Companies with employees in Ireland need to ensure compliance with in-country payroll regulations and changing requirements each year. Here are some labor and payroll regulations to consider when managing employees in Ireland:

Payroll and Tax Considerations

  • Minimum wage is €10.20 per hour for employees over the age of 20. Pay rates vary for younger employees
  • The average work week may not exceed 48 hours over a 4-month period
  • Employees over the age of 16 with more than 2 years of continuous service at a job are entitled to a statutory redundancy payment which is a lump sum amount based on the employee salary
  • Minors under 18 cannot be employed in work that might harm their safety, health or development, and night work between 11pm and 6am is prohibited
  • Tax rates range from 20-40% based on type of income
  • Employment contracts must be in writing and provided to employees within 5 days of starting employment
  • Foreign workers who do not come from EU or Switzerland will need a work permit to work in Ireland

HR and Statutory Requirements:

  • All full and part-time employees earn annual leave from the time they begin work
  • Most employees are entitled to 4 weeks of paid annual leave, but this may be less depending on time worked
  • In general, employees in Ireland have no legal right to be paid while on sick leave. Employers can agree to pay employees when they are sick, but employers must provide written sick leave policies to employees
  • Maternity leave is paid by the government and employees are entitled to 26 weeks. At least 2 weeks and not more than 16 weeks of leave must be taken before the end of the week in which the baby is due
  • Employees can take an additional 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave after the initial 26 weeks
  • Fathers are entitled to 2 weeks of paid paternity leave, which must be taken consecutively
  • There is no set retirement age in Ireland, but the usual retirement age is 65

Holidays in Ireland

  • January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day
  • April 18 – Easter Monday
  • May 2 – May Day
  • June 6 – June Bank Holiday
  • August 1 – August Bank Holiday
  • October 31 – October Bank Holiday
  • December 25 – Christmas Day
  • December 26 – St. Stephen’s Day

Blue Marble has created one payroll platform to manage your employees across 150+ countries. With customized reporting you can view payroll in real-time across all countries and currencies to ensure compliance. Our global HR team can help manage HR compliance for your employees in Ireland, and we have a US-based service team and in-country experts to help when questions come up. As regulations evolve, your technology automatically updates so you can maintain compliance with in-country requirements. Click here to learn more