Guides
Tax questions people actually ask
19 question-led guides, each with a quick answer, the steps, the pitfalls and a dated Revenue source. Chosen from search demand, not from what we felt like writing.
Refunds and underpayments
How long does a tax refund take in Ireland?
Revenue pays PAYE refunds to your bank account within three to five working days of processing your return. What happens first, and what slows it down.
How do I know if I am due a tax refund?
Check the Preliminary End of Year Statement in myAccount, then add the credits you missed. Only a Statement of Liability confirms a refund.
Revenue says I underpaid tax. What happens now?
Underpayments under 6,000 euro are collected interest-free by reducing your tax credits over up to four years, or you can pay in myAccount. Claiming missed credits can shrink the figure.
Jobs and pay
Do I pay more tax with a second job?
You do not pay more tax overall for having two jobs, but you will overpay during the year unless you divide your credits and rate band between them in myAccount.
Do students pay tax on a summer job?
Being a student changes nothing about tax, but most students earn too little to pay any. Register the job to avoid emergency tax, and claim back what was deducted after the year ends.
Starting my first job: what do I need to do about tax?
Three steps before your first payday so that your employer taxes you correctly from the start.
How is a bonus taxed in Ireland?
A bonus is ordinary pay. It is taxed at your marginal rate plus USC and PRSI in the month it is paid, which is why a large bonus can lose more than half.
How much can I earn before paying tax in Ireland?
A single PAYE worker pays no Income Tax on roughly the first 20,000 euro in 2026 because of credits, no USC on income of 13,000 euro or less, and no employee PRSI in weeks under 352 euro.
Marriage and family
Married or civil partners: joint assessment, separate assessment or separate treatment?
Joint assessment is the default and usually best; separate assessment gives the same total tax with separate paperwork; separate treatment is rarely better. The deadlines and the year-of-marriage refund.
Is Maternity Benefit taxed?
Maternity, Paternity, Parent's and Adoptive Benefit are liable to Income Tax but not USC or PRSI. Revenue collects the tax by reducing your credits and rate band, so your employer's top-up may look more heavily taxed.
Life events
I am leaving Ireland. Can I claim tax back?
If you leave part-way through a year you usually overpay, because a full year's credits were spread over twelve months. How to claim, and how split-year treatment keeps foreign pay out of the Irish net.
I am out of work. Can I claim tax back before the year ends?
If you stop working and will have no taxable income for a while, you can ask Revenue for an unemployment repayment in-year instead of waiting for the end-of-year review.
Is a redundancy payment taxed?
Statutory redundancy is tax free. Ex gratia lump sums are exempt up to the basic exemption, the increased exemption or SCSB, whichever is highest, with a lifetime cap.
Side income and assets
Do I pay tax on rental income?
Rent from an Irish property is taxed as income after allowable expenses. Net profit over 5,000 euro, or gross rent over 30,000 euro, means Form 11; smaller amounts go in the PAYE return.
How is Airbnb income taxed?
Short-term stays are not rental income and do not qualify for Rent-a-Room Relief. The income is taxed as other income or trading income, with a narrower set of deductions.
Do I pay tax on crypto in Ireland?
Selling, swapping or spending crypto is a disposal for Capital Gains Tax. Staking, mining and payment in crypto are income. Records, the annual exemption, the rate change in October 2026 and reporting.
Employer benefits
How does the Cycle to Work scheme work?
Your employer buys the bike and you repay it from gross pay, saving Income Tax, USC and PRSI. Limits of 1,250 euro, 1,500 euro for e-bikes and 3,000 euro for cargo bikes, once every four years.
Can my employer give me tax-free vouchers?
Up to five non-cash benefits a year, worth 1,500 euro in total, can be given tax free. Cash and cash-redeemable vouchers never qualify.