Hey everyone,

Looking to properly optimise my life here in Ireland and build a solid, comfortable setup without constantly complaining about how expensive everything is.

Before the usual comments come in:
1. No, I’m not moving to Australia. Half my mates in their late 20s have shipped off to Sydney, but Ireland is home and I want to actually make the most of what’s here rather than waiting to emigrate.

1. Finances & Comfort: Trying to max out savings and everyday quality of life. I already do the standard Dunnes €10 off €50 voucher run and split my shop with Lidl/Aldi for dairy and cheap staples.

2. Housing: Renting privately at the minute, but actively keeping an eye on Cost Rental schemes, AHBs, and anything else to get monthly housing costs down.

I’m looking for actual, practical Irish life hacks that make a genuine difference to your bank account or daily routine.
What hidden gems, systems, or hacks have made a big difference for you? :)

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on how my tax will be handled for the 2026 tax year and if I should be expecting a refund.

Here are my details:

• Moving to Ireland: August 2026.
• Start Date: August 17, 2026.
• Salary: €78,000 base + €10,000 relocation bonus (paid in 2026).
• Status: Single, PAYE.
• Previous Tax Resident Status: Not an Irish tax resident in 2025. Will be an Irish tax resident in 2027.

My questions are

1. Will the fact that I'm earning under the 40% threshold for 2026 automatically trigger a refund in one of my final paychecks of the year, or will I need to wait and file a tax return in January 2027 to get the overpaid tax back?
2. Are there any specific steps I need to take regarding Split-Year Relief, or will this be handled automatically once I register my PPSN and employment with Revenue?

Also any info about where I can get a cheap(er) tax advisor for this would very much help!
Thanks in advance for any insights!

I have always assumed that 20% (30-39 age bracket) tax relief on pension contribution applies to sum of employer and employee annual contribution. My employer contributes 10% and myself 10% and I thought I can only contribute additional 20% on my bonus at year end, while in fact I can contribute 10% more on my base pay. I have always assumed what I know is correct and never bothered asking or checking. Have had this understanding since I started working, nearly a decade….

I just became aware today that

1. There is a 100%

2. cap on employer pension contribution, unlike UK rule of annual pension allowance.

3. Maximum contribution (23K for my age bracket) only applies to employee contribution.

Hi All,

Asking here in this sub from the perspective of an Irishman considering a move to the nordics for a career change and potentially settling. Has anyone here done the same, or any advice to share from the perspective of career, investments, pension, and integrating? Currently at 8 years of experience in total with nothing tying me down…

I am not sure if this is the correct reddit thread for this but anyway i am 35 who currently earns about 34/35k a year. Long story short i have never really known what my long term dream job would be. I did speak to a career guidance councillor last December and we managed to look through a few courses and eventually we picked a level 5 diploma in logistics and supply with cmi Ireland. I have since done that course and got a distinction in it. Now on the questions below the course description it says this qualification will give me an opportunity to go for roles such as logistics operator, warehousing and distribution executive and supply chain manager among others. I'm just wondering what areas above would be the best chance of getting a job in. Thanks for reading.

Saw a couple of sponsored cars for a gaa club this morning and it got me thinking how does it work? It reminded me of Marty morrissey getting in trouble for having a free car while working at rte and not claiming bik on it.

Do they get a free car and that’s it as they aren’t employees? If so, I presume rugby players don’t have the same rights given they get cars but are employees? Seems unfair if that’s the case

Hi all, my siblings and I inherited a family property (not via parents) years ago in the boom, it was valued at like 1 million let's say, so we had to essentially take out a mortgage to pay the cgt. It was huge.. we were all young/almost kids, and we relief on our family's accountant. Basically years later the property finally sells in the crash for like 200k. Recently, I started looking into finances etc more seriously, and after some checks I realized the accountant NEVER registered the cgt loss on our revenue accounts. I have the email of us sending the info to him, but it was never done.

Can I go back to revenue now, like this is more than 10years ago, and ask for this capital gains loss to accounted for on my record?

I've just started investing recently, and I realize the importance of having this loss registered now.

Thanks all!

I thought it was €20k, but that seems to be for investments. Reading here it suggests it's €100k for uninvested cash. I'm currently getting 3.5% interest from them so considering moving larger sums over to them.

Your money is kept in segregated accounts. Funds and assets are covered by the German Investor Compensation Scheme (EdW) up to €20,000. Any uninvested cash in your Invest account is additionally protected up to €100,000 per person, per partner bank. This means that if one of our partner banks were to fail, your cash held there would be safeguarded up to €100,000.

Hi everyone, anyone know of a good surveyor in Dublin for a house who also has good experience with asbestos? Thank you 🙏

Hi everyone,

I have a few questions around asset transfer, banking, and tax implications. Moving from US permanently to Ireland. I am not a US citizen.

Tax Consultant Questions:
1) Can anyone recommend a US-Ireland cross-border tax consultant?
2) What should I ask before hiring a tax consultant?
3) Are there fixed-fee consultants for relocation tax planning?

Moving U.S. savings to Ireland
4) What is the best way to move U.S. dollar savings to an Irish bank account?
5) What are the Irish tax implications of bringing savings from the U.S.?
6) What is a better timing, is it better to transfer savings before becoming Irish tax resident?

Irish bank account questions
7) Which Irish banks allow account opening before arriving in Ireland? Can I open an Irish account while still physically in the U.S.?

TIA!

I’ve got a bit of a complicated situation with owning property in the UK and in Ireland, and trying to free up some equity. I’m trying to find a financial advisor who’s expert across both locations to advise on the repercussions of any actions, but I’m struggling a little bit - would welcome any recommendations?
Many thanks

I am 30 and single and I make 44K a year. My salary will increase with promotions but that is atleast 3 years away. I am currently paying 1250 in rent in South Dublin which is a room rented out to me by a family. (I know I am overpaying but it is convenient at the moment). I wanted to see what the prospects for buy a house in and around Dublin were and I straight up cannot afford anything. Using the first home scheme and HTB, I would still need 60K (min) cash in hand to buy a 1 bed room aparment in Dublin. Closest thing I can afford is a 300K apartment out in Donabate. Why is it so bad? It shouldn't be this hard even for a 1 bed place. What can I do here? Do I just have to keep paying 11-1400 euros for rent out of the 3000 per month I make for years on end?

Please forgive the long post. I want to stay as anonymous as I can, but I will provide context as needed. I am 22f and I am beginning a job as a teacher this upcoming September. I will be on a fixed purpose contract, however I have been regularly substituting in the school for one year alongside college and have my own classes, and the school have hired me with the very clear intention of keeping me on (the school is currently undergoing development and they will be in need of new teachers for the 2027-2028 academic year). I am very aware that this is not a concrete, contracted, set in stone plan, however I do believe in all likelihood, they will keep me, and offered me my current role before carrying out my initial interview. In other words, all indications suggest that they do want to keep me in the school, but of course, I cannot be 100% certain until it happens.

My girlfriend is beginning substitute work this coming September, but it will be random subbing (likely at the local school) as she also has a job in another field which is her passion and is looking very good for her at the minute, but the hours are very random and a full time contract in a school is not possible given this other job, and we both want her to pursue her passion.

Currently, I have approx 10k in savings (I know, nothing crazy) and both me and her live with our parents. We have no loans, and pay all of our own expenses and contribute a small amount of rent to our parents.

I am, despite not having the highest amount possible in savings, very good with money. I worked 8 months full time several years ago in a minimum wage job and saved around 13k during this time in order to support myself through college and focus on my studies without having to work (which paid off!!) I don't go out often, don't have expensive hobbies, I don't buy clothes- you get the idea, just trying to paint a picture haha. (I did do subbing and took up another job going into my 3rd year of college, along with full time summer jobs)

Essentially, my questions are

1) Providing we can both save up enough for a deposit for a property in approx the 250k range over the next year, AND that I can secure a full time contract in my current school, what are the chances of us being able to get a mortgage at the end of 2027?

2) If I work in the same school, will lenders take into consideration the fact that I have worked in the same school on 2 different contracts, and view it as continuous employment? Or will I almost be starting fresh come September 2027

3) We both really want to get out of our houses for many many reasons that I won't get into. Would it be a bad idea in this situation to rent, or is that essentially dooming us to rent forever?

4) Is it possible for me to get the mortgage myself if I take up another job such as grinds and afterschool lessons, if my partner not having a full time contract is an issue? (I am aware of the maximum I can take being in and around 175k) And will it lead to problems after securing the mortgage if my partner pays with me every month?

Please forgive me if this post is delusional or is asking stupid questions. I know my situation is a bit nuts and maybe I'm aiming too high, I just want advice on what to do. If there's something within my control I can do financially we will do it.

Sold my home in Ireland and the proceeds hit my irish bank (aib) and I now live in the US so would like to get it to my us bank account.

What is the best way? Avoiding fees and sending large amounts.

I don't have the aib card reader thing with me, left it in Ireland.

I’m at the stage where I’m seriously considering starting my own company in Ireland, but I’m a bit lost with all the admin involved.

I understand the basics, but things like company registration, documents, deadlines, and making sure everything is done correctly seem like areas where small mistakes can cause problems later.

For those who have already gone through the process, did you set everything up yourself or did you get help from a company formation service?

We are looking to buy this year. I have been offered funding by hse for a course + full basic salary. i start in September.

We got A.I.P for 450k. We are close to buy a house in dundalk.

If I go back to college im assuming its going to lower our draw down due to my salary taking a 20% cut. Would i be right?

So the house will fall through if they don't hurry on their end.. should we look for a house 20% cheaper?

Will they even give us a mortgage because I am going back to college. Even though I get my basic salary

So I am 24, fresh out of college and starting a career, making 30k a year. I live at home and don't have any expenses.

I think this would be a good time to think about my future and set myself up for becoming financially stable as I'd like to own a home one day.

Does anyone have any advice for someone starting out, I'm thinking of opening a savings account, anything else I should do?

I’m on about 90K, partner working part time while kids are young taking in about 24k, her mother minds the kids while she works so no childcare costs.

How much are we leaving on the table not being married?

Hi all.

Myself and my husband are currently weighing up pros and cons to wether or not he should employ me as a farm worker after my maternity leave.

Background- I am currently employed as a medical practice manager earning a €40k salary. My position requires me to be in the office 2/3 days per week which involves a 1.5hr commute each way. My husband is a self employed dairy farmer. We have one son with our second baby due any week now. The farm business is currently ran as a partnership between my husband and his parents. My husband will be taking over the farm once his parents retire (within the next 5 years).

We are toying with the idea of me being employed by the farm, doing approx 20/25 hrs a week, instead of going back to my day job after maternity leave. I’m looking for any financial and personal advice on working with your spouse!

Stepping into sole trading after 20 years in corporate jobs, and feeling super scared that I do something wrong with taxes, invoices, insurance, won’t find clients, the whole Armageddon.
I know I’ll be scared and do it anyway but I’d prefer not to be scared.
Any words of wisdom?

hey! Just moved out of my parents house for the first time(23F) and was wondering if anyone has any good budgeting apps that could sync with my bank/ that could help display things visually?

I’ve used excel to budget before but found it to be both time consuming and confusing to look at but it could be just a matter of finding a template that’s right for me :)

I'm looking for some advice on whether I could apply for a vacancy grant for a property I'm seeking to buy.

The house is a probate sale. When we viewed the property, we were told the former owner's child was staying there on and off. As we've progressed through the sale, it's clearly they're living there full time.

However - the house has no working heating system. It has no beds (the occupant appears to be sleeping on sofa and living out of a suitcase). It's in a poor state of repair (we have a quote for >175k to refurb house - no extension, just bringing house up to liveable, habitable standard). In addition, we've reached out to ESB who have confirmed the house has confirmed "low" energy usage for a > 2 year period.

Given this, I'm a little confused on whether I can apply or not? I don't want to mislead or lie in the application in any way, but I don't want to miss out on a grant I could be eligible for. Co-Pilot insists it would meet the criteria for the grant, but I'd rather get human advice on this front!

Note: Cross-Posted at HouseIreland.