The £100k tax trap is affecting more doctors every year. What to know

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By Andy Pow

Earning more income can mean taking home less for a growing number of GPs, consultants and specialists. It doesn't have to though.

For most NHS doctors, crossing the £100,000 income mark feels like a milestone worth celebrating.

But the reality is, for earnings just above this threshold, the UK tax system is such that you actually may end up taking home less than you were before.

The number of doctors affected by this 'tax trap' grows every year because it has never been adjusted in line with inflation or wage growth

This isn't a quirk affecting only the very wealthy. Once overtime, clinical excellence awards, locum shifts, or private work are added on top of base compensation, even GPs or consultants on lower levels of NHS salary can easily be pulled into this band.

What’s more, the number of doctors affected by this “tax trap” grows every year because it has never been adjusted in line with inflation or wage growth since it was first introduced back in 2010.