Hire in Ireland

Ireland, Irish Éire, is a country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The country ranks among the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita and ranks highly in human development, freedom of the press, economic freedom, and civil liberties. Ireland ranks well in most indicators for quality of life, particularly in relation to the ability to make ends meet, sense of purpose in life, and optimism. Overall, there has been an increase in life satisfaction among its citizens since 2011.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Ireland.

Onboard your talent in Ireland

in 10 minutes

Power icon

Accelerated onboarding

Fast-track your talent onboarding while ensuring 100% compliance with local regulations.

Calculator icon

Net salary calculator

Calculate net salary post deductions and compare it with the salary in other countries instantly.

Reading icon

Guidance & payroll management

Receive process support by an experienced team of experts & pay your talent on time and in their local currency

People icon

Hire in Ireland through an

EOR

Easily onboard your remote talent in Ireland through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.

A quick overview of Ireland

Calendar remove icon
Cost of living index

$$$$ (16 of 139 nations)

Euro icon
Currency

Euro (€, EUR)

Dollar bill icon
Payroll frequency

Monthly

Basic facts

Ireland, Irish Éire, is a country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The country ranks among the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita and ranks highly in human development, freedom of the press, economic freedom, and civil liberties. Ireland ranks well in most indicators for quality of life, particularly in relation to the ability to make ends meet, sense of purpose in life, and optimism. Overall, there has been an increase in life satisfaction among its citizens since 2011.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Ireland.

Capital

Dublin

Official language/s

Irish, English

People icon
Population

5.26 million (2023 est.)

US dollar icon
VAT - standard rate

23%

The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.

January 1New Year’s Day
February 3February Bank HolidayMovable - First Monday in February
March 17St. Patrick’s Day
April 21Easter MondayMovable - First Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox
May 5May Bank HolidayMovable - First Monday in May
June 2June Bank HolidayMovable - First Monday in June
August 4August Bank HolidayMovable - First Monday in August
October 27October Bank HolidayMovable - Last Monday in October
December 25Christmas Day
December 26Saint Stephen's Day

The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Ireland is 2 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

  • There is no legal right to pay for working extra hours and there are no statutory levels of overtime pay.
  • Employers must inform fixed-term contractual employees of vacancies for permanent positions.
  • At present, in Ireland, all employees can ask their employers for the right to work remotely, but there is no legal framework around which a request can be made and how it should be dealt with by the employer. A new law will set out clearly how these requests should be facilitated as far as possible.

Social security in Ireland is called Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI). Employers’ contributions depend on employees’ earnings and their social insurance classes. There are 11 different social insurance classes in Ireland: A, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, M, S, and P. Most employees in Ireland pay PRSI Class A.

 

The PRSI contributions by employers and employees for Class A employees are broken down as follows:

Working Hours

The maximum number of hours that an adult employee can work in an average working week is 48 hours. During the workday, employees must receive 15 minutes for every four and a half hours they work, or 30 minutes for every six hours.

 

Overtime

There is no legal right to pay for working extra hours and there are no statutory levels of overtime pay. 

Employees should check their contract of employment for:

  • Whether they are required to work overtime
  • The rates of pay for overtime (if any).

 

Probation Period

Probation periods cannot be more than six months. In exceptional circumstances, the probation can be extended for up to a further six months (up to a maximum of 12 months in total). For a fixed-term contract, the length of any probationary period must be proportionate to the expected duration of the contract and the nature of the work and cannot be included in any renewal of a fixed-term contract (for the same function).

Termination Notice Period

The statutory minimum for termination notice period by employers depend on employment duration:

Duration of Employment (Continuous) Minimum Termination Notice
13 weeks to less than 2 years 1 week
2 years or more but less than 5 years 2 weeks
5 years or more but less than 10 years 4 weeks
10 years or more but less than 15 years 6 weeks
15 years or more 8 weeks
Working Hours

The maximum number of hours that an adult employee can work in an average working week is 48 hours. During the workday, employees must receive 15 minutes for every four and a half hours they work, or 30 minutes for every six hours.

 

Overtime

There is no legal right to pay for working extra hours and there are no statutory levels of overtime pay. 

Employees should check their contract of employment for:

  • Whether they are required to work overtime
  • The rates of pay for overtime (if any).

 

Probation Period

Probation periods cannot be more than six months. In exceptional circumstances, the probation can be extended for up to a further six months (up to a maximum of 12 months in total). For a fixed-term contract, the length of any probationary period must be proportionate to the expected duration of the contract and the nature of the work and cannot be included in any renewal of a fixed-term contract (for the same function).

Termination Notice Period

The statutory minimum for termination notice period by employers depend on employment duration:

Duration of Employment (Continuous) Minimum Termination Notice
13 weeks to less than 2 years 1 week
2 years or more but less than 5 years 2 weeks
5 years or more but less than 10 years 4 weeks
10 years or more but less than 15 years 6 weeks
15 years or more 8 weeks

Book a free demo to access this information

Social security in Ireland is called Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI). Employers’ contributions depend on employees’ earnings and their social insurance classes. There are 11 different social insurance classes in Ireland: A, B, C, D, E, H, J, K, M, S, and P. Most employees in Ireland pay PRSI Class A.

 

The PRSI contributions by employers and employees for Class A employees are broken down as follows: