Membership FAQs

You can update your contact details and review your membership by logging into your MyAOP account. This is the quickest and easiest way to manage your membership.

Receipts are available to download when you log into your MyAOP account. Simply select the receipt tab.

Should you experience any problems downloading your receipt or you require a different format, please contact the membership team.

Membership certificates are available to download early January each year. Log into your MyAOP account and navigate to the membership tab to download your certificate.

Should you experience any problems downloading your certificate or have any questions about your certificate, please contact the membership team.

The AOP is an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) approved professional body - registered as ‘Optometrists, Association of’ - which means that if you are a UK tax payer, you may be eligible to claim tax relief on your AOP membership fee.

For a higher rate tax payer (40%) this could mean relief of more than £280 against the full annual membership fee and a basic rate tax payer (20%) relief of over £140.

Employees

If you pay your own AOP membership fee, tax relief should be claimed on your annual self-assessment return or via the HMRC P87 form.

If your employer pays your membership fee on your behalf, your employer may have an exemption with HMRC so that you won't be taxed. Alternatively, your employer will include these fees on your annual P11D tax form - then you claim the tax relief on your self-assessment return.

Self employed people and locums

If you're self-employed or a locum the AOP membership fee may be deductible as an allowable expense before calculating your taxable profits.

Membership receipts

When you join the AOP, or on renewal of membership, members are provided with a ‘Confirmation of payment or renewal’ receipt. This can be used as evidence for the claim.

More information

For more information about tax relief for professional fees and subscriptions and how to claim, please visit the GOV.UK website

As part of our annual renewal process, we actively encourage members to check they’re on the correct membership grade. We also encourage recently qualified members to check their membership grade as well.

You can log into MyAOP to check your membership details and make sure you’re on the correct grade. If you need to change your grade of membership or need further guidance, please contact the membership team.

If you’re planning to take maternity, paternity or adoption leave, providing you’ve been a member for 12 consecutive months, you may be eligible for our parental leave grade.

The parental leave grade can be implemented on receipt of a MATB1, adoption or birth certificate and will commence from the first day of the month your child is due or birth month up to a maximum of 12-months. Fees for the remainder of the calendar year will be pro-rated.

If you have any further questions, please contact the membership team.

If you work less than 100 days in a calendar year (any work carried out on a day equates to one day) our full concessionary membership grade is best for you. For clarity, all work conducted either in a self-employed or employed capacity within the calendar year is included in the 100-day total. Days teaching and supervising optometry students undertaken in the university do not need to be included within the 100-day limit.

If you have any further questions, please contact the membership team.

Yes. If you’re retiring from all work (optometry and other) and plan to remove yourself from the GOC register from 1 April in the current or following year, you may be eligible for our newly retired membership grade.

To find out if you’re eligible and how you can apply, please contact the membership team.

Visit our returning to work page to find out about some of the things you need to consider before returning to work, including advice on how to be restored to the GOC register, and how to be restored to the Ophthalmic Performers List.

You may also find some of our members' experiences of returning to work helpful:

• Returning to work: an experience shared
  Optometrist and lifestyle blogger, Lizzy Yeowart talks to OT
• Back in the habit: returning to work
  Hospital optometrist and academic, Dr Janis Orr, talks to OT, plus more from Lizzy.

If you have any questions regarding membership, please contact the membership team.

If you’re a practice owner who is relying on the vicarious liability insurance for your practice, the full UK grade is the appropriate grade for your requirements.

We include vicarious liability insurance as standard as part of your membership and your business will be covered if a claim comes in after an employee or locum member has stopped working for you. As long as all optometrists in the business (owners, employees and locums) are AOP members, and you have the vicarious liability cover through your AOP membership when the claim is notified, your business will be covered.

As a non-member, you’ll no longer be covered by our range of insurances or have access to our membership benefits which includes:

• Defence for any GOC matters, NHS investigations and patient complaints
• Employment support advising on all employment matters, including contracts, redundancy, performance, discrimination, and able to arrange representation at internal meetings. This is particularly useful for individuals where your employer pays for your insurance
• Access to clinicians for any clinical or regulatory queries that you would like to speak with someone about
• Optometry Today in print, online and the range of OT CPD activity
• Education programme

Please note: A cancellation will only be accepted once the initial 12-month membership period has been completed. A membership will cease from the date a cancellation notification is received

How to cancel: Please contact the membership team to cancel your membership, including your membership ID and the reason for cancellation

You can renew your membership by:

• Logging into your MyAOP account to make a secure credit or debit card payment
• If you’ve already chosen to renew your membership by Direct Debit, you don’t need to do anything. If you want to set up a new Direct Debit, log into your MyAOP account, submit your details, and select to pay by monthly, quarterly or annual instalments
• Calling 020 7549 2010 and choose the automated payment option to pay by phone (this is only available between November – January each year)

The AOP accepts all major credit and debit cards, except American Express.

If you have any other questions about making a payment, please contact the membership team.

To change the bank account your membership fees are debited from, please log into your MyAOP account. Once logged in, navigate to ‘View or change my Direct Debit details’ under the membership tab, add your new bank details and select ‘Process’.

Should you experience any problems updating your details, please contact the membership team.

Please log in with the email address to which you receive member communications from the AOP.

Please click on the forgotten password link and enter your email address. You should receive a reset password email. Please check your junk and/or spam email boxes if you do not receive an email immediately.

Please contact us for assistance on [email protected]. Please include your membership number or GOC number when contacting us to help us identify you.

Click on the Register link on the login page and complete the online form. You will need to enter the following information:

• Surname
• Membership number
• Email address (please enter the email address associated with your AOP membership)
• Password (of your choice)
• Forum user name (of your choice).

Then click on the 'Register' button.

Once you are registered you should be able to log in successfully with your email address and chosen password. You may need to refresh your browser before doing so.

Please check that you have used the correct email address and entered all other information correctly. If you are still unable to register, please contact us on [email protected]. Please quote your AOP or GOC number to help us identify you.

If you have changed your surname, for immediate access to MyAOP, you should register with the surname that you were using when you originally joined the AOP. You should then contact the membership team on [email protected] who will help you update your account with your new surname.