Guides
Plain-language starting points for accounts, tax, payroll, compliance and business decisions. Check current official rules and obtain advice for your own circumstances.
Latest guidance
Revenue doesn't audit businesses at random. It uses a sophisticated risk-based system to identify who to examine. Here's what triggers Revenue's attention - and what g…
Receiving a Revenue audit notification is unsettling. Here's a plain-English guide to exactly what a Revenue audit involves, the timeline, what they examine, and how p…
Revenue uses different types of compliance interventions - each with different rules, different penalties, and different implications. Here's a plain-English guide to …
Not every Revenue letter is an audit. But every Revenue letter requires a prompt, careful response. Here's how to identify what type of contact you've received, what i…
A voluntary disclosure to Revenue lets you correct undeclared tax liabilities before Revenue finds them - with significantly reduced penalties. Here's exactly how the …
Accepting Bitcoin as payment, paying suppliers or staff in crypto, or holding crypto on the company balance sheet all create accounting and tax obligations. Here's wha…
Without proper records, calculating your Irish crypto CGT is nearly impossible. Here's the exact system to maintain — what to record, how to use crypto tax software, a…
Capital Gains Tax at 33% applies to every crypto disposal in Ireland — sale, swap, or spending. Here's exactly how to calculate your liability, what costs are deductib…
Cryptocurrency holdings pass on death like any other asset — but they present unique challenges for executors. Here's how Capital Acquisitions Tax applies to inherited…
Running a crypto mining operation in Ireland has distinct tax implications depending on scale. Here's how Revenue distinguishes a mining trade from a hobby, what expen…
Declaring cryptocurrency gains and income on your Irish tax return involves multiple sections and specific payment deadlines. Here's a step-by-step guide to completing…
A general guide to how Irish tax rules can apply to cryptocurrency disposals, income and record keeping.
In Ireland, swapping Bitcoin for Ethereum is a taxable disposal — even if you never touched euros. Here's how Revenue treats crypto-to-crypto trades, how to calculate …
NFTs — non-fungible tokens — carry Irish tax obligations that most holders haven't considered. Whether you're buying, selling, creating, or royalty-earning, here's how…
Revenue now has access to Irish crypto investors' transaction data through the DAC8 automatic exchange framework. Here's what that means for compliance, what Revenue c…
Staking rewards, liquidity mining, yield farming, and crypto interest — all taxable as income in Ireland. Here's how each type of crypto earnings is taxed, when the li…
Northern Ireland's unique dual VAT status under the Windsor Framework is genuinely confusing — and it's the source of expensive mistakes on both sides of the border. H…
Dundalk Chamber has been the business voice of the North-East for generations. From the M1 Corridor designation to the Living City Initiative, here's what sustained ad…
Water and wastewater capacity is the single biggest physical constraint on Dundalk's economic growth. Here's what the infrastructure gap means in practice, what Dundal…
Irish employment law has seen a wave of changes in recent years — sick pay, auto-enrolment, gender pay gap reporting, right to request remote work, minimum wage increa…
Underpricing is the most common financial mistake Irish small business owners make. Here's a framework for pricing that covers costs, margin, market positioning, and t…
Capital Acquisitions Tax is the tax your family pays when they inherit your estate. With a standard rate of 33% and thresholds that haven't kept pace with asset values…
InterTradeIreland funds cross-border business development through BLOOM, SPROUT, Elevate, and Connect programmes. Here's a plain-English guide to what each programme d…
A management buyout (MBO) lets an owner sell their business to the team running it. Here's how MBOs work in Ireland, the financing structures available, the tax implic…
Hiring your first employee in Ireland involves Revenue registration, PAYE Modernisation, PRSI, auto-enrolment, sick pay, and more. Here's everything a first-time Irish…
Running payroll in-house costs more than most business owners realise when time, risk, and errors are properly accounted for. Here's an honest cost comparison of in-ho…
Most Irish business plans fail to get funding not because the business idea is bad, but because the plan doesn't answer the questions funders actually care about. Here…
Dundalk Institute of Technology's strategic collaboration with Maynooth University is reshaping the region's higher education offer. Here's what it means for the talen…
Employer PRSI is one of the biggest payroll costs Irish businesses face — yet many employers don't fully understand how it's calculated or how it affects hiring decisi…
Passing a family business to the next generation in Ireland involves CGT, CAT, stamp duty, and family dynamics in equal measure. Here's a plain-English guide to the ta…
Ireland's gender pay gap reporting obligations are expanding to smaller employers every year. Here's who must report in 2026, what the report must contain, and what ha…
Most Irish business owners have no idea what their business is worth — until they need to sell, bring in a partner, or plan succession. Here's how business valuations …
Annual accounts tell you what happened last year. Management accounts tell you what's happening now. Here's what a management accounts pack contains, how often you nee…
The National Development Plan 2040 is under review. Dundalk Chamber has submitted its position — calling for stronger M1 Corridor commitments, water infrastructure inv…
Dundalk's border location makes cross-border business a natural growth path. But the structure you choose — single company, dual incorporation, or branch — has major i…
American trade policy in 2025-2026 has created genuine uncertainty for Irish businesses with US exposure. Here's a plain-English analysis of what the tariff changes me…
It has been five years since Brexit took full effect. For businesses in the Dundalk–Newry corridor, the landscape has changed in specific, concrete ways. Here's an hon…
Every Irish company director has statutory filing obligations with the Companies Registration Office. Here's exactly what needs to be filed, when, and what happens whe…
VAT on cross-border transactions between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland changed significantly post-Brexit. Here's what the Windsor Framework means in pra…
When an employee works in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, you may need to run payroll in both jurisdictions simultaneously. Here's how dual payroll …
The Dundalk–Newry Cross-Border Conference brings together hundreds of business leaders from both sides of the border. Here's a summary of the key themes from recent ev…
The first twelve months of running a business in Ireland expose most new owners to the same set of financial mistakes. Here's what they are, why they happen, and how t…
Capital Acquisitions Tax at 33% can take a large chunk of a family business passed to the next generation. Here's how Irish inheritance tax works, the key reliefs avai…
Not all accountants are the same. Here's what to look for when choosing an accountant for your business in Ireland — the questions to ask, the qualifications that matt…
The Louth Local Enterprise Office funds, trains, and mentors small businesses across County Louth. Here's a practical guide to every support available — including what…
The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced statutory sick pay for Irish employees for the first time. The entitlement is still phasing in. Here's where it stands in 2026, what…
CGT at 33% is one of Ireland's highest tax rates — and one of the least planned for. Here's how capital gains tax works for Irish business owners, what reliefs are ava…
How you extract money from your own limited company has a major impact on your tax bill. Salary, dividends, pension, or a combination — here's how Irish company direct…
Most business location decisions in Ireland default to Dublin. Here's why an increasing number of companies are choosing Dundalk — and why the numbers make a compellin…
The Employment Investment Incentive Scheme gives individual investors income tax relief of up to 40% on investments in qualifying Irish companies. Here's how it works,…
Your accountant produces a profit and loss statement every year. Most business owners scan the bottom line and file it away. Here's how to actually read it — and what …
PAYE Modernisation has been live in Ireland since 2019 but many small employers are still not fully compliant. Here's what it requires, the common failures Revenue is …
Remote working has transformed cross-border employment. Irish employers with staff working from Northern Ireland — or NI employers with ROI-based remote workers — face…
The Small Benefit Exemption allows Irish employers to give employees up to €1,500 in non-cash benefits per year, completely tax-free. Budget 2026 made it even better. …
More Irish people than ever are running side businesses alongside their day job. At what point does it make sense to incorporate? Here's the financial and legal analys…
Not every accountant is a registered auditor. Here's what a statutory audit involves, who needs one in Ireland, what it costs, and why the audit exemption — and losing…
The Irish tax system contains dozens of legitimate reliefs that small business owners are entitled to but never claim. Here are ten of the most commonly missed — with …
The Angel Investor Relief, introduced in Budget 2026, gives individual investors a reduced CGT rate of 16% on qualifying startup investments. Here's how it works, who …
The CRO annual return is the filing Irish company directors most commonly get wrong. Here's exactly what's required, when it's due, what happens if you're late, and ho…
Being a company director in Ireland comes with legal obligations most people never properly understood when they took the role. Here's a plain-English guide to what yo…
Thousands of people who live in Ireland and work in Northern Ireland are entitled to the Transborder Workers' Relief — and most never claim it. Here's what it is, who …
The M1 Corridor — the Drogheda–Dundalk–Newry 'Linear City' — is one of Ireland's most strategically important growth zones and is now recognised in the National Develo…
Thinking of starting a business in Ireland? Here's everything you need to do — from choosing your structure and registering with Revenue to VAT, payroll, and your firs…
The cost of an employee in Ireland is considerably more than their salary. Here's a full breakdown of employer PRSI, sick pay, holiday pay, pension auto-enrolment, and…
VAT confuses more Irish small business owners than almost any other tax. Here's a plain-English explanation of how it works, when you must register, how to calculate i…
VAT rules for tradespeople in Ireland are more complex than for most businesses. The two-thirds rule, the 13.5% vs 23% question, and the VAT threshold — here's what ev…
A practical guide for Irish tradespeople — plumbers, electricians, builders, carpenters — on what expenses you can legitimately claim against tax, from tools and vans …
The CRO resumed involuntary strike-offs in August 2025. Around 35,000 Irish companies are now at risk. Here's what it means, what the consequences are, and what to do …
Ireland's auto-enrolment pension scheme came into effect in September 2025. Here's what every Irish employer needs to know about eligibility, contributions, opt-out ru…
Budget 2026 delivered several measures that matter to small businesses across County Louth. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what changed, what it means in practice…
Cross-border employment between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is getting more complex. Here's what every Dundalk employer hiring across the border needs…
Missing a Revenue deadline costs money. Here are all the key Irish tax filing and payment dates for 2026 — for sole traders, company directors, employers, and VAT-regi…
After more than a decade of lobbying by Dundalk Chamber, the Living City Initiative now covers Dundalk. Here's a plain-English guide to the tax reliefs available and h…
Relevant Contracts Tax (RCT) catches more Dundalk construction businesses out than almost any other tax. Here's a plain-English guide to how it works, who it applies t…
Choosing between sole trader and limited company in Ireland? We break down the tax implications, liability differences, CRO requirements, and practical considerations …
County Louth has some of the best grant support available to new businesses in Ireland. Here's a complete guide to LEO, InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland, and othe…