🇮🇪 Hire in Ireland: cost, rules and best EOR options
English-speaking EU member with a deep tech and finance talent pool, a favourable corporate-tax environment and a lighter employment-cost burden than much of continental Europe. Wages are high.
- Employer on-costs: 11.4–12.9% of gross salary (on a $60,000 salary, about $66,840–$67,740 total)
- EOR onboarding: not verified; own entity: not verified
- Probation: Probation up to 6 months, extendable to 12 months only in specified circumstances (Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018; general knowledge).
- Currency: Euro (EUR)
- Data confidence: high, verified 2026-10-05
Get matched for IrelandCalculate cost
What it costs to employ someone in Ireland
Employer on-costs run roughly 11.4–12.9% on top of gross salary. Employer PRSI Class A1 11.25% to 30 September 2026 and 11.40% for earnings from 1 October 2026 (PwC; a lower rate applies to low weekly earnings, not itemised). High adds the 1.5% employer contribution to My Future Fund auto-enrolment (from 1 January 2026) where the employee is eligible (aged 23-60, earning at least EUR 20,000 and not in a qualifying pension). Excludes paid leave, sick pay and redundancy.
| Contribution | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Employer PRSI (Class A1) | 11.25% to 30 Sep 2026; 11.40% from 1 Oct 2026 | PwC. Class S1 (proprietary directors) 0% employer. PRSI roadmap has further 0.15 point rises pencilled for 2027. |
| My Future Fund auto-enrolment (employer match) | 1.5% of gross pay initially, phased up to 6% over 10 years | Applies from 1 January 2026 to eligible employees; the State adds a top-up. Employers with qualifying schemes are exempt. |
Employer operates PAYE/USC/PRSI in real time via Revenue PAYE Modernisation; employee PRSI (Class A) rises from 4.2% to 4.35% on 1 October 2026 per secondary source; USC and income tax are withheld at source.
Mandatory benefits
- Annual leave of 4 working weeks (20 days)
- Public holidays (10)
- Statutory sick pay (5-10 days at 70% of pay, capped; 2026 schedule from general knowledge)
- Maternity (26 weeks) and parent's leave
- Auto-enrolment pension contribution (My Future Fund) where eligible
Employment rules at a glance
| Payroll | Weekly, fortnightly or monthly; PAYE returns submitted each pay run (real time) |
|---|---|
| Probation | Probation up to 6 months, extendable to 12 months only in specified circumstances (Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018; general knowledge). |
| Notice & severance | Statutory minimum notice: 1 week (13 weeks to 2 years), 2 weeks (2-5 years), 4 weeks (5-10 years), 6 weeks (10-15 years), 8 weeks (15+ years); contract may be longer. Statutory redundancy pay after 104 weeks' service: 2 weeks' pay per year plus one bonus week, weekly pay capped at EUR 600. General knowledge, not fetched. |
| Working time | Average maximum 48 hours per week over a reference period; rest breaks and daily rest rules apply. Overtime premiums are by contract. |
| Paid leave | 4 working weeks of annual leave (Organisation of Working Time Act 1997) plus 10 public holidays (general knowledge). |
| Minimum wage | EUR 14.15 per hour for those aged 20 and over from 1 January 2026 (EUR 13.50 before); under-18s EUR 9.91, age 18 EUR 11.32, age 19 EUR 12.74 - https://wageindicator.org/work/minimum-wage/updates/2026/minimum-wage-increased-in-ireland-from-01-january-2026-january-01-2026/ |
Termination
Unfair dismissal protection generally requires 12 months' service (shorter in some cases). The WRC (Workplace Relations Commission) handles claims. Fair procedures and valid reason are required.
Employee or contractor in Ireland?
Irish revenue and courts apply a multi-factor employment status test (Code of Practice on Determining Employment Status). Moderate risk where contractors work like employees.
Compare contractor vs employee cost →
Hiring through an EOR in Ireland
A foreign company can employ via an Irish subsidiary or branch, or an EOR. Irish Revenue registration (employer PAYE) is simple and fast. Timelines not verified.
Typical onboarding: EOR not verified; own entity not verified. GMT (UTC+0) in winter and IST (UTC+1) in summer; 5 hours ahead of US Eastern.
Providers worth shortlisting
| Provider | Best for | EOR pricing | Coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | Companies that want one platform for contractors, EOR and a US PEO, with transparent per-seat list prices. | $599 per EOR employee per month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | 150+ countries (vendor claim, per Deel's own and third-party descriptions) | Visit Deel |
| Remote | Teams that want a published price for each product (EOR, global payroll, contractors, contractor of record, US PEO) and an affiliate program with 12-month revenue share. | $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | 90+ countries for EOR (vendor pricing page claim) | Visit Remote |
| Rippling | Companies already running (or willing to adopt) a unified HR, IT and finance platform who want global hiring as an add-on module. | — | Visit Rippling | |
| Oyster | Distributed teams that want published EOR and contractor prices and a long-running affiliate program with tiered revenue share. | $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); annual discounts available; refundable deposit required | 120+ countries EOR; contractors in 180+ countries (vendor claim) | Visit Oyster |
| Papaya Global | Mid-size and larger companies that need multi-country payroll orchestration and workforce payments, and will go through a sales process. | 160+ countries (vendor claim as repeated on FlexOffers listing and third-party pages) | Visit Papaya Global | |
| Multiplier | Cost-conscious teams that want EOR priced below $500 per employee with an annual discount. | Third-party summary of Multiplier's pricing: EOR from $459/employee/month on annual contracts and $499 on monthly contracts (not confirmed; multiplier pricing page returned 403 to our fetch) | — | Visit Multiplier |
| Remofirst | Small teams that want the lowest published EOR starting price and a free contractor tier. | Starting at $199 per person/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); 'no hidden fees, setup fees, or minimum contract terms' per vendor page | 185+ countries for EOR (vendor claim) | Visit Remofirst |
| Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) | Companies that want an EOR with a tiered reseller/partner program and are comfortable with a recently rebranded vendor. | Third-party reports a flat $399 per employee/month (not confirmed on vendor page; hellopebl.com/pricing returned 404) | 185+ countries (third-party report) | Visit Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) |
Paying and covering your team in Ireland
Related
FAQ
What is employer PRSI in Ireland?
11.25% to 30 September 2026 and 11.40% from 1 October 2026 for most employees (Class A1).
Is there auto-enrolment?
Yes. My Future Fund started on 1 January 2026, with an employer match starting at 1.5% of pay for eligible staff.
How many days of annual leave?
Four working weeks, plus public holidays.
What is the minimum wage?
EUR 14.15 per hour for those aged 20 and over from January 2026.