Professional Finance Ireland: Loans for Doctors, Dentists & Solicitors (2026)
Alan Bermingham
10 Years in non banking finance
Published:
At Simpli Finance, a lot of our work is with healthcare and professional services clients: dentists buying practices, solicitors expanding into new offices, pharmacists picking up a second location, medical consultants kitting out private clinics. They all share one thing lenders absolutely love: predictable, recurring revenue from a regulated, qualified professional.
And that one thing translates straight into better lending terms. Specialist professional finance products exist precisely because regulated professionals are a lower credit risk than most business borrowers. So if you're a doctor, dentist, vet, pharmacist, solicitor, or accountant, you've got access to finance that most business owners simply don't.
- Regulated professionals, dentists, doctors, vets, pharmacists, solicitors, accountants, access rates below standard business lending.
- Practice purchase finance ranges from about €150,000 to several million, often including a goodwill component.
- Specialist lenders include AIB, Bank of Ireland, Investec, and Close Brothers Healthcare Finance.
- Predictable, recurring professional income is what earns the lower rate.
Who Professional Finance Is For
Professional finance is built for regulated professionals running private practices or buying into one. In Ireland, the most active borrowers are dental practitioners (surgery purchases, equipment, fit-outs), medical doctors and consultants (clinic fit-outs and diagnostic kit), pharmacists (pharmacy purchases), vets (practice acquisitions and equipment), solicitors and barristers (office fit-outs and working capital), and accountancy practices.
The common thread? Each of these professions needs a qualification, answers to a regulatory body, and serves a client base that keeps coming back. Lenders who specialise in professional finance understand these business models inside out: they know what a dental practice is worth, what a reasonable goodwill multiple looks like, and what sensible post-acquisition projections should resemble.
What You Can Finance
Practice purchase finance is the big one: funding the acquisition of an established practice, which usually involves a goodwill element (the value of the patient or client list) and sometimes a property element if the premises come with it. Practice purchases in Ireland run from around €150,000 for a small sole-practitioner surgery up to several million for a multi-practitioner group.
Equipment finance covers everything from dental chairs, X-ray machines, and CBCT scanners to medical diagnostic kit, veterinary surgical tables, and pharmacy dispensing systems. Most specialist lenders offer hire purchase or finance lease tailored to clinical equipment. And fit-out finance covers bringing premises up to the standard your practice demands, from plumbing and electrics to signage.
Why Professionals Get Better Rates
Why do professionals get the better rates? Simple: their income is more predictable and more defensible than almost any other business category. A dental practice with an established patient list will pull in broadly similar revenue year after year, largely regardless of what the economy is doing. That predictability lowers the lender's risk, and it shows up in the rate.
Most specialist professional lenders in Ireland: dedicated units within AIB and Bank of Ireland, plus independents like Investec and Close Brothers Healthcare Finance. Price professional loans below their standard business rates. We work with these providers and can access those professional rates on your behalf.
Irish Lenders with Professional Schemes
AIBhas a dedicated healthcare and professional services lending team and has been active in dental and medical practice finance here for years. Bank of Ireland has similar specialist capabilities, especially in healthcare. Investec is strong on professional practice finance, particularly for larger deals, and Close Brothers Healthcare Finance is busy in dental and veterinary equipment finance.
At Simpli Finance, we keep relationships with all of these lenders and can pinpoint the right provider for your specific professional finance need. Whether it's a €200,000 practice purchase or a €50,000 equipment replacement, we compare across the full panel and bring you the best available option.
- ✓Professional regulatory body membership
- ✓Practice accounts or income history
- ✓Details of the practice or asset being purchased
- ✓Revenue compliance and clean CCR record
- ✗Goodwill valuation not supported by evidence
- ✗Revenue CCR outstanding on personal account
- ✗Applying to a general business lender rather than a specialist
- ✗Insufficient personal equity contribution in practice purchase
FAQ: Professional Finance Ireland
Why do professionals get better interest rates on business loans?
Regulated professionals have predictable, stable income streams that are significantly less volatile than most business types. A dental practice, GP surgery, or solicitor's firm has recurring revenue that is largely immune to economic cycles. Lenders recognise this reduced risk with lower rates. Professional status is also associated with personal financial discipline and strong CCR records, which reinforces the lower-risk profile.
Can a newly qualified professional get a practice purchase loan?
Yes: specialist professional lenders, including some units within AIB and Bank of Ireland, and independent lenders like Investec, will consider lending to newly qualified professionals with limited trading history if the professional credentials are strong and the practice being acquired has a solid revenue track record. The lender's assessment shifts from the borrower's personal trading history to the practice's established performance.
What can professional finance be used for?
Professional finance can fund practice purchases (including goodwill and property), fit-outs and premises refurbishments, specialist equipment (dental chairs, medical scanners, diagnostic equipment), practice management software, practice consolidation, and working capital. Most professional finance providers offer a suite of products tailored to the full range of capital needs a practice is likely to have.
How much can a professional borrow in Ireland for a practice purchase?
Practice purchase finance in Ireland typically ranges from €100,000 for smaller sole-practitioner acquisitions to €2 million or more for larger group practices. The amount is determined by the practice's annual revenue and EBITDA, the goodwill multiple applied, and the amount of personal equity the purchaser is contributing. Most lenders look for a personal contribution of at least 10-20% of the purchase price.
Getting the Best Professional Finance Deal
Professional finance is one of the most accessible and competitive lending markets in Ireland. If you qualify. If you're a regulated professional eyeing a practice purchase, an equipment upgrade, or a premises fit-out, you can access terms that most business borrowers can only dream of.
At Simpli Finance, we specialise in professional finance and genuinely understand the quirks of each profession. From valuing goodwill on a dental practice to structuring equipment finance for a medical imaging system, we bring the expertise needed to get the deal over the line.
Get in touch today. The first call is free, and there's no obligation.