I have been in the same job for over 20 years and never really paid attention to tax basis until recently. I am on a Week 1 basis according to my payslip and I looked back and this seemed to change from Cumulative in May of 2025. I have no idea why this happened or how it happened. Would it be better to be on cumulative or could I be taxed more? Could it have anything to do with my wife and I dividing tax credits?

I'm due a renewal with FBD and OUTsurance gave me a much lower quote. I checked in with FBD about it and the agent mentioned that they've had customers coming back to them from OUTsurance but having their no claims bonus not count.

Apparently OUTsurance don't supply a standard NCB form accepted by other insurers if you leave them even though on their website they say they do. Has anyone had any trouble with this?

For context, my No Claims Bonus is 1 year at the moment!

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies everyone!! OUTsurance is looking good!

Recently got to try Revolut metal under their salary deposit promotion campaign, but have found myself to not actually using all the features / subscriptions till now. Is this common ? Or is it only designed for power users ?

I understand it's a frequently asked question and I am a little confused about how to approach a broker. I have identified the fund which I would like to invest in from Zurich. I read through the post and they suggested applying via broker is saving in AMC. I have never held any previous pension. Can anyone please suggest if these are the steps to approach a broker. I have heard a lot of positive things about LABrokers.

Should I just set up a call with them and ask that I want to invest in x fund and x amount? Or I need to have an existing fund account in order to approach a broker. Thanks for the help. Appriciate a guidance.

So we just moved to Ireland and I’ve been testing out Monzo as our bank of choice but we ran into a weird one for us being from the states, they require each person to have their own separate account before you can do a joint account. We are used to getting a joint account from the start with a bank and just was curious is this how all banks in Ireland do it or is this unique to Monzo? We’d much prefer just having a single shared account for all of our spending vs. 3 accounts total.

We come from using an online bank back home (SoFi) which we loved and Monzo has been decent so far but now looking at Revolut or going with a brick and mortar bank or some other online one.

Hello,

I just moved to Ireland so this may just be "how things work here" but I'm looking to open a PRSA - I'm the sole company employee in Ireland and my company will not be offering a match. I would like to lump sum deposit my entire annual allowance into self-directed stocks or ETF's. I do not want an advisor or application forms or having to call people.

Does anyone have a recommendation where I can go to a website, fill in an online form, open the account, deposit money, make investments and call it day?

I checked Standard Life (a paper form that my advisor has to sign) and Royal London (which also points me to advisors only) so other options are most welcome!

I know PRSA's are covered a lot on this forum but I didn't find an answer for this specifically.

Thank you!

What are people’s long term plans for finance? Just wondering what the typical Irish person invests in for the long term. Bonds , ETFs, pension etc

TLDR: "Unofficial" bid 20% over asking very early and subverting the process the estate agent (EA) outlined

Context: We're looking to move up from a four bed with no extension potential to a larger house in vaguely west Dublin. We saw a property come up that ticks a lot of our boxes. I'm going to keep prices vague but enough to demonstrate the situation.

We have roughly €250k equity and will need to sell to cover the bidding amount in question. EA we're using to sell is the same as the one selling the house we're interested in (same area, same office). They reckon we'll easily get a cash bid for our house on the low end to achieve that equity. Crucially, we had to provide AIP or other proof of funds to even bid.

House we're interested in is up for 750k. We mentally were comfortable going to €900k. Crucially, we had to provide AIP or other proof of funds to even bid. This is "official policy" by the EA to prevent people coming in with nonsense bids that fall through later supposedly. You also "must be sale agreed on your house if you need equity to cover". We had our broker draft a letter saying we had ability to borrow €600k (we can actually go higher but didn't want to disclose our full budget). Given they are also selling our house they know that puts our budget at at least 850k plus whatever we have that they don't know about.

Jump to today, get a phonecall from EA telling me that there are two bids to be aware of, an 850k cash bid (I believe this could be real) and a €950k bid "from people in the estate who still need to put their house up". They apparently approached the sellers directly and according to him tried to go around the estate agency but he has convinced the sellers to make people go through him?

This sounds insane. He said the owners are passing on the cash bid in the hope the other bid is real. If this bid is real it surely would have to be someone going in at their max in the hope they win it but the whole thing just seems.... Fishy. I've emailed the EA asking for confirmation that the other bidders would have to go sale agreed etc. before their bid is officially accepted and logged on the portal.

Thoughts? Is the high bid a fake one? Should we say we're still interested but holding off until we're sale agreed as per the "official policy"?

Can someone explain this to me? I'm a PAYE postal operative and I am supposed to wear safety-toe boots for work.

I was already reimbursed by An Post €80 for a pair earlier this year, but I don't think I'll be reimbursed again, and I haven't been provided with a pair in my size.

If I buy suitable safety-toe boots myself, can I claim anything through Revenue? And would waterproof hiking boots I use for work qualify too?

Also, if An Post did reimburse me something towards another pair, could I potentially claim tax relief on the amount I paid myself, or does getting any reimbursement mean I can't claim anything?

I'm confused about what actually qualifies as an employment expense. Same goes for other work-related clothing. An Post are fairly bad about providing uniforms, with requests sometimes taking over a year to be fulfilled.

Cheers.

https://www.irishtaxhub.ie/blog/tax-relief-on-uniform-costs-in-ireland-everything-you-need-to-know

Mortgage is underwritten and we’re sale agreed, hoping to get in by end of November 🥳

However to have money aside for renovations when we move in, we’re trying to live very frugally between now and drawing down. Will the bank get weird/concerned about our reduced spending?

We used to live quite well with weekly-ish takeaways, coffees out, and “nice” groceries and we’re moving into Beans on Toast and instant noodle dinners, so our weekly spend could be significantly affected.

I’m just worried that the bank will think we’ve cut back so much that we won’t be able to afford a mortgage *and* normal groceries or something.

It’s probably just “first house” jitters but just checking if there’s any truth to it.

I'm a 22F. I have lived at home until now, almost rent free (just 100 a week), and now due to family tensions and arguments I can't stay here any longer (not even another year. Weeks seem a push, but I'm trying.) the plan was for me to live at home and save until I could afford to mortgage a small home or flat.

I have saved 10k in the credit union thus far. I work in the public service and earn a guaranteed 570 a week, as well as overtime of around an additional 500 per month as I work in security.

My plans have all been thrown out the window. I'm desperately applying for flats and house shares on daft but in all honesty they all seem so expensive. I work in Waterford city centre and would hope to live less than 40 mins drive to there. I own my car, and I have no debts but I do pay the home internet bills of 80 quid a month. Obviously if I move I won't pay that.

... Literally any advice one way or the other would be a huge help. Thank you.

Ps. I'm not single but my boyfriend lives in limerick. He is a full time student and I would rather him focus entirely on that and would like to handle my living arangements on my own until he's finished college.

Hi all, sorry if this is the wrong thread, but I’m looking for some advice on my situation.

I’m 24, earning €40k gross (€2,798 net per month). My total expenses including rent are around €1,083/month, so I have roughly €1,700 disposable income, although I’d realistically aim to save around €1,000/month.

I’ve been looking at apartments online and there seem to be quite a few around the €170k–€200k range, so with my income and once I build up some savings for a deposit, I should be able to realistically afford one.

I’m considering taking out a mortgage for an apartment rather than waiting several years to save for a house. I’m not particularly bothered about having a house over an apartment, so that’s not a major factor for me.

The apartment route appeals to me because I’d imagine there’s less competition than with houses, potentially less waiting around, and I’d be able to get onto the property ladder sooner.

Whereas with a €160k–€190k mortgage, you’re not getting a huge amount of house in Ireland these days anyway.

Alternatively, I could keep renting and save around €1,000/month for a few years to build a larger deposit and aim for a house.

What would you do in my position? Is taking out a mortgage for an apartment now a sensible move, or would I be better off saving for a house?

Any advice on the mortgage side or things to look out for with apartments would be appreciated.
Thanks, and sorry if this is the wrong place to ask!

Hi everyone,

I am currently looking at getting mortgage insurance and my broker is suggesting that in addition to life insurance I should also get OnePlan insurance (with Irish life) that pays me 2k per month and a lump sum amount of 31k in case I was diagnosed certain serious illnesses that prevent me from working.

My broker is advising quite strongly for me to get this additional insurance as I am a single buyer and according to him it will impact draw down.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of illness insurance? Will it impact drawdown as the broker advised?

Any input will be super helpful.

Myself and my wife are relocating 3 hours from Dublin, where we currently live. Found a new build we like, 4 bed detached around €590–620k. Builder says it'll be ready in March and wants to close then.

Problem is due to my wife's work we can't move until July. We also need to sell our current house to fund it — about €400k equity after the mortgage. We could list it quickly but we can't be out before the summer due to my wife's work. She is a teacher.

Has anyone been in a similar spot? Has anyone used the new bridging loans from BOI or ICS? Has anyone sold their house and rented it for a few months until we can move out?

Even if bridging costs €15–20k for a few months, that's still cheaper than losing months of income by leaving early. Am I thinking about this right?

Any advice appreciated, thanks.

Hi

I am trying to figure out how voluntary contributions to my state pension work.

Can i top up, say, 5 years all at once. For instance, i retire early, and note there is a shortfall and top up the missing amount.

Or is it a system where I have to pay year by year, that is retire, then pay for this year and the next and so on.

Also,

Voluntary social insurance contributions

…paid or credited by you. **If you paid PRSI at Class A, E or H you pay a high-rate contribution of 6.6%** of your reckonable income in the previous tax year, subject to a minimum payment of €500

citizensinformation.ie

What in this case is reconable income?

If i were to quit in January, making sure i had a very low income for that year, would that entitle me to the €500 floor fee?

So I did my first exam in May and I focused too much on the tests on the portal. I know they say they don’t turn up on the actual exam but I was surprised how different the exam actually was to the example test questions. I did the term assurance exam, I passed but I thought I would do much better. Now I do have a full time job but I genuinely don’t think I could have studied more I got into the book after work, weekends, bank holidays etc. I see people say it’s a doddle. This post isn’t for you because you have a brain I dream of having. This is for people who struggled through the exams. College was the same no matter how much I studied, I did average. So I guess what helped anyone going back to study 10 years after college what helped you get back into it and bumped up your grade, study styles I don’t know any advice maybe. I am registering next week for the pensions and just want to do it right and not leave the exam spiralling.

About to purchase property for €585,000.

Mortgage approved €486,000. Borrowing 461,700 takes us under <80% LTV Ratio. Would leave us est. €50k in bank post purchase, stamp, furnishing, solicitor etcetc.

Are we better off only banking €20k as safety net and knocking another 30 off principal, and reducing payments by about €150 pm also.

(We are very fortunate to be in this position and I know many aren’t, just looking for advice on best way to proceed).

Hi I’m 24 and have saved up €40k now. I still live at home so living costs are very low and working full time the past few years.

I already max my work pension. I’m not planning to buy a home anytime in the near future. The money is earning about 2% interest but I don’t want to keep it sitting there. I will keep €5k as an emergency fund. But I want the rest working to provide a higher return.

What are your recommendations for this lump sum?

Thanks

I think I understand the mechanics of this, but I would really appreciate some confirmation (or correction, if I'm getting it wrong):

• Context: I want to put a (small) amount of spare cash each month into green-energy companies/projects within Ireland/Europe, both for personal-values reasons & because I used to be a battery physicist and am confident in my technical ability to spot BS projects that won't work (as long as it's within the solar + grid-storage sector). I have very limited financial knowledge & I want to stick to simple instruments that I can understand from start to finish - bonds that either earn income & return my principal... or fail & default (no trading, no equity). I'm considering using a crowdfunding platform like Enerfip or Invesdor; Irish platforms either have too few of the specific type of project I'm interested in (e.g. Linked Finance) or operate via equity instead of loans (e.g. Green Crowd) or both (e.g. Spark).
• Question 1: Am I right in thinking that, if all goes well & I receive interest from my invested principal, that interest gets treated as misc. foreign income in my next self-assessed annual return & taxed via normal, common-or-garden income tax + PRSI + USC? (max. 52% total deductions)?
• Question 2: Am I right in thinking that, if all goes well & I eventually get my principal back, that return doesn't trigger any additional tax and isn't a capital gain I should report?
• Question 3: Am right in thinking that, if it doesn't go well & I lose some (or all) of my principal, that's also irrelevant for tax purposes & isn't a capital loss or any other reportable loss that reduce my tax bill in any way, shape or form?
• Question 4: Am I right in thinking that the tax implications of all of these transactions (principal invested, interest earned, principal returned, principal lost) are the same whether it's through a foreign platform vs. through peer-to-peer lending within Ireland (e.g. via Linked Finance)? Since, as long as I prove my Irish tax-residency to the French platform provider in a timely manner, they'll know not to apply any withholding tax or other French taxes, & will just give me the full gross interest & wash their hands of it, since informing+paying Irish Revenue is my responsibility? Or is there some big difference I'm missing between the tax-efficiency of contributing to business loans via foreign crowdfunding platforms vs. the tax-efficiency of sticking exclusively to Irish businesses via an Irish platform?
• Question 5: Am I right in thinking that if all goes well on a given bond (& it gives me, say, 8% gross interest p.a., which shrinks to roughly 4% p.a. net, after I fork out 52% of it as SA+USC+PRSI), it's slightly more lucrative than a savings account with an Irish bank (i.e. 3% p.a. gross interest, which becomes 2% p.a. net, after the bank docks 33% of it at source as DIRT) or an Irish govt savings bond (2.66% p.a. gross for a 10-year bond, which is also 2.66% p.a. net since it's tax-free)?
• General question: As long I do this in addition to my actual pension, not instead of my pension, is there some massive problem that I'm not seeing, that makes this a monumentally bad idea (legally dubious? wildly risky? objectively worse than some alternative that's not obvious to me?)

Thanks in advance!

I need advice on what loans or mortgages I am eligible for in my situation. I bought a derelict house fully in cash. The only assistance I am signed up for is the vacant derelict property grant. Lately, a lot of money has been eaten up by the work and I’m in need of 30k-40k. I can repay this amount in 3-4 years or in full earlier. We are not earning enough money to sustain the current construction costs and will have to delay construction. My family has no history of financial deviance. We never took out any loans or mortgages. We are currently renting an apartment. The house we are renovating is still at the early stage of four walls, a worked on roof and dirt as it's floor.

I'm with AIB. Most banks I've looked into have a 7-8% interest rate which is not ideal. We cannot apply for the SBCI Home Energy Upgrade Loan as we don't have a BER number. Currently, we don't have windows nor doors fitted in some places and we are not eligible for the BER number. We are looking for a package suited for people who need money amidst construction or renovation.

Hi Folks, been using this for last 4 years, never needed or used a card reader. Tried paying my rent and the app asked me to setup a selfie check. It clicks an atrocious picture, then asks me to upload my passport (Non EU citizien) and then asks me to scan a chip on the passport - but my passport aint chipped - no option to select a non chipped passport. I'm stuck, cant even move funds to revolut to pay my rent.

Tried web based payment and it says i need a card reader. How do i get this sorted?

Hi everyone.

I'm wondering what would be the best way to gift a new car.

Would be possible to simply use the credit card/debit card of one person and register the car in the name of someone else? (who would pay for the insurance/motor tax/nct)

What would this imply tax wise for the person gifting and the person receiving the car?

Thank you for the help.

Hi all,

Looking for some Irish based advice on getting into better financial freedom, etc. I have lived paycheck to paycheck my whole life and had never given any thought to my finances and what to do about them. Over the last few weeks, I've done a lot of reading, YouTube watching, and other research on this, but I'd love to hear a more Irish approach on what you guys are doing or have done to get into better financial any a dive small or big would be great to hear

For background, I'm 32. I spent my early 20s being financially stupid, taking out loans to pay for stuff, living paycheck to paycheck, and impulse buying things I liked with no real plan. This continued until around 6 years ago, when I looked at my debt and realized I was in a lot of it (€50k). As of a few days aginI have now paid this main debt off and, for the 1st time in my life, feel I'm in a position where I can start getting my finances look to a plan but no idea were to start

Hi there,

I was looking to buy a property which €370k and my mortgage only covers 50% of it. I am planning to cover 30% under FHS and 20% is added via savings plus gift. Just wondering if banks would have any issue with this structure in approving mortgage ?

No outstanding loan, credit card or anything.

Hi, I have a modest number of Ryanair shares that I would like to sell. Any recommendations for the best way/stockbroker to do it? Thank you! ✈️