Pharmacists
GPhC or PSNI registration, every pharmacy built in, and invoices for every shift. See Locumoid for pharmacists.
Going locum
Going locum? Start as you mean to go on.
Whether you're newly qualified or leaving an employed role, the first months as a locum are when good habits are made, or not. Locumoid sets you up with invoices, mileage, tax and your paperwork in order from your very first shift.
- 7-day free trial, no credit card required
- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Cancel any time
Getting set up
Your first month as a locum
- Registration number and renewal date
- Home address, for mileage
- Indemnity policy
- DBS certificate, on the Update Service
- First shift booked
- Bank details for your invoices
- Register for Self Assessment with HMRC
- A savings pot for tax
The first few weeks
Six things to sort before you're busy.
- 1
Tell HMRC
Register for Self Assessment as self-employed, by 5 October after the tax year you started in.
- 2
Arrange indemnity
Cover for the work you'll do, through a professional body or an insurer, in place before your first shift.
- 3
Get your checks ready
Your registration, a current DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate, and ideally the Update Service, ready for agencies to see.
- 4
Know your rates
What locums in your area are actually paid, so you don't start too low. See rate insights.
- 5
Set up a tax pot
A separate savings account for tax, topped up with every payment. Locumoid tells you how much.
- 6
Keep records from day one
Every shift, mile and expense, logged as you go, not rebuilt in January.
From your first shift
The habits that take years to learn, built in.
Experienced locums have their systems. Locumoid gives you one from the start.
- Invoices without a template. Every finished shift becomes an invoice, and is emailed to the pharmacy overnight. See invoicing.
- A mileage log from mile one. Business miles worked out for every shift, so none go unclaimed. See the mileage tracker.
- Tax you can see coming. A running estimate of your Income Tax and NI, including your first payment on account. See the tax estimate.
- One diary for every agency. Every booking in one place, in your calendar app too. See the calendar.
- Your paperwork on file. Registration, revalidation, indemnity and checks, with every date on your schedule. See the tracker.
- Real people on chat. Stuck, or not sure what something means? Message us from inside the app.
However you locum
Made for pharmacy locums.
Pharmacy technicians
Your technician registration and revalidation, and rates from other technicians. For technicians.
Limited companies
Company invoices, corporation tax and dividends. For limited companies.
Questions, answered.
Do I need to register as self-employed?
Yes, if you're working as a freelance locum rather than through an employer's payroll. Register for Self Assessment with HMRC by 5 October after the end of the tax year you started in. If you start in November 2026, that's 5 October 2027.
Should I be a sole trader or set up a limited company?
Most locums start as sole traders, as it's simpler and cheaper to run. A limited company can make sense at higher earnings, but brings accounts, payroll and IR35 to think about, so talk it through with an accountant. Locumoid works either way, and handles a switch part-way through the year.
Do I need my own indemnity insurance?
Almost certainly. Regulators expect you to have appropriate indemnity cover for the work you do, and as a locum it's up to you to arrange it, through a professional body or an insurer. Locumoid keeps your policy and its renewal date on file.
How much should I charge?
Rates vary by region, type of pharmacy and date, and bank holidays and short notice usually pay more. Rate insights show what locum pharmacists, or technicians, in your area were actually paid last month, so you can set your rates with confidence.
How much tax should I put aside?
Locumoid estimates it as you go and shows it as a share of each payment. Remember that your first Self Assessment bill can include a payment on account towards the next year, so the first January is often the biggest.
Keep exploring.
Self-employed tax calculator
A running estimate of your Income Tax and National Insurance, and your Self Assessment figures ready to copy.
Locum rate insights
Anonymised rates by region and chain, from real shifts, so you know the going rate before you agree one.
Registration and revalidation tracker
GPhC or PSNI renewal, fees and revalidation records in one place, with a CV that writes itself.
Start your locum career organised.
Get set up before your first shift, and let Locumoid keep the invoices, mileage and tax in order from then on.
7 days free · No credit card required · Cancel any time