How Much Do GPs Earn in the UK? 2024/25 Earnings for Salaried and Contractor GPs
General practitioners in the UK earned very different amounts depending on where they worked and whether they were salaried or working as contractors.
The latest GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates for 2024/25, published by NHS England Digital, show that average income before tax ranged from around £111,200 in Northern Ireland to £124,200 in Scotland when looking at all GPs combined.
The gap between salaried and contractor GPs was much larger.
In England, for example, average income before tax was approximately:
£164,200 for contractor GPs
£74,800 for salaried GPs
£121,700 across all GPs combined
For GPs and family physicians comparing compensation across the UK, employment model appears to be one of the biggest factors affecting earnings.
What is the average GP income in the UK?
The latest figures show the following average income before tax for GPs in 2024/25:
England
All GPs: £121,700
Contractor GPs: £164,200
Salaried GPs: £74,800
Scotland
All GPs: £124,200
Contractor GPs: £140,000
Salaried GPs: £76,100
Wales
All GPs: £117,000
Contractor GPs: £134,900
Salaried GPs: £84,000
Northern Ireland
All GPs: £111,200
Contractor GPs: £121,000
Salaried GPs: £76,600
These figures represent average income before tax rather than a published NHS salary scale.
That distinction matters.
What is the difference between a salaried GP and a contractor GP?
A salaried GP is typically employed by a GP practice and receives a salary under an employment contract.
A contractor GP, often a GP partner or practice owner, usually has a financial stake in the practice and receives income linked to the practice's earnings after allowable expenses.
That helps explain why contractor earnings are significantly higher than salaried GP income in the latest data.
In England, contractor GP income was more than twice the average salaried GP figure.
The same pattern appears across all four UK nations.
However, contractor income should not be interpreted in the same way as a standard salary.
GP contractors may have greater responsibility for:
practice staffing;
premises and operating costs;
business risk;
service delivery;
pension contributions;
administrative responsibilities; and
the overall financial performance of the practice.
For that reason, the contractor figures are best understood as professional income rather than a simple employment salary.
Which part of the UK pays GPs the most?
Looking at all GPs combined, Scotland recorded the highest average income in 2024/25 at approximately £124,200.
England followed at £121,700, with Wales at £117,000 and Northern Ireland at £111,200.
The pattern changes slightly when salaried GPs are considered separately.
Wales had the highest average salaried GP income at £84,000, compared with:
England: £74,800
Scotland: £76,100
Northern Ireland: £76,600
For contractor GPs, England reported the highest figure at £164,200.
This suggests that headline national averages can conceal important differences in both geography and employment model.
Is GP income the same as GP salary?
No.
This is one of the most important distinctions in the dataset.
The NHS England Digital figures are based on income before tax, derived from anonymised HMRC Self Assessment data.
That means the figures are not directly comparable with a published NHS salary scale.
For salaried GPs, the data reflect actual reported income.
For contractor GPs, the figures reflect income associated with their professional practice after allowable expenses.
The dataset may also capture income beyond a straightforward NHS salary, including private and other professional income where relevant.
For that reason, the figures provide a broader picture of what GPs actually earned rather than simply showing contractual salary ranges.
How reliable is the data?
The GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates are one of the more authoritative sources available for understanding GP income in the UK.
They are based on anonymised HMRC tax data rather than a voluntary salary survey.
This gives the dataset an important advantage when compared with self-reported compensation surveys.
However, the figures still need to be interpreted carefully.
They are averages across large and diverse groups of GPs, and individual income can vary depending on factors such as:
hours worked;
full-time or part-time status;
practice ownership;
location;
additional clinical work;
private work; and
individual practice performance.
The figures should therefore be treated as market benchmarks rather than guaranteed earnings.
What does this mean for GPs and family physicians?
The biggest takeaway from the latest UK data is that there is no single answer to the question:
"What does a GP earn in the UK?"
A more useful question is:
"What does a GP earn in my employment model and in my part of the UK?"
The difference between a salaried GP and a contractor GP is substantial, and the regional variation is also meaningful.
For doctors evaluating general practice as a career, considering a move between UK nations, or comparing salaried and partnership routes, those distinctions are likely to be more useful than a single national average.
The latest 2024/25 figures provide a strong benchmark:
£74,800 to £84,000 for salaried GPs depending on UK nation
£121,000 to £164,200 for contractor GPs
£111,200 to £124,200 across all GPs combined
As with all physician compensation data, the value lies in understanding the context behind the number.
For UK GPs, employment model appears to matter just as much as location.
Source: NHS England Digital, GP Earnings and Expenses Estimates 2024/25.
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