Protecting What Your Hands Have Built
Your hands built your career. A single injury, a neurological condition, or even severe arthritis could end a surgical career overnight. Most insurance policies would not protect you. The right ones will — and your company should be paying for them.
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The Tax-Efficient Protection Secret Hiding in Plain Sight
Most consultant surgeons have some degree of protection through the NHS — full pay for six months, half pay for a further six months. Many also run private practices as limited companies, often alongside a spouse. They know their ability to consult and operate is directly linked to their health. But here is what almost nobody tells them:
You could be diverting your personal insurance costs to your limited company — and saving a small fortune.
Life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection — if you are paying for these personally, you are paying from post-tax income. That means a higher-rate taxpayer needs to earn roughly £1.67 for every £1 of premium. But HMRC allows your limited company to pay for these policies as a legitimate business expense, with full Corporation Tax relief. Most surgeons simply are not aware of this.
NHS Sick Pay Has a Cliff Edge
Full pay for six months, then half pay for six months. After twelve months, your NHS income stops entirely. If you are still unable to work, there is no further safety net — and your private practice overheads continue regardless.
Your Private Practice Is Exposed
If you run a private practice through a limited company — possibly with your spouse — the business has overheads that continue whether you are operating or not. Staff, premises, equipment leases, indemnity insurance. Personal protection does not cover any of this.
The Opportunity You Are Missing
Your limited company can pay for life insurance, critical illness, income protection, and key person cover as a tax-deductible business expense. No P11D benefit, no National Insurance, no Income Tax. The savings over a typical policy term can exceed six figures.
Why Your Accountant Has Never Mentioned This
It is not their expertise
Accountants are experts in tax compliance, annual returns, and financial reporting. Business protection planning sits outside their core expertise — and outside their regulatory permissions.
The savings are significant
The tax savings from restructuring protection through a limited company are often larger than the annual accountancy fee itself. Yet it is rarely raised.
The result is a blind spot
Thousands of consultant surgeons are either paying from post-tax personal income when their company could pay, or have no meaningful protection at all.
Our Consultative Approach
Business protection is our area of expertise. We understand the specific risks medical professionals face, the HMRC-approved structures, and the policies that actually work for surgeons.
We understand your situation first
Before recommending anything, we take the time to understand your personal and business circumstances — your income structure, your family, your practice, and your existing cover.
We design policies specific to you
No off-the-shelf solutions. We design protection tailored to your requirements — covering the right risks, for the right amounts, structured tax-efficiently through your limited company.
We are honest about what you already have
If your existing policies are well structured and competitively priced, we will tell you. Even where tax efficiency could apply, if your current cover cannot be beaten, we will say so.
We give you everything to decide
We present all the information clearly — the costs, the savings, the cover, the alternatives. You will never be pressured. The decision is always yours.
We handle the process end to end
If you decide to proceed, we manage the entire application. And we do not disappear — we review your cover annually and remain your point of contact for the life of your policies.
We work alongside your accountant
We do not replace your accountant — we complement them. We handle the protection planning; they handle the tax returns. Many accountants welcome the introduction.
When NHS Pay Stops, What Then?
Full pay for six months. Half pay for six months. Then nothing. Your NHS safety net has a hard deadline — and the risks that surgeons face every day make this a question of when, not if.
What happens when your NHS income stops after 12 months — and you are still unable to work?
Who is going to run your private practice while you recover?
Who is going to look after your patients?
What happens if you never return to surgery?
The Risks Are Not Hypothetical
Stress, anxiety, overwork, tiredness, and the physical demands of surgery create real, measurable risks for consultant surgeons.
Chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalisation are endemic in surgical specialties.
Cancer, heart disease, stroke, and neurological conditions affect half of all professionals before retirement age.
Neck, back, shoulder, and hand problems from prolonged operating positions — conditions that can end a surgical career.
Overwork, 60+ hour weeks, tiredness, anxiety, and stress drive surgeons to consider early exit from medicine entirely.
These are not edge cases. Burnout, musculoskeletal injury, and serious illness are occupational realities for surgeons. The question is not whether you need protection — it is whether your protection is structured correctly, and whether your company is paying for it.
Four Pillars of Surgeon Protection
Each pillar addresses a different risk. Together, they form a comprehensive shield around your career, your family, and your practice — all structured through your limited company for maximum tax efficiency.
Relevant Life Insurance
Tax-efficient life cover through your company
High surgical income means high Inheritance Tax exposure. Relevant Life Insurance ensures your family receives a tax-free lump sum without the policy being treated as a benefit in kind.
Key Person Critical Illness
Lump sum protection for serious diagnoses
A hand tremor, peripheral neuropathy, or a stroke could end your surgical career. Key Person CI provides the capital your practice needs to survive your absence and fund your recovery.
Executive Income Protection
Monthly income replacement for your practice
Unlike standard income protection, Executive IP covers your full remuneration package — salary, dividends, pension contributions, and employer NI — for both you and your spouse if their income depends on your ability to generate revenue.
Key Person Income Protection
Protecting your practice's gross profit
If you take a modest salary but your practice generates £300,000+ in gross profit, standard income protection will not cover the gap. Key Person IP protects the profitability of the business itself.
Why Your Company Should Pay for Your Protection
When protection is structured correctly through your limited company, the premiums are treated as an allowable business expense. This means your company receives full Corporation Tax relief on every pound spent — and there is no Benefit-in-Kind charge.
Relevant Life Insurance
Premiums are a deductible business expense. No P11D, no NI, no Income Tax. The most tax-efficient way to provide life cover for a director.
Key Person Critical Illness
Premiums are deductible against Corporation Tax. The payout is received by the company and treated as a trading receipt.
Key Person Income Protection
Premiums are fully deductible against Corporation Tax. Protects up to 75% of gross profit attributable to you — ideal for low salary, high revenue.
Executive Income Protection
Premiums are deductible against Corporation Tax. Covers salary, dividends, pension contributions, and employer NI for both you and your spouse.
The Consultant Who Saved £0+
Consultant surgeon, higher-rate taxpayer, paying £800/month personally for protection.
Same cover, restructured through the limited company as a business expense.
Figures are illustrative. Actual premiums depend on age, health, cover level, and provider. Corporation Tax rate assumed at 19%. Based on current tax law and HMRC practice.
"I Don't Show Enough Income — How Can I Get Insured?"
This is the question we hear most often. The majority of your income comes from the NHS, and you only take a small amount through your private practice to avoid higher-rate tax. Much of the practice income goes through your spouse. So how do you protect yourself when your declared income does not reflect your true earning capacity?
The Low-Salary Trap
If you take a modest salary of, say, £12,570 and draw the rest as dividends, standard personal income protection would only cover that small salary. But your practice might generate £300,000 or more in gross profit — all of which depends on your ability to operate.
The good news: your protection does not need to be tied to your personal remuneration. There are three distinct ways to protect the revenue, profitability, and income flowing through your business — all paid for by your company in a tax-efficient manner.
Three Ways to Protect What Matters
Each addresses a different aspect of your financial exposure — and all can be structured through your limited company with full Corporation Tax relief.
Key Person Critical Illness
A lump sum payout to your business in the event of a critical illness diagnosis. This can be matched against your annual revenue generation — not your personal income or salary. It provides immediate capital to cover overheads, hire locum cover, or manage the transition if you are unable to return.
Key Person Income Protection
A monthly benefit paid to your company if any condition prevents you from working. This protects the gross profitability of your practice — covering up to 75% of the profit attributable to you, keeping the business solvent during your absence.
Executive Income Protection
Covers up to 80% of salary and dividends for both you and your spouse, plus pension contributions and employer National Insurance. This is the policy that replaces the household income your family depends on — even if your declared salary is low.
The key point: your protection does not need to be limited by your declared salary. Between these three products, you can protect the turnover, profitability, and personal income flowing through your practice — for both you and your spouse — all in a tax-efficient manner through your limited company.
Tax Savings Calculator
Enter the monthly cost of your current personal insurance policies below. We will show you exactly how much you could save by restructuring them through your limited company — with like-for-like cover.
Your Current Premiums
Your Savings Will Appear Here
Enter your current monthly premiums and years remaining to see how much you could save by restructuring through your limited company.
How Exposed Is Your Practice?
Answer eight quick questions to assess your current level of risk. This takes less than two minutes and will give you a clear picture of where you stand.
Are you the sole or primary revenue generator in your practice?
If the practice's income depends primarily on you operating, your business is highly exposed.
Specialist Advice from People Who Understand
Broadbench is a specialist financial advisory firm focused on business protection for medical professionals. Our advice is completely free to you — we are remunerated by the insurance providers, which means there are no fees, no charges, and no hidden costs at any stage.
Tom Hitchcock
Founder, Owner & Senior Protection Adviser
Tom specialises in structuring tax-efficient business protection for medical professionals. With over 20 years of industry experience, he has helped hundreds of consultant surgeons restructure their protection through their limited companies, saving them thousands in unnecessary personal tax.
Book a Call with TomMike Cooke
Owner & Senior Protection Adviser
Mike brings over 20 years of specialist experience in business protection planning. His deep understanding of HMRC-approved structures and the specific risks faced by surgeons ensures that every recommendation is tailored precisely to the individual's circumstances.
Book a Call with MikeFCA Regulated
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (590288)
20+ Years Each
Combined industry experience of over four decades
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Book a Confidential Call
A 15-minute call to review your current position, calculate your personalised tax savings, and explore what options are available. No obligation, no hard sell — just an honest conversation about protecting what you have built.
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