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Hiring employees in Ireland (2026)
Here's what you need to know before you hire in Ireland: what it really costs an employer, the employment laws that shape the contract, and how an Employer of Record lets you hire compliantly without opening a local entity. Every figure below is sourced and dated.
11.3%Employer cost on top
€2,452Minimum wage / mo
20 daysMinimum paid annual leave
Days, not monthsTime to hire via EOR
Last updated: October 21, 2026
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Ireland at a glance
The statutory facts that drive a hire in Ireland. Each row shows where the figure comes from and how current it is, so you can trust the number and check it yourself.
Pay & working time
| Minimum wageper month | €2,452Current | National government · 2026 |
| Average wageper year | 70,113Aging | OECD · 2025 |
| Statutory work week | 48 hours/weekCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| 13th-month salary | noneCurrent | National government · 2026 |
Employer cost & tax
| Employer social securityof gross salary | 11.3%Current | National government · 2026 |
| Employee social securitywithheld from pay | 4.2%Current | National government · 2026 |
| Tax and mandatory contributions wedgeOECD, taxes plus non-tax compulsory payments such as mandatory private pension and health contributions | 32.6%Aging | OECD · 2025 |
| Corporate tax rate | 12.5%Current | OECD · 2026 |
Termination
| Notice period | 3.7 weeksCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| Severance pay | 10.7 weeksCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| Employment protectionOECD EPL, scale 0–6 | 2.2Aging | OECD · 2025 |
Leave & time off
| Paid annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 20 daysCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| Public holidays | 10 daysCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| Maternity leave | 26 weeksCurrent | National government · 2026 |
| Paternity leave | 11 weeksCurrent | Manual / editor · 2026 |
| Parental leave | 26 weeksCurrent | National government · 2026 |
Labour market
| Retirement age | 66Current | National government · 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 5%Current | OECD · 2026 |
| GDP per capita | $131,592Aging | World Bank Open Data · 2025 |
| Union density | 22.2%Dated | OECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2024 |
| Collective bargaining coverage | 34%Dated | OECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2017 |
Each row shows the year of the most recent citable source for that figure. Where a year looks old, that is the newest comprehensive source available, and we keep the sourced figure rather than substitute an unsourced newer one. Statutes may have changed since.
What it costs to hire in Ireland
Salary is only part of the bill. On top of gross pay you owe employer social security and statutory contributions. Here's what an example salary of $70,000 a year actually costs you as the employer.
| Gross annual salary | $70,000 |
| Employer contributions≈ 11.3% of gross | + $7,875 |
| Total employment cost | $77,875 |
Your EOR handles the filings
Illustrative, based on the employer social-security rate above. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of this total and runs the income-tax withholding and statutory filings, which are withheld from the employee's pay, not paid by you.
Income tax in Ireland
The average effective income-tax rate is about . This is withheld from the employee's salary; an EOR runs the withholding and filing.
Employment-law essentials
The rules an EOR enforces in your contracts, and the ones most likely to trip you up if you tried to hire in Ireland on your own.
Working time
Statutory work week48 hours/week
Pay & 13th salary
Minimum wage€2,452
13th-month salarynone
Leave
Paid annual leave (minimum, once eligible)20 days
Public holidays10 days
Maternity leave26 weeks
Paternity leave11 weeks
Termination
Notice period3.7 weeks
Severance pay10.7 weeks
Statutory minimums shown. Collective agreements or contracts can be more generous; an EOR applies whichever is correct for the role.
What changed in Ireland
Checked against official sources on .
No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.
EOR vs. opening your own entity in Ireland
Use an EOR when…
You're hiring one to a handful of people in Ireland.
You want someone working in weeks, not months.
You'd rather not own local payroll, tax and compliance.
You're testing the market before committing.
Open your own entity when…
You're scaling to a large local team long-term.
Per-employee EOR fees outweigh the cost of an entity.
You need full control of local employment and IP.
Choosing an EOR for Ireland
Providers with strong Ireland coverage onboard faster and carry less risk. A shortlist to start from:
EORRead Hire with Columbus review Visit website
EORMultiplier
From$459 (Core · billed annually)
EORPayoneer Workforce Management
From$199
EORRemoFirst
From$199
EORRemote
From$599
EORSwapp Agency
FromRequest a quote
Local players in Ireland
EOR and global-employment providers headquartered in Ireland:
IrelandAspirock
Dublin
FromRequest a quote
Common questions about hiring in Ireland
Common questions about hiring in Ireland through an EOR.
Do I need a legal entity to hire someone in Ireland? +
No. An Employer of Record (EOR) already has a legal entity in Ireland and employs the person on your behalf, so you can hire compliantly without opening your own entity. You manage the day-to-day work; the EOR handles the local contract, payroll, taxes and statutory benefits.
How much does it cost to employ someone in Ireland? +
On top of gross salary, employers in Ireland contribute roughly 11.3% in social security and statutory costs. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of that total employment cost.
What is the minimum wage in Ireland? +
The statutory minimum wage in Ireland is €2,452. Pay below this is not permitted, and an EOR will hold contracts to at least this floor.
How hard is it to terminate an employee in Ireland? +
Ending employment in Ireland generally requires a notice period of around 3.7 weeks and severance of about 10.7 weeks, subject to the reason for termination and the employee's tenure. An EOR runs the offboarding in line with local law to limit your risk.
How much paid leave do employees get in Ireland? +
Employees in Ireland are entitled to 20 days of paid annual leave, in addition to public holidays. Statutory leave is one of the entitlements your EOR administers automatically.
About the author
Robbin is the co-founder of EOR Overview, an independent research site for Employer of Record services. He has been in the international hiring space for over a decade.
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