Irish Business FAQs.

No. An Irish company generally needs at least one EEA-resident director — not specifically an Irish resident. If none of the directors is resident in the EEA, a Section 137 bond can generally be used. UK residence does not satisfy the EEA-resident-director requirement after Brexit.

A Section 137 bond is the statutory alternative to the EEA-resident-director requirement where an Irish company has no EEA-resident director. The bond is €25,000 and must have a minimum two-year validity period. It relates to director residence, not the nationality or residence of shareholders. View Forti's non-EEA director service →

Yes. Irish companies can be owned and managed by international founders. The formation process can normally be completed remotely. If the company has no EEA-resident director, a Section 137 bond or another applicable statutory route is required.

Yes. There is no general prohibition on an Indian resident owning or directing an Irish company. However, India is outside the EEA, so a company whose entire board is non-EEA resident will generally need a Section 137 bond or another qualifying solution.

Yes — share ownership is not generally restricted by residence. However, UK residence no longer satisfies the EEA-resident-director requirement after Brexit. A UK-resident director would require a Section 137 bond or another valid compliance route.

Yes. An Irish LTD can have a single shareholder. That person can also be the company's sole director, provided a separate company secretary is appointed.

Yes. A private company limited by shares can have one director. However, a sole director cannot also act as company secretary — a separate person must fill that role.

Yes. Every Irish company requires a company secretary. Where the company has only one director, that director cannot also act as secretary. View Forti's company secretarial service →

Yes. Every Irish company must maintain a registered office in the State. It is the company's statutory company-law address. A PO box by itself is not sufficient — a physical Irish address is required. View Forti's registered office service →

Yes. A proposed name can be rejected if it breaches CRO company-name rules — including where it is too similar to an existing registered name. CRO accepting a name does not give the business trademark protection. Trademarks are a separate matter handled through the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland.

No. A bank account is not normally required simply to incorporate the company. Opening banking facilities is a separate process with the chosen bank or payment institution.

Normally no. Most incorporation steps can be completed remotely. Third-party providers — particularly banks and payment institutions — can have their own in-person identification requirements that are separate from the CRO process.

There is no statutory profit level at which a sole trader must become a company. Incorporation is often worth reviewing once profits become consistently significant, but factors such as drawings, reinvestment, liability, pension planning, administration and future plans matter as much as the headline profit figure. View Forti's sole trader accounting →

Not automatically. €50,000 can be a useful planning point at which to review the options, but it is not an Irish tax-law threshold requiring incorporation. The decision depends on multiple factors specific to the individual.

There is no universally better answer. The right jurisdiction depends on where the owners live, where the company is managed, where employees and customers are, banking requirements, regulatory requirements and whether an EU establishment matters commercially. Headline Corporation Tax rates alone should not drive the decision.

The legal label in the contract is not decisive. Revenue applies the Karshan five-step framework to the reality of the working relationship. Misclassification can create PAYE, PRSI, USC and employment-law exposure for both parties.

Outsourcing can remove much of the day-to-day administrative burden. However, the employer remains legally responsible for providing correct information and complying with its payroll obligations. View Forti's payroll service →

No. CRO and Revenue are separate. CRO incorporates the company. Revenue handles tax registrations — Corporation Tax, VAT, Employer PAYE and others.

The main rates are 12.5% on qualifying trading income and 25% on certain non-trading income such as rental and investment income. Other regimes and rates can apply in specialised cases — not every company pays 12.5% on all income.

The CT1 return and the balance of Corporation Tax are generally due nine months after the end of the accounting period, by the 23rd of that month for electronic filers using ROS.

For preliminary-tax purposes, a small company is generally one with a CT liability below €200,000 in its previous accounting period. Preliminary CT is generally due 31 days before the accounting-period end and before the 23rd of that month. Different rules apply to large companies.

A new company does not have to pay preliminary Corporation Tax for its first accounting period where the CT liability for that period is less than €200,000. The final tax still needs to be paid by the normal CT1 deadline.

Section 486C provides Corporation Tax relief for certain qualifying new trading companies during the first five years of trading. The amount of relief depends on the company's qualifying CT liability and relevant PRSI contributions. It is not an automatic five-year Corporation Tax exemption.

Proprietary directors generally fall within self-assessment and have a Form 11 filing obligation. A proprietary director is broadly one who beneficially owns and can control more than 15% of the company's ordinary share capital. Other directors may also have Form 11 obligations depending on their circumstances.

The standard Irish CGT rate is generally 33%. Specific reliefs — such as Revised Entrepreneur Relief — can reduce the rate in qualifying circumstances.

Qualifying disposals of business assets can potentially benefit from a 10% CGT rate under Revised Entrepreneur Relief, subject to detailed conditions. For qualifying gains arising from 1 January 2026, the lifetime qualifying-gains limit is €1.5 million, including any earlier qualifying gains already counted under the relief.

Yes, provided the company has sufficient distributable reserves and follows the proper company-law procedures. Cash in the bank alone does not establish that a dividend can legally be paid. Dividend Withholding Tax (DWT) at 25% is generally withheld unless an exemption applies.

Salary is remuneration processed through payroll and is generally deductible in calculating company trading profits. Dividends are paid from post-tax distributable profits and are not deductible when calculating the company's taxable profit. They are taxed separately in the shareholder's hands after Corporation Tax.

Revenue's principal VAT registration thresholds (effective January 2025) are: €42,500 for services only and for certain goods manufactured or produced from zero-rated materials; €85,000 for goods; and €85,000 for certain mixed businesses where 90% or more of turnover is from qualifying goods. A separate €10,000 EU-wide threshold can apply to certain intra-EU distance sales and cross-border TBE services. Cross-border rules can override normal domestic thresholds. View Forti's VAT services →

For many B2B services supplied to a VAT-registered customer in another EU Member State, the reverse charge can shift the VAT-accounting obligation to the customer — subject to the place-of-supply rules. It can also apply to certain specified domestic transactions.

OSS (One Stop Shop) can allow a business to report and pay VAT on qualifying cross-border B2C supplies through one Member State rather than registering separately in each EU country solely for those supplies. IOSS (Import One Stop Shop) allows VAT to be collected at checkout on qualifying B2C imports where the intrinsic value of the consignment does not exceed €150. They address different supply types — OSS for goods/services sold to EU consumers; IOSS for imports into the EU. OSS does not replace local VAT registrations caused by holding stock in another Member State.

From 1 July 2026, the previous Customs Duty exemption for low-value ecommerce consignments with an intrinsic value of €150 or less was removed. A €3 Customs Duty can apply to each distinct item type in a qualifying parcel. Identical items of the same type are treated as one distinct item for this charge. IOSS does not eliminate this duty — though Revenue states VAT is not charged on the €3 duty where the supplier uses IOSS.

PVA can allow eligible VAT- and customs-registered traders to account for import VAT through their VAT return rather than paying it at the point of import. This can help with cash flow for businesses importing goods into Ireland.

An EORI number identifies economic operators for customs purposes in the EU. Businesses importing or exporting goods through EU customs generally need an EORI number where the relevant customs rules require it.

Generally yes where the company pays the director remuneration. Director salary is normally reported through PAYE payroll — employer registration and Revenue reporting apply from the first payment. View Forti's payroll service →

An RPN (Revenue Payroll Notification) tells the employer how to operate Income Tax and USC for the employee. Employers should retrieve the latest RPN before calculating payroll. If no RPN is available, emergency-tax treatment can apply — leading to significantly higher deductions until Revenue issues the correct information.

A Payroll Submission reports pay and statutory deductions to Revenue and must generally be filed on or before the employee's pay date — not at year-end.

My Future Fund is Ireland's statutory pension auto-enrolment system, which commenced on 1 January 2026. Eligible employees are automatically enrolled where the statutory conditions are satisfied. For 2026–2028, the employer contribution is 1.5% of gross pay, the employee contributes 1.5% and the State contributes 0.5% — calculated on earnings up to €80,000. Employees generally eligible are those aged 23–60 earning €20,000+ who do not already have qualifying pension coverage.

Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR) require employers to report specified benefits and payments to Revenue on or before the date they are provided or paid. Current categories include Small Benefit Exemption benefits, qualifying travel and subsistence, and the Remote Working Daily Allowance.

An employer can currently provide up to five qualifying non-cash benefits in a year, with a combined value not exceeding €1,500, subject to the statutory rules. The exemption cannot be paid as cash.

A qualifying zero-emission vehicle can potentially benefit from the EV-specific OMV reduction together with the temporary Category A1 OMV reduction. For 2026, the EV-specific reduction of €20,000 and the temporary additional reduction of €10,000 can produce a combined OMV reduction of €30,000, subject to the applicable rules and conditions.

For employees aged 20 and over, the National Minimum Wage is €14.15 per hour from 1 January 2026. Lower age-related rates can apply to younger employees. Tips and gratuities are not reckonable pay for National Minimum Wage purposes.

A B1 is the company's CRO Annual Return. It is separate from the CT1 Corporation Tax return filed with Revenue. Missing or late B1s can result in late fees of up to €1,200 and can affect audit exemption eligibility.

The first Annual Return Date is exactly six months after incorporation. The B1 must then be filed within the statutory 56-day filing period. Financial statements are not attached to the first B1.

A late Annual Return attracts the standard €20 filing fee plus late filing charges: an initial €100 late fee plus €3 per additional day, up to a maximum of €1,200 per return. Late filing can also affect audit exemption eligibility. From 16 July 2025, a company loses audit exemption where it files its Annual Return late more than once within a five-year period — the loss applies for the following two years.

Not automatically. From 16 July 2025, a company loses audit exemption where it files its Annual Return late more than once within a five-year period. The loss applies for the following two years. Different conditions can apply to group audit exemption.

RBO stands for Register of Beneficial Ownership. It records information about the individuals who ultimately own or control relevant Irish entities. It is a separate register from the CRO company register — filing the B1 does not complete the RBO obligation. View Forti's RBO filing service →

A newly incorporated entity within scope has five months from incorporation to register its beneficial ownership with the RBO. Changes must be reported within 14 days of the change to the internal beneficial ownership register.

No — not automatically. An IPN is primarily a CRO identification mechanism issued through the VIF identity-verification process. Where Revenue requires a PPSN for a particular tax-registration or compliance process, an IPN does not automatically satisfy that requirement. The two serve different purposes.

Yes. Dormancy does not remove beneficial-ownership obligations. Irish companies within scope must maintain their internal register and file with the RBO even where they are dormant or have not traded.

Potentially yes. Where Amazon moves and stores inventory in fulfilment centres in other EU countries, local VAT registration and reporting obligations can arise. OSS does not normally remove VAT-registration obligations arising from physically holding inventory in another Member State. View Forti's ecommerce accounting →

No. Shopify is the sales platform. VAT obligations depend on the underlying transactions — where the business is established, where stock is stored and where customers are located. The platform does not determine the VAT treatment.

In specified EU ecommerce transactions, an electronic interface or marketplace can be treated as the supplier for VAT purposes under EU ecommerce rules. The marketplace then becomes responsible for VAT on those specific supplies. Marketplace-collected VAT still needs to be correctly reconciled to sales, fees and settlements in your own accounting records.

No. Electronically supplied services have separate place-of-supply rules. A qualifying EU-established supplier established in only one Member State may benefit from the €10,000 EU-wide threshold for combined qualifying intra-EU distance sales and relevant electronic/TBE services.

Voluntary strike-off is a process allowing an eligible company that has ceased or never traded to apply to be removed from the register. Among the statutory conditions, the company's assets and liabilities (including contingent and prospective) must each not exceed €150. Other conditions include outstanding Annual Returns, a Revenue letter of no objection, the required resolution and newspaper notice. View company closure services →

An MVL is a formal liquidation process for a solvent company. A liquidator realises assets, settles liabilities and distributes the remaining value to shareholders. An MVL is generally appropriate where a solvent company has material assets or reserves to distribute — beyond the €150 strike-off threshold. View Forti's liquidation services →

No. Capital treatment can apply to appropriate liquidation distributions, but Revised Entrepreneur Relief has separate qualifying conditions related to the shareholder, shares, ownership period and trading company status. The relief does not apply automatically to every MVL.

Potentially yes. Administrative restoration is generally available where the company has been dissolved for no more than 12 months, subject to the statutory conditions. After 12 months, court restoration is generally required. A dissolved company cannot legally continue to trade.

After a valid strike-off application, CRO follows a statutory publication and objection process including a 90-day Gazette objection period. The full process normally takes a number of months. Additional time is needed for Revenue clearance, the newspaper notice and CRO processing. A precise completion date should not be guaranteed.