Practice finance by profession
Every profession has
its own pressure points.
A law firm waits on WIP. An accountancy practice grows by buying fee blocks. A funeral home passes between generations. Choose your profession to see what we can finance and how.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us what you're trying to do and we'll point you to the right part of the market.
Quick answer
What is professions finance in the UK?
Professions finance is business lending designed for regulated professionals and their firms, such as solicitors, accountants, dentists, vets, GPs, pharmacists, architects and surveyors. Lenders assess fee income, professional registration and the practice’s track record rather than property alone. Professional Practice Loans, a specialist whole-of-market broker for professional practices, searches the market across specialist professions lenders, banks and asset finance providers to arrange it.
Healthcare
- Dental PracticesAcquisitions, goodwill, digital equipment
- Veterinary PracticesAcquisitions, diagnostics, new branches
- Doctors & GP PracticesPartner buy-ins, premises, equipment
- Private Healthcare PracticesClinic expansion, equipment, fit-out
- Chiropractors, Osteopaths & PhysiotherapistsClinic fit-out, treatment equipment, new sites
- PharmaciesAcquisitions, stock, dispensing automation
- Opticians & OptometristsOCT, retinal imaging, refits
Practice & Community
- ArchitectsProject mobilisation, CAD/BIM, workstations
- Surveyors & Surveying PracticesPII, survey equipment, partner capital, lock-up
- Consulting Engineers & Engineering ConsultanciesPII, project working capital, tax, partner capital
- Funeral Directors & Funeral HomesAcquisitions, fleet, mortuary, succession
- Care ProvidersPayroll, recruitment, vehicles
- Education & Training BusinessesPremises, equipment, course delivery
- Other Established Professional PracticesEngineers, consultants and more
Why profession matters
Lenders don’t see every practice the same way.
A dental practice with an NHS contract, a law firm carrying months of WIP, an accountancy practice buying a fee block and a funeral home passing to the next generation all need finance, but for very different reasons, and lenders assess each of them differently.
Some lenders specialise in healthcare and understand patient lists, regulatory registration and equipment cycles. Others understand the lock-up and disbursements of a law firm, or the recurring fees of an accountancy practice. Many mainstream lenders understand none of it, and a strong practice can be turned down simply because it was presented to the wrong one.
Each profession page sets out the pressure points we see most often, the finance that fits them, the annual calendar that drives cash flow and the questions practice owners ask. We are a whole-of-market broker, so the aim is always the lender whose criteria suit your practice.
What most practices have in common
Four pressure points, in almost every profession.
Buying and ownership
Acquisitions, fee blocks, goodwill and partner capital. See practice acquisitions and partner buy-ins.
The cash cycle
Work done before it is billed, bills paid long after they are issued. See WIP finance and aged debt and lock-up.
Annual commitments
Indemnity insurance, regulatory fees, VAT and tax arriving as large single payments. See PII finance and tax and VAT funding.
Investing to grow
Equipment, premises, fit-out and new sites. See equipment finance and expansion finance.
Prefer to start from where the practice is today? Browse by stage → Or read our Knowledge Hub guides →
Questions
Before you choose.
Who offers professions finance?
Specialist professions lenders, high-street and challenger banks, healthcare lenders, legal funders for WIP and disbursements, premium finance providers for PII and asset finance companies for equipment. Each has its own criteria, so as a whole-of-market broker we approach the lenders whose appetite suits your profession, your structure and what you are funding. You can get instant quotes without a credit search.
My profession isn’t listed. Can you still help?
Very likely. We work with established professional and knowledge-based firms of many kinds, including surveyors, consulting engineers, physiotherapists and specialist consultancies. See other professional practices or tell us about your firm.
Do you work with sole practitioners as well as larger firms?
Yes. We work with sole practitioners, partnerships, LLPs and limited companies, and with groups. Finance of £25,000 or less for sole traders and small partnerships can be regulated consumer credit, and we’ll tell you at the outset if that applies.
Are you a lender?
No. We are a whole of market commercial finance broker. We assess what you need, search the market and approach the lenders most likely to support it. Finance is subject to status, lender criteria and approval.
Do you only arrange loans?
No. Depending on the need, the right answer might be asset finance, premium finance, a commercial mortgage, a receivables facility, tax funding or a term loan. See what we finance.
Let's talk
Finance for
what's next.
Before you approach a lender, speak to someone who understands the transaction. Confidential, no-obligation initial discussion.
