size of the share varies. New partners sometimes start on a smaller share that rises over a few years (often called parity), and a practice's profit depends on its list size, how efficiently it runs and what it owns.
Buying in. In practices that own their building, a new partner may be asked to buy a share of the premises, often with a commercial mortgage. Leaving the partnership usually means selling that share back.
Responsibility. Partners employ staff, answer to the Care Quality Commission in England for the practice's standards, and carry the risk if costs rise faster than income.

Because of all this, two partners with the same hours can earn very different amounts. If you are weighing up a partnership offer, ask to see the practice accounts for the last few years, the partnership agreement, the premises arrangements and the share you would start on, and take independent advice before signing. The BMA publishes guidance for GPs considering partnership.

Locum GP Pay

Locum GPs are fully qualified GPs who cover sessions at practices on a temporary basis, for example during sickness, parental leave or busy periods. Most are self-employed and set their own session or day rates, which they agree with each practice or through an agency or locum platform. There is no national rate. What a locum can charge depends on how much demand there is in the area, the length of the session, home visits and admin, and how much notice the practice gives, and demand for locum sessions has varied a lot from area to area in recent years.

To work as a locum GP in England you need full GMC registration with a licence to practise, entry on the GP Register and a place on the National Performers List, which NHS England manages. Self-employed locums also need to:

register with HMRC and file Self Assessment returns,
arrange indemnity: NHS work in England is covered by the state scheme for general practice, but locums still need a medical defence organisation for advice and for any non-NHS work,
keep up appraisal and revalidation, and
claim their NHS pension for NHS sessions using the locum forms, as their pay is not run through a practice payroll.

Locum work suits GPs who want flexibility or a portfolio career, but income can be uneven and there is no sick pay or paid holiday, so many locums keep a buffer and some combine locum sessions with a salaried role.

The Journey to Becoming a GP: Training and Salary

The path to becoming a fully qualified GP is a long one, and the salary reflects the different stages of training.

Foundation Years (FY1 and FY2):

After graduating from medical school, doctors enter a two-year foundation programme. This is where they get their first taste of working in a hospital and, in some cases, a GP practice.

FY1 Doctor Salary: The basic salary for an FY1 doctor in England is about £38,800 on the 2025/26 pay scale.
FY2 Doctor Salary: In the second year, this rises to about £44,400. Additional pay is available for working nights, weekends, and more than 40 hours a week.

Specialty Training (ST1-ST3):

After the foundation years, doctors who want to become GPs enter a three-year specialty training programme. This is where they really start to hone their skills in general practice.

Registrar Salary: GP trainees (often called registrars) are paid on the resident doctor scale, from about £52,700 basic pay (nodal point 3) in 2025/26, rising as they progress through training. Some GP training posts also attract a flexible pay premium. Again, this can be topped up with enhancements for out-of-hours work.

Our guide to what GP trainees earn covers the training years in more detail. It’s a long and demanding journey, but each step comes with a corresponding increase in salary and responsibility. This incremental progression is a key feature of the GP salary UK structure.

What About the NHS Pension?

The NHS Pension Scheme is a significant, and often overlooked, part of a GP's total remuneration package. It’s one of the best pension schemes available in the UK and adds considerable value to a GP's overall earnings.

Both salaried and partner GPs are eligible to join the scheme. Salaried GPs have their contributions deducted from their salary, and their employer (the practice) also contributes. For GP partners, the arrangement is slightly different, as they are self-employed, but they still benefit from significant NHS contributions towards their pension.

The scheme is a defined benefit scheme, which means the pension you receive is based on your earnings and how long you have been a member of the scheme, rather than the performance of investments. This provides a level of security in retirement that is hard to match.

When you’re looking at the headline figures for a GP salary UK, it’s important to remember that the pension adds a significant, albeit deferred, financial benefit.

Factors That Influence GP Earnings

Beyond the salaried vs. partner distinction, several other factors can influence a GP's income:

Location: As mentioned, salaries can be higher in areas with a higher cost of living, like London and the South East. Conversely, some rural or less popular areas might offer financial incentives to attract GPs.
Experience: Like any profession, the more experience you have, the higher your earning potential. A newly qualified salaried GP will earn less than one who has been working for ten years.
Special Interests: GPs with special interests or additional qualifications (for example, in dermatology or minor surgery) can often command a higher salary or undertake additional private work. Our guide to what private GPs earn looks at private practice.
Additional Work: Many GPs add other roles to their week, such as out-of-hours or urgent care shifts, teaching medical students, training GP registrars, or clinical leadership work with their local integrated care board. Locum sessions are another option, as described above.

What to do next

Whether you're an aspiring medical student or a qualified doctor considering a move into general practice, understanding the financial landscape is crucial.

Do your research: Look at job adverts for salaried GPs in different parts of the country to get a feel for the current market rate.
Talk to people: Connect with current GPs - both salaried and partners - to hear about their experiences first-hand.
Think long term: Consider what's important to you. Is it the security of a salaried role or the autonomy and earning potential of a partnership? There’s no right answer - it’s about what fits you.

The GP salary UK is more than just a single number. It's a complex and varied picture, shaped by training, career choices, and the ever-changing landscape of the NHS. It’s a demanding but rewarding career, and understanding the financial realities is an important step in making an informed decision about your future.

Still deciding whether medicine and general practice are right for you? Our doctor career guide explains the routes into medicine, how long training takes and what each stage involves.

Read the doctor career guide