--- title: "Hiring in Ireland 2026 | Employer of Record Guide" description: "Hire in Ireland through Teamed's EOR. 11.25% employer PRSI, 20 days statutory leave separate from 10 public holidays. The Ireland guides, one per layer." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/ireland --- Ireland · Country overview Served by Teamed via an Ireland-registered EOR entity # What do you need to know to hire in *Ireland*? Ireland caps probation at 6 months and launched auto-enrolment pension in September 2025. Employer PRSI is 11.25%, the minimum wage is €14.15/hour, and unfair dismissal protection kicks in after 12 months. Each guide below takes one layer. Last reviewed 13 June 2026 · Ireland guide ## How does Teamed handle Irish hiring for you? Teamed becomes your legal [employer of record](/lp/employer-of-record) in Ireland for [**from $599 per employee per month**](/pricing), with **zero FX mark-up** in any currency. Payroll, contracts, and the full Irish employment law stack run on **one platform**. **Real HR and legal experts** manage every Irish hire, from the first offer letter to the final payslip. **An actual person**, not a chatbot or a pooled queue, handles your Irish team alongside EOR, contractor onboarding, and entity payroll on **one platform**. There is **no setup fee** and **no exit fee**. Employer cost **passes through at cost, itemised** on every invoice. An Irish contractor who converts to PAYE keeps their record, and that same employee can **graduate** from EOR to your own Irish entity without re-onboarding. Run the [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) to see the month the model flips. EOR is the right model for a first Irish hire, **until it isn't**. Three things you won't find on any other Ireland EOR guide - **Ireland launched auto-enrolment pension in September 2025.** Every eligible employee not already in a qualifying scheme is now being enrolled automatically. Employer contributions start at 1.5% in years 1 to 3 and rise in steps to 6% by year 10. [The tax and payroll guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/tax-and-payroll) covers PRSI and the new pension side by side. - **Probation is capped at 6 months and cannot exceed 12 months even in exceptional circumstances.** After probation ends, employees gain the full unfair dismissal protection of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977. Most US buyers assume probation works like at-will employment. It does not. - **Ireland's statutory sick pay floor is only 5 days of employer-funded pay per year.** The planned expansion was paused indefinitely in April 2025. Many competitor guides still show the higher figures that were never enacted. The current floor is 70% of normal pay per sick day, capped at €110 per day (Sick Leave Act 2022). Answer.cite this Hiring in Ireland adds roughly 11 to 12 percent of gross salary in employer PRSI, plus the new auto-enrolment pension contribution starting at 1.5%. The minimum wage is €14.15/hour from January 2026. Ireland pays payroll monthly. PAYE returns must be accepted within 14 days of the period end under PAYE Modernisation. Statutory leave is 20 days for a five-day worker. There are 10 public holidays, counted separately from annual leave. Teamed runs Irish payroll, contracts, and compliance through an EOR entity holding the required Irish registrations. This page is the map. Each guide below is the detail. At a glance · Ireland EUR · English · Monthly payroll Currency EUR € Employer PRSI 11.25% Class A, Jan to Sep 2026 Auto-enrolment pension 1.5% + 1.5% employer + employee, years 1 to 3 Annual leave 20 days public holidays counted separately Public holidays 10 including St Brigid's Day since 2023 Minimum wage €14.15/hour from 1 January 2026 Minimum notice 1 week 13 weeks to 2 years service Top income tax 40% above EUR 44,000 for a single person ![A wide illustration of Dublin at golden hour: the Ha'penny Bridge over the Liffey in the foreground, Georgian terraces lining the quays behind it, and the Wicklow Mountains faintly visible under an amber sky.](/images/country-guides/ireland-hiring.webp) Ireland · per employee · per month · flat $ 599 Zero FX. No setup fees. 48-hour onboarding. The price your finance team can forecast against without an asterisk. Zero FX Fixed No setup fee No exit fee 48-hour onboard ## How much does it cost to hire an employee in Ireland in 2026? An Irish hire costs roughly 112 to 115 percent of gross salary once all employer contributions are added. Employer PRSI is 11.25% and the new auto-enrolment pension adds 1.5% in years 1 to 3. Both sit on top of salary. Employer PRSI Class A runs at 11.25% on earnings above the weekly threshold. Auto-enrolment pension launched in September 2025: the employer contribution is 1.5% in years 1 to 3, rising to 3% in years 4 to 6 and eventually 6% from year 10. Statutory sick pay, parental benefits, and holiday pay sit on top. Teamed's Ireland fee sits inside the total cost envelope. Teamed's Ireland price is a starting rate, with zero FX in any currency pairing. No setup fees. No exit fees. Salaries, taxes, and benefits passed through at cost on every invoice. The full breakdown, with worked examples at current statutory rates, is in the cost guide. [Read the full Ireland cost breakdown](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/cost-breakdown) ## Do you need an Irish entity to hire employees in Ireland? No. An Employer of Record runs Irish payroll and contracts from day one. Your own Irish limited company becomes cheaper than EOR somewhere around 5 to 8 employees, depending on salary. Registering an Irish private limited company (LTD) takes three to four weeks via the Companies Registration Office and comes with annual accounts, audit thresholds, and ongoing payroll registration with Revenue. An [Employer of Record](/lp/employer-of-record) is faster and cheaper at low headcount. Teamed runs Irish payroll, contracts, and benefits from day one. The crossover point depends on Irish salary levels and your own accounting costs. For most tech roles it lands around 5 to 8 employees. The EOR vs entity guide runs those numbers. Most EOR providers will not tell you when you have crossed it. We do, and we help you move. You progress from contractor to EOR to your own Irish entity on **one platform** under Teamed's Graduation Model, with tenure preserved. [Read the full Ireland EOR vs entity guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/eor-vs-entity) ## What are the key employment law rules in Ireland in 2026? Auto-enrolment pension launched in September 2025 and the minimum wage rose to €14.15/hour on 1 January 2026. Probation is capped at 6 months by law and can only be extended to 12 months in exceptional cases. The Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024 brought in mandatory auto-enrolment from September 2025. Every eligible employee not in a qualifying pension scheme is being enrolled. Employer contributions start at 1.5% and rise over time. The EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Regulations 2022 cap probation at 6 months, with an outer limit of 12 months for exceptional roles. The maximum average working week is 48 hours under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. Statutory sick pay has been paused at 5 days of employer-funded pay per year. Unfair dismissal protection applies after 12 months of continuous service. The hiring guide covers all day-one obligations in detail. [Read the full Ireland hiring guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/hiring-guide) ## What benefits must you provide Irish employees in 2026? The statutory floor is 20 days of paid annual leave plus 10 public holidays, counted separately. Maternity leave runs 26 weeks paid, state benefit at €299/week, plus up to 16 weeks unpaid. Irish statutory annual leave is 20 days for a five-day worker under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. Unlike the UK, Ireland counts annual leave and public holidays separately. There are 10 public holidays, the latest being St Brigid's Day added in 2023. Statutory sick pay is 5 days per year at 70% of normal pay, capped at €110 per day. Maternity leave is 26 weeks of paid leave with state maternity benefit at €299/week, followed by up to 16 weeks of additional unpaid leave. Paternity leave is 2 weeks, with state paternity benefit at €299/week. Each parent can also take 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child. The benefits guide covers every entitlement and the employer obligations. [Read the full Ireland benefits guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/benefits) ## What are payroll taxes in Ireland in 2026? Employer PRSI Class A is 11.25% on weekly earnings above the threshold. Employees pay PRSI at 4.2%, then income tax at 20% up to €44,000/year and 40% above that. Irish employers pay [PRSI Class A at 11.25%](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/publications/prsi-class-a-rates/) on weekly earnings above the threshold. Auto-enrolment pension adds 1.5% employer contribution in years 1 to 3. PAYE returns are submitted under Revenue's PAYE Modernisation system. The monthly statutory return is accepted within 14 days of the period end. On the employee side, income tax is 20% on earnings up to €44,000/year and 40% on the balance above that for a single person. Employees also pay PRSI at 4.2% and the Universal Social Charge (USC) on a separate progressive scale. Teamed PAYE handles all employee deductions. The tax and payroll guide sets out every band and threshold. [Read the full Ireland tax and payroll guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/tax-and-payroll) ## How do you terminate an employee in Ireland? Irish statutory notice starts at 1 week for employees with 13 weeks to 2 years of service. Notice scales with tenure and reaches 8 weeks at 15 or more years (Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 to 2005). Statutory notice under the Minimum Notice Acts scales with service: 1 week from 13 weeks to 2 years, 2 weeks from 2 to 5 years, 4 weeks from 5 to 10 years, 6 weeks from 10 to 15 years, and 8 weeks at 15 or more years. Below 13 weeks of service, no statutory minimum applies. Statutory redundancy applies after 2 years of continuous service. The formula is 2 weeks of pay per year of service plus a bonus week, based on reckonable weekly pay capped at €600/week. Unfair dismissal protection applies from 12 months of service. The WRC compensation cap for unfair dismissal is 104 weeks of pay. The termination guide covers the full process. [Read the full Ireland termination and severance guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/termination-and-severance) ## What should you know before hiring in Ireland? Two things catch US buyers out. The first is that annual leave and public holidays are separate counts. The second is that the new auto-enrolment pension is mandatory from September 2025 for every eligible employee not already in a qualifying scheme. **Annual leave and public holidays are separate.** Ireland gives 20 days of paid annual leave plus 10 public holidays on top. US buyers often assume leave is bundled the way it is in the UK. It is not. Brief finance teams before you sign the first contract. **Auto-enrolment pension started in September 2025.** Employer contributions begin at 1.5% and rise in four steps over ten years. Most competitor EOR guides written before mid-2025 do not cover this at all. The cost breakdown guide and the tax and payroll guide both set out the full contribution schedule. [Read the full Ireland hiring guide](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/hiring-guide) ## Frequently asked questions How much does it cost to hire an employee in Ireland? Plan on roughly 112 to 115 percent of gross salary once employer PRSI at 11.25% and the new auto-enrolment pension contribution at 1.5% are added. Teamed's Ireland fee is one flat number per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency pairing. The cost breakdown guide has worked examples. Can a US company hire in Ireland without an entity? Yes. An Employer of Record like Teamed runs Irish payroll, contracts, and compliance through its own registered entity. You direct the work. Teamed becomes the legal employer of record. Setup takes 48 hours once terms are confirmed. Registering your own Irish LTD takes three to four weeks via the Companies Registration Office. What is the Irish minimum wage in 2026? The National Minimum Wage is €14.15/hour from 1 January 2026 for adults aged 20 and over. It was set under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 following the Low Pay Commission recommendation. Sub-rates apply for employees aged under 20. What are Irish statutory notice periods? Statutory notice under the Minimum Notice Acts scales with service. It is 1 week from 13 weeks to 2 years of service, 2 weeks at 2 to 5 years, 4 weeks at 5 to 10 years, 6 weeks at 10 to 15 years, and 8 weeks at 15 or more years. Below 13 weeks of service, no statutory minimum applies. What is the Irish statutory redundancy formula? Statutory redundancy applies after 2 years of continuous service. The formula is 2 weeks of reckonable pay per year plus a bonus week. Reckonable weekly pay is capped at €600/week. The termination guide walks through the calculation with examples. What is the minimum annual leave for an Irish employee? Statutory minimum paid annual leave is 20 days for a standard five-day worker under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. Ireland counts annual leave and public holidays separately. There are 10 public holidays in addition to that leave entitlement. Employers can grant more leave by contract. Teamed Legal Operations Ireland reads as an easy English-speaking hire with a common-law base and straightforward tax. The catch is that auto-enrolment pension launched in September 2025 and almost no one outside Ireland knows the schedule yet. That, and the probation cap, mean the first Irish hire often lands with more obligations than US buyers planned for. A note from Tom Price-Daniel Ireland launched mandatory auto-enrolment pension in September 2025. Every eligible employee not in a qualifying scheme is being enrolled now. The probation cap, the separate public holiday count, and the PRSI schedule are all predictable once you know them. Read the right Ireland guide before the first hire, not after the first Revenue query. Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed ## Keep reading - [Ireland hiring guide, offer to payslip](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/hiring-guide)guide - [Ireland employer cost breakdown 2026](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/cost-breakdown)guide - [EOR vs entity in Ireland](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/eor-vs-entity)guide - [Ireland termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/termination-and-severance)guide - [Ireland tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/ireland/tax-and-payroll)guide - [Employer of Record overview](/lp/employer-of-record)core - The Graduation Modelcore - [Teamed pricing, Zero FX Fixed](/pricing)core - [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator/ireland)tool - [Talk to an expert](https://www.teamed.global/contact)CTA A note on this page. This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules change and vary by jurisdiction. Verify current requirements with the Workplace Relations Commission, Revenue Commissioners, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for Ireland, or speak to a qualified professional, before relying on any specific framework.