Locum pharmacist invoices and getting paid

Identify the payer and payment process

Get the legal name of the organisation paying you, its accounts or payroll contact and a booking reference. The person arranging cover may not approve payment.

Save the rate, paid hours, breaks, agreed expenses and payment terms. Ask whether you need a purchase order, timesheet or invoice and note the submission deadline.

Check the engagement arrangement before deciding to invoice. GOV.UK distinguishes tax and employment-law status; a “locum” label does not settle either.

Check what to agree about rates, paid hours and expenses.

Record each shift and approved change

Record the branch, date, actual start and finish times and breaks. Keep evidence of an authorised extension or changed hours. Submit any timesheet while the person approving it is available.

For a block booking, identify each date separately. Keep expenses and supporting receipts together, checking that reimbursement was agreed. A receipt shows what you paid, not whether the pharmacy agreed to repay it.

Put the right details on the invoice

GOV.UK lists the required invoice information, including a unique number, supplier and customer details, description, relevant dates, charges and total. Follow the requirements for your circumstances, including the applicable sole-trader, company or VAT details.

Make each line easy to reconcile: branch, booking reference, worked date, paid hours, rate and amount. Show agreed expenses and applicable tax separately. Do not include patient information.

Check the arithmetic and payment details before sending. If a correction is needed, follow the appropriate process and make clear which document replaces or adjusts the original.

Submit and track payment

Use the agreed email address or system, with the required reference and attachments. Keep a submission record and check receipt if an expected acknowledgement does not arrive.

Track the worked date, amount, invoice or payroll reference, submission date, due date and date paid. A small spreadsheet is enough if it is kept current.

Verify an unexpected request to change bank details or redirect payment through a contact route you already trust.

Follow up an unpaid or incorrect amount

Contact the payer with the booking reference, dates, submitted records and the amount you expected. Explain the calculation and ask whether the problem concerns receipt, approval, hours, expenses or processing.

Record the response and agreed next action. If the query remains unresolved, use the complaints or escalation route for that organisation and arrangement.

GOV.UK says employment businesses must pay for hours worked even if the hirer has not paid or authorised a timesheet. Find out which model applies to your work. Not every payment can be held back until the client approves.

Keep the booking fee separate

FindALocum’s £19.99 + VAT booking fee per pharmacist per day worked is paid by the pharmacy. VAT is additional. The pharmacy contracts with and pays you directly, separately from our fee. Registration is free.

Record the hiring organisation’s payment contact, agreed rate, due date and required records in the booking documents. FindALocum does not pay your wages or invoices. Once the hirer’s payment arrives, reconcile it against your records and follow up any remaining difference.