Minimum Wage

General

The national minimum wage in Ireland is 10.50 EUR per hour. Wage rates are based on age as follows:

• Aged 20+: 10.50 EUR
• Aged 19: 9.18 EUR
• Aged 18: 8.16 EUR
• Aged under 18: 7.14 EUR

The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) will end on 31st May 2022.

Payroll

Payroll Cycle

Salaries are paid either on a weekly or monthly basis. Employers should pay employees by the last day of the month.

13th Salary

There are no provisions in the law regarding 13th salaries.

Working Hours

General

A full-time work week is 39 hours. Employers are responsible for ensuring that employees are given adequate rest. The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 rules govern maximum working hours, daily and weekly rest breaks.

A work week cannot exceed 48 hours on average over four months. In addition, employees should get 24 consecutive hours of rest in any period of 7 days, and this should normally follow on from one of the 11-hour rest periods already mentioned. As an alternative, your employer can provide two 24-hour rest periods in a week if it follows a week in which you did not get any 24-hour rest periods. Unless your contract states otherwise, the 24-hour rest period should include a Sunday.

Overtime

All work more than the standard working hours a week is to be paid as overtime and is regulated by employment contract/collective agreements.

There is no legal right to pay for working extra hours, and there are no statutory levels of overtime pay. However, many employers pay employees higher rates of pay for overtime as stipulated within the employment contract.

Specific sectors of employment have higher rates of pay for overtime than for regular hours. This is covered by Employment Regulation Orders and Registered Employment Agreements.

Working Week

Monday-Friday

Leave

Paid Time Off

An employee’s entitlement to annual leave or holidays from work is set out both in legislation and the employee’s employment contract.

The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 is responsible for providing the entitlement.  The Act provides a basic annual paid leave entitlement of four weeks, although an employee’s contract can provide even more leave. Part-time workers’ entitlement is calculated as 8.00% of the hours worked, subject to a maximum of four working weeks per leave year.

Public Holidays

There are 9 public holidays.

Sick Days

In July 2022, the Sick Leave Bill 2022 was signed into law by the President. The Act provides employees with at least 13 weeks’ continuous service to statutory entitlement to sick pay for 3 days per year. In order to benefit, an employee must obtain a medical certificate.

Statutory sick pay will be paid by employers at a daily rate of payment to be prescribed by ministerial regulations. The rate is 70% of an employee’s regular salary rate, up to a daily maximum of €110, which can be revised in line with inflation and changing incomes.

Maternity Leave

Mothers are entitled to 26 (156 days) weeks of maternity leave and can receive an extra 16 weeks of unpaid leave, which begins immediately after the end of maternity leave. Mothers must take at least two weeks before the expected birth and at least four weeks after. The entitlement for paid leave depends on whether the worker has contributed enough social insurance (PRSI), as employers are not obligated to pay.

Eligibility for payment from the PRSI is:

• At least 39 weeks of PRSI paid in the 12 months before the first day of the maternity leave or
• At least 39 weeks of PRSI paid since first starting work and at least 39 weeks of PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year or the tax year immediately following the relevant tax year or
• At least 26 weeks of PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and at least 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.

The weekly standard rate of maternity benefit is 245.00 EUR.

Paternity Leave

Fathers are entitled to 5 weeks of paternity leave that can start any time in the first six months after birth, or placement in the case of an adoption.

Relevant parents are the following:

• The father of the child
• The partner (spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant) of the mother of the child
• The parent of a donor-conceived child

This entitlement is increasing to seven weeks effective from July 2022.

The employer is not required to pay the employee during paternity leave, but the employee may qualify for Paternity Benefit during this time if they have contributed sufficient PRSI contributions.

Parental Leave

Parents are entitled to up to 26 weeks of parental leave for each eligible child before 12 years old. To qualify for the leave, the employee must have been employed for at least one year and provided the employer with a written parental leave request at least six weeks before the required start date.

Adoptive leave entitles one adoptive parent to up to 24 weeks’ unpaid leave from the date the child is placed in the employee’s care.

Effective from 1 July 2022 Parent’s Leave, available to anyone with a child under 2 years of age or who adopted a child within the last 2 years, has been extended from 5 to 7 weeks. The parent must complete the extra leave on or before their child’s second birthday or within 2 years of the adoption placement.

There is no service requirement to be eligible for Parent’s Leave and the associated benefit can be claimed by employees with the required level of social insurance (PRSI) contribution from the Department of Social Protection.

Other Leave

Depending on the collective agreement/employment contract terms, an employee may be allowed additional leave types, once approved between the employer and employee, for the following:

• Bereavement leave: it is common practice for an employee to be entitled to three days of paid leave in the event of the death of an immediate member of the family; however, this is a contractual agreement rather than a statutory leave entitlement.
• Jury Service Leave: Employers to provide their full-time, regularly employed employees, job-protected and unpaid leave for their duty as jurors or as a witness in a case or acting as a plaintiff or defendant in the courts. Employees must provide a copy of the jury summons to the employer as evidence of requirement. The court will provide a specific amount of payment, and the employer can choose to provide any additional payment.

Termination

Termination Process

Employers can terminate a fix term contract by giving the following reasons – business, personal, or workers misconduct. It requires notice and a written explanation for the termination. If the cause is misconduct, a warning needs to be given with the employee given a chance to explain his/her actions.

When employment ends, employees shall receive any money owed and a payslip.

Revenue Payroll Notifications (RFNs) are available in real-time for new employees (following the implementation of real-time information, the issuing of P45’s & P46 forms are no longer required)

Notice Period

In accordance with the contract terms, the notice period is dependent on the length of employment.

Notice should be made by both an employee and employer as follows:

• 13 weeks-2 years:  1 week
• 2-5 years: 2 weeks
• 5-10 years: 4 weeks
• 10-15 years: 6 weeks
• 15+ years:  8 weeks

Payment can be made in lieu of notice.

Severance Pay

When dismissed they have the right to receive wages owed to them for work completed. They are also to receive payment for annual leave earned but not taken.

Employers are not required to pay severance to employees who have been terminated.  

For cases of redundancy employees are eligible to receive:

• two weeks’ pay
• extra bonus week

Redundancy pay is set to a maximum limit of 600 per week. A worker with 5 years of consecutive employment is eligible for 11 weeks redundancy pay.

Probation Period

The probationary period can last from 6 to 12 months.

Common Benefits

General

Wellness allowance, health allowance, and private pension employer contributions (5% of salary).

VISA

VISA

Non-residents of Ireland are classified into two primary groups, European nationals (EEA) and non-European nationals (Non- EEA). EEA nationals can seek work without requiring a work permit, and non-EEA nationals must apply and pay for a work permit or Green Card. The permit is initially granted for two years.

Foreign workers in Ireland must have a valid work permit if their salaries exceed a certain threshold and are subject to Irish taxation on incomes earned in Ireland and abroad.

Further changes may come into force in 2021 following Brexit implementation.

Short Stay Visas

All applicants for a short stay ‘C’ visa (whether for a single entry or multiple entries) must show that they have a sufficiently strong family, social or economic ties to a place of residence in a country other than Ireland to assure the visa officer assessing the application that the projected stay in Ireland will be temporary and in accordance with the duration and conditions of the permission granted by the immigration authorities on arrival in Ireland.

Types of stay include Business, Conference or event, Tourist, and Internship.

The maximum stay allowed under a short stay ‘C’ visa is 90 days.

Long Stay Visas

Individuals wishing to travel to Ireland for more than three months, for example, to pursue a course of study, for work or to settle permanently in Ireland with family members who are already resident in Ireland, then they can apply for a long stay ‘D’ visa for a single entry.

If they are granted a long stay ‘D’ visa and wish to remain in the State for longer than three months or beyond the period of leave given to them by an Immigration Officer at an Irish port of entry, they will be required to register and obtain a residence permit.

VAT

General

23.00% standard rate.

A reduced rate of 9% VAT for the tourism and hospitality sector will continue to apply until the end of August 2022.