GP practices get paid per patient through a mix of ** government funding streams (like Medicare/Incentives)**, patient fees, and sometimes bulk billing, with payments varying widely by location and service, but generally practices earn a portion of billings (e.g., 30-40%) to cover overheads, while the GP takes the rest (60-70%), though specific government incentives offer fixed amounts per patient, such as Australia's $130/year for the Aged Care Incentive.
Unlike hospital doctors, GPs are not employed by the NHS – the practice works like a small business, receiving a sum of money per patient.
A Level B ('standard') consult can range anywhere from $41.20 (which means no out-of-pocket costs for the patient), right through to $100 or more (depending on the practice). Keep in mind, if the patient pays, for example, $80 for a practice's 'standard' consult, the full amount will not end up in the GP's pocket.
Earnings for GP partners vary per practice. Profitability, and therefore partner earnings often depends on the make up of the local population and its needs, as well as how active and astute the partners are at developing their "business". On average, a GP partner takes home approximately £110,000.
A salaried GP on a £66,000 annual salary for a contract of 25 hours per week (6 sessions of 4 hours and 10 minutes) has a sessional rate of £11,000. Using sessional rate: £11,000/((250 minutes per session/60 minutes per hour)*52.14 weeks per year) = £50.63 per hour.
Funding for each GP practice comes via what are called Integrated Care Boards. These 42 regional NHS organisations commission services for patients in their area. GP practices are then contracted to provide core services, with a set amount of money per patient.
Non-VR GPs earn less, around 60–65% of billings. Hourly rates are less common for non-VR GPs, but some permanent roles offer AUD$90 – AUD$120 per hour or a percentage of the billings (whichever is greater) for the first few months.
The highest paid named doctor was Dr Andy Jordan, whose Dublin South West practice earned over €952,000 last year. Dr Jordan is also chairman of the National Association of GPs. The next nine top paid individual doctors, or doctors' practices, last year were: Dr Andrew Coady, Dublin South West, €791,273.
Sessional rate = what you receive for working 1 session (usually AM or PM surgery plus associated visits / admin etc - think of it as a unit of work) for 1 year. Full time = 9 sessions. Few GPs I know do this because it's miserable and unsustainable.
GP Hourly and Day Rates in 2025
VR GPs can expect to earn approximately $150 per hour or 70 percent of billings. Non-VR GPs usually earn $90 to $120 per hour or 60 to 65 percent of billings. Locum GPs working in high-demand settings, particularly in rural or remote areas, can earn up to $3,000 per day.
If you're working as a specialist medical doctor in the UK, you earn a basic salary of between £40,037 and £74,661. Salaried GPs get between £58,808 and £88,744. And as a consultant, your basic pay is between £79,860 and £107,668.
So, as a group, GPs do a far better job at improving health outcomes and for less cost compared to specialists. The reality is that General Practice is an enormously rewarding, challenging and varied career and that no two days are ever the same.
GPs in the UK are rewarded with practice payments for recording that they have made a diagnosis of diabetes, and then for prescribing drugs for it.
The following are the best countries that offer lucrative job opportunities for doctors and allow them to grow professionally.
For example, if buying into a practice where you'd become the fourth partner, you'd expect to pay 25% of the practice property value. If paying into the capital account, how much you pay can vary considerably and will be based on what you can negotiate with the existing team.
The global sum payment for each practice is based on a weighted sum for every patient on the practice list. The Carr-Hill formula is used to apply these weightings, which account for factors such as age and gender. The global sum amount is reviewed quarterly to account for changes to the practice's patient population.
The practice will agree in advance with the Primary Care Organisation (PCO) the number of QOF points they are aiming for that year. A monthly payment equal to the value of 70% of these points is made to the practice. Remaining payments are made once the practice has actually achieved the points.
As a salaried GP, you are essentially employed by the practice, you work as an employee, and are entitled to all the employee benefits. The current GP salary varies from £10,000-£13,000 per session, depending on the city and your duties. Factors influencing a GP's salary include: Duty sessions (overseeing the practice)
“GPs receive, on average, €9 per month for each medical card patient irrespective of whether they attend once or 10 times over that month.
What's a good salary in Ireland? A 'good' salary in Ireland generally ranges from €50,000 to €70,000 per year.
Government doctors earn ₹25,000–₹70,000/month, while private hospital salaries range from ₹70,000–₹90,000 for MBBS doctors. Doctors in metro cities like Delhi & Mumbai earn ₹25,000–₹3,00,000/month, while rural areas offer lower salaries.
Average GP World General Practitioner hourly pay in London, England is approximately £89.98, which is 17% above the national average. Salary estimated from 58 past and present job postings on Indeed.
While you work in your RACGP-approved practice, the following definitions will apply: Full-time general practice experience is defined as at least 38 hours distributed over a minimum of four days per week.
UK GPs reported higher levels of emotional distress - with 71% of UK saying they find their job 'extremely' or 'very stressful' - the highest alongside Germany. Half of UK GPs believe the quality of care they are able to provide has worsened since before the pandemic, and only 14% thought it had improved.