Equipment Finance – Tax Tips
Updated January 2025
Most Doctors that practice through a limited company will have paid their Corporation Tax bills at the end of December. Self-employed Doctors will be about to pay their balancing tax for 2023/24 together with the first tax payment on account for 2024/25. In nearly all cases, the tax due is likely to be significantly more than previous years.
The following article has even greater relevance than when first published and certainly worth a read to find out how buying new equipment on finance could reduce your next tax bill.
If you’re a Doctor and would like to discuss further, call the author Mike Shaw on 07775 925925.
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First Published January 2024 – Rates Unchanged for 2024/25 Tax Year
We’re all paying more tax this year than ever before, so it makes sense to use whatever legitimate government incentives you can to keep the tax liability down for your professional practice.
Thinking of acquiring new dental technology, equipment or machinery?
We have some key advice to help you make tax savings.
The first step is to understand the rates you’re going to pay, and the tax traps where some considered investment in new equipment could save significant sums.
Tax Rates Explained for Doctors – By Employment Status
Self-employed
Income tax for self-employed businesses with profits above £100K has shot up in 2023/24. The starting point for the 45% tax rate is now only £125K, so you don’t have to make fortunes to lose nearly half of everything you earn.
Worse still, on taxable income between £100K and £125K, the effective rate is now a staggering 60%. The government’s measure of withdrawing the basic personal allowance for those who find themselves in this position was introduced last year.
Companies
If you hold a company directorship for your practice, the same is true for your company. The rate for profits over £250K is going up from 19% to 25%.
Further bad news, the £0 to £50K band at 19% is phased out as your company makes more profit. This means the effective tax rate between £50K and £250K is actually 26.5%. This, by any standards is a massive increase over the previous year, and a tax trap you might not be aware of.
How to Reduce Your Next Tax Bill
“The key to saving tax is not to earn less, but to reduce your taxable income”. What better way to do this than investing in new equipment as a tax deductible expense. You’ll have the added benefit of keeping up to date with the latest treatments need to grow your patient list.
This investment is where we can help.
You Don’t Need to Use Cash
The right type of finance agreement will enable you to reshape your tax calculation and leave more money in the bank for better things.
Example – Self-employed Doctor
Let’s look at a self-employed dentist for the tax year to April 2024, before and after investing in new equipment:
Before Investing
Pre Tax Profit £125,000
Income on which tax is due £125,000
Tax Due £42,432
Profit after Tax £82,568
After Investing
Pre Tax Profit £125,000
Investment in Equipment £50,000
Income on which tax is due £75,000
Tax Due £17,432
Profit after Tax £107,568
Covering Your Finance Payments From the Tax Saving
In this case, the tax saving of £25K would pay for nearly two years of finance payments, (assuming a 60 month term). What’s more, during this time the new equipment will have improved efficiency and made the practice more rewarding.
Annual Investment Allowance
Now a permanent measure, the AIA enables nearly all businesses to offset the full capital cost of equipment and machinery against their profits. Read more at Annual Investment Allowance 2023/24
Act Now
Key points to remember:
• We can help you lower your taxable income, when you invest in dental or medical equipment
• The right type of finance will ensure you have the cash in hand you need for practice growth
• The equipment needs to be delivered and the finance agreement activated before the end of your tax year (self-employed and companies).
If you’re concerned at how much tax you’re paying this year, then you need to Act Now before it’s too late for 2023/24.
The purpose of this article is simply to draw attention to the tax traps and the potential savings available by financing new equipment. We recommend you speak with your accountant or professional tax advisor to see how any such investment would apply to your own tax calculation.
For further information please call Mike Shaw on 03300 580151 or 07775 925925 or email us at info@telelease.com