Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

vs0u — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:13:16 GMT

I locummed at a practice where there was no staff discount and all the staff took their pets to a cheaper practice down the road instead of the one they worked in!

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:46:25 GMT

I used to treat all staff pets for free, with food, drugs and bits and pieces at cost + VAT, and a 'service' charge to cover use of equipment/O2/Iso etc, currently £5. I put a cap on the amount of free surgery allowed because one nurse had a load of breeding bitches that frequently needed caesarians and another just had a hamster. The cap would be around £500 now with inflation from when it was first set after which I'd charge surgery at about 50%, they still get unlimited free consultations but I haven't had to enforce the cap recently and they're all insured now so I do a direct claim and let them off the excess.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Charlotte Marshall — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:21:24 GMT

We get drugs for list price plus vat. Usually pay a nominal amount for ops I do on my own animals just to cover costs. Otherwise non vet staff (and I suspect if the boss did an orthpaedic op on one of my animals) usually drugs at list and reduction on time/procedure price of 50 - 75 %.

I get 25 days plus bank holidays or time in lieu. Used to be 20 days but they increased it to attract job applicants about 10 years ago. The nurses and receptionists still only get 20 days plus bank holidays. Personally I have always thought that they ought to get the same as us.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Gerry Henry — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:52:14 GMT

Stop worrying.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Rob Loxley — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:25:40 GMT

[quote user="Gerry Henry"]BTW, it is a benefit in kind but if you don't tell neither will I![/quote]

Hmmm, when we had our last PAYE inspection they seemed pretty thorough...

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Gerry Henry — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:33:33 GMT

Cost price (inc wholesalers discount) for drugs/food/vaccines; all staff pets insured and no excess charged, small stuff done for nothing. My lot give me a lot more than the contractual minimum so they deserve it. BTW, it is a benefit in kind but if you don't tell neither will I!

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Claire Godfrey — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:44 GMT

We get a 25% discount on stock and fees, that's the same for all staff. we get 20 days holiday plus bank holidays, which rises by a day a year to a maximum of 25 days.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:03:52 GMT

My staff get drugs cost price no consult charges lab work cost price ops-drugs and a little bit for oxygen,sevo-bit ofwhat do you thinkthis is worth

Wynne

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Bob Russell — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:25:33 GMT

Cost price plus VAT. A token charge is made for procedures so non-pet owning staff are not disadvantaged but only to cover costs. No tax liability therefore for staff members.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Dagmar Steele — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:57:40 GMT

my employees get drugs at cost price, my work is done for free. Can't say anything about the holidays as I'm not based in the UK more than that mine get six weeks off plus bank holidays. Bank holiday system in Germany is different though, if one falls on a Saturday or Sunday it's tough luck, not the following Monday off. Last years Christmas was particularly annoying :-)

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Neal Palk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:40:45 GMT

[quote user="plantagenet"]

[quote user="Neal Palk"]20 days plus public holidays is indeed the minimum[/quote]

There is no actual right to bank holidays - but the minimum is 28 days of which your employer can direct you to take some/all as bank hols. or am I wrong?

mine get 30 days - thats all I can afford - the extra 2 are their birthday (or in lieu) and an xmas shopping day

[/quote]

Officially, it's 5.6 weeks and like most employment matters is based upon a conventional 5 day Mon-Fri week. So there is no absolute entitlement to public holidays off, altough contractual clauses may have a role to play. 30 days isn't bad, it's around the modal point - affordability is an important consideration alongside remaining competitive in the labour market.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

plantagenet — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:34:45 GMT

[quote user="Neal Palk"]20 days plus public holidays is indeed the minimum[/quote]

There is no actual right to bank holidays - but the minimum is 28 days of which your employer can direct you to take some/all as bank hols. or am I wrong?

mine get 30 days - thats all I can afford - the extra 2 are their birthday (or in lieu) and an xmas shopping day

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Neal Palk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:12:14 GMT

[quote user="CatherineBoden"]

Oh and we get 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays. I'm not sure how many days that will be as we've just changed our rota so we are doing more longer days but only 4 days a week. It used to be 25 days. I guess I need to ask about that.

[/quote]It's always fun to calculate holiday entitlement when working a non-regular rota! I can't comment without the detail, but you may find counting either hours or 'work periods' might be the best comparison!

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

CatherineThomas — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:26:37 GMT

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

CatherineThomas — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:21:48 GMT

We get drugs, food etc at cost price and services at 75% discount. I obviously don't charge myself a consultation charge but if I see one of the nurses or receptionists animals I'm suposed to charge for it, but at the 75% discount rate.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Neal Palk — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:10:17 GMT

Non-subsidised (i.e. at/above cost) is not a BIK to employees. The actual consultation is a moot point, but might be deemed volunteering......

20 days plus public holidays is indeed the minimum. Many employers increase the 20 to 25-30, usually related to length of service. Be careful though as some employers on the minimum are otherwise generous with time off for (e.g.) nativity plays. graduations etc (they don't have to) whereas other with ostensibly more generous allowance are 'stingy' with every non-work minute!!

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Gareth Dowdeswell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:14:54 GMT

25% discount here, which means that its actually cheaper to get meds from an internet pharmacy. I still get wormers/flea tx from work cos its more convienent, and I have a rather haphazard approach to preventative healthcare, but if my pets ended up on long term meds then I'd be writing my own prescriptions and getting it online.

25 days holiday now plus bank holidays, previous job was 20 plus bank holidays.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Laurence Webb — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:09:14 GMT

Our practice gives drugs, food etc at list price + VAT. I think this is fairly common, but it is of course at your employer's discretion entirely. As you say, it is a perk rather than a right.

I don't think it counts as a benefit in kind if a discount is given as long as it isn't costing the practice money (eg given away free) or used instead of wages, costing the government lost income tax and NI. Even at list price the practice is making a small amount of money due to wholesaler/manufacturer/buying group discounts

Have you broached this subject with your employer or has this not been an issue you've thought about in the past?

As for holidays, I used to get 20 days plus bank holidays (or days off in lieu if a bank holiday worked) which is the legal minimum. After working 10 years in the same practice I suggested that another 5 day's holiday entitlement would be a nice way of rewarding my loyalty.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

nikki — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:57:23 GMT

we get all drugs at cost and procedures 10% off or cost price if we do them in our own time. obviously dont charge myself for consults lol. not previously considered any tax implications.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Utlendigur — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:27:49 GMT

I may be wrong, but I thought it only counted as a perk if it was below cost price - in that case the practice would be losing money to the staff member's gain (if that makes sense). Not sure about professional time - I palpated my dog's abdomen last week after she puked up all round the carpet - should I have charged a consult fee

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Lorna McHardy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:01:03 GMT

[quote user="plantagenet"]

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I don't want to rain on anyones parade, but aren't perks or benefits in kind taxable? [/quote]

what a ghastly idea, but you may be right. I will continue to sell my staff drugs at cost and not charge for my professional time.

[/quote]

I'm pretty sure Clive is right, but I'm not convinced this necessarily applies to drugs at cost or discount... after all, not only staff get discounts. Does anyone declare this, or even the free professional time? But stuff like the use of a practice car, or accommodation, is definitely taxable unless the rules changed during the last 7 years.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

plantagenet — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:50:48 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I don't want to rain on anyones parade, but aren't perks or benefits in kind taxable? [/quote]

what a ghastly idea, but you may be right. I will continue to sell my staff drugs at cost and not charge for my professional time.

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Clive Ansell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:28:19 GMT

I don't want to rain on anyones parade, but aren't perks or benefits in kind taxable?

Re: Staff perks - drugs at cost price

Mark Holmes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:26:35 GMT

Given Clive's post I have edited this one ;)