Practical tax, accounting, and business guides from Paddy Malone FCA AITI. Written for SMEs, tradespeople, and cross-border businesses across County Louth.
If your Irish business is struggling to meet its financial obligations, you have more options than you may realise. Here is a plain-English guide to the choices...
If your business has a tax debt it cannot pay in full, Revenue will often agree a phased payment arrangement. Here is how to apply, what Revenue needs to see, a...
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland funds energy upgrades for homes and businesses. Here is a plain-English guide to every major SEAI grant available in...
Agricultural Relief reduces the taxable value of farm land by 90% for inheritance tax purposes. Here is how it works, the conditions that must be met, and how t...
Planning the transfer of a family farm in Ireland requires years of preparation to use the available tax reliefs correctly. Here is a practical guide to the ste...
Stock relief lets Irish farmers defer tax on income reinvested in farm trading stock. Here is how the relief works, the enhanced rates for young trained farmers...
Irish farm taxation covers income tax, VAT, stamp duty, CGT, and CAT - each with specific reliefs for farming families. Here is a complete plain-English guide t...
Qualifying young farmers can claim full exemption from stamp duty on agricultural land transfers. Here is how the Young Trained Farmer Relief works, who qualifi...
Thousands of Irish tradespeople work on building sites in England, Scotland, and Wales. The UK's Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) deducts tax from their pay b...
If you worked on UK building sites and had CIS deducted, you are likely owed a tax refund from HMRC. Here is exactly how to reclaim it, the forms required, and ...
If you are an Irish tradesperson who worked in the UK and had CIS deductions made, you almost certainly need to file a UK self-assessment return. Here is who mu...
Revenue doesn't audit businesses at random. It uses a sophisticated risk-based system to identify who to examine. Here's what triggers Revenue's attention - and...
Receiving a Revenue audit notification is unsettling. Here's a plain-English guide to exactly what a Revenue audit involves, the timeline, what they examine, an...
Revenue uses different types of compliance interventions - each with different rules, different penalties, and different implications. Here's a plain-English gu...
Not every Revenue letter is an audit. But every Revenue letter requires a prompt, careful response. Here's how to identify what type of contact you've received,...
A voluntary disclosure to Revenue lets you correct undeclared tax liabilities before Revenue finds them - with significantly reduced penalties. Here's exactly h...
Accepting Bitcoin as payment, paying suppliers or staff in crypto, or holding crypto on the company balance sheet all create accounting and tax obligations. Her...
Without proper records, calculating your Irish crypto CGT is nearly impossible. Here's the exact system to maintain — what to record, how to use crypto tax soft...
Capital Gains Tax at 33% applies to every crypto disposal in Ireland — sale, swap, or spending. Here's exactly how to calculate your liability, what costs are d...
Cryptocurrency holdings pass on death like any other asset — but they present unique challenges for executors. Here's how Capital Acquisitions Tax applies to in...
In Ireland, swapping Bitcoin for Ethereum is a taxable disposal — even if you never touched euros. Here's how Revenue treats crypto-to-crypto trades, how to cal...
Running a crypto mining operation in Ireland has distinct tax implications depending on scale. Here's how Revenue distinguishes a mining trade from a hobby, wha...
Declaring cryptocurrency gains and income on your Irish tax return involves multiple sections and specific payment deadlines. Here's a step-by-step guide to com...
Comprehensive guide to how cryptocurrency is taxed in Ireland — CGT on disposals, income tax on mining and staking, DeFi, NFTs, Revenue reporting, and how to st...
NFTs — non-fungible tokens — carry Irish tax obligations that most holders haven't considered. Whether you're buying, selling, creating, or royalty-earning, her...
Revenue now has access to Irish crypto investors' transaction data through the DAC8 automatic exchange framework. Here's what that means for compliance, what Re...
Staking rewards, liquidity mining, yield farming, and crypto interest — all taxable as income in Ireland. Here's how each type of crypto earnings is taxed, when...
Northern Ireland's unique dual VAT status under the Windsor Framework is genuinely confusing — and it's the source of expensive mistakes on both sides of the bo...
Dundalk Chamber has been the business voice of the North-East for generations. From the M1 Corridor designation to the Living City Initiative, here's what susta...
Water and wastewater capacity is the single biggest physical constraint on Dundalk's economic growth. Here's what the infrastructure gap means in practice, what...
Irish employment law has seen a wave of changes in recent years — sick pay, auto-enrolment, gender pay gap reporting, right to request remote work, minimum wage...
Underpricing is the most common financial mistake Irish small business owners make. Here's a framework for pricing that covers costs, margin, market positioning...
InterTradeIreland funds cross-border business development through BLOOM, SPROUT, Elevate, and Connect programmes. Here's a plain-English guide to what each prog...
Capital Acquisitions Tax is the tax your family pays when they inherit your estate. With a standard rate of 33% and thresholds that haven't kept pace with asset...
Hiring your first employee in Ireland involves Revenue registration, PAYE Modernisation, PRSI, auto-enrolment, sick pay, and more. Here's everything a first-tim...
A management buyout (MBO) lets an owner sell their business to the team running it. Here's how MBOs work in Ireland, the financing structures available, the tax...
Running payroll in-house costs more than most business owners realise when time, risk, and errors are properly accounted for. Here's an honest cost comparison o...
Most Irish business plans fail to get funding not because the business idea is bad, but because the plan doesn't answer the questions funders actually care abou...
Dundalk Institute of Technology's strategic collaboration with Maynooth University is reshaping the region's higher education offer. Here's what it means for th...
Passing a family business to the next generation in Ireland involves CGT, CAT, stamp duty, and family dynamics in equal measure. Here's a plain-English guide to...
Employer PRSI is one of the biggest payroll costs Irish businesses face — yet many employers don't fully understand how it's calculated or how it affects hiring...
Ireland's gender pay gap reporting obligations are expanding to smaller employers every year. Here's who must report in 2026, what the report must contain, and ...
Most Irish business owners have no idea what their business is worth — until they need to sell, bring in a partner, or plan succession. Here's how business valu...
The National Development Plan 2040 is under review. Dundalk Chamber has submitted its position — calling for stronger M1 Corridor commitments, water infrastruct...
Annual accounts tell you what happened last year. Management accounts tell you what's happening now. Here's what a management accounts pack contains, how often ...
Dundalk's border location makes cross-border business a natural growth path. But the structure you choose — single company, dual incorporation, or branch — has ...
American trade policy in 2025-2026 has created genuine uncertainty for Irish businesses with US exposure. Here's a plain-English analysis of what the tariff cha...
It has been five years since Brexit took full effect. For businesses in the Dundalk–Newry corridor, the landscape has changed in specific, concrete ways. Here's...
Every Irish company director has statutory filing obligations with the Companies Registration Office. Here's exactly what needs to be filed, when, and what happ...
VAT on cross-border transactions between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland changed significantly post-Brexit. Here's what the Windsor Framework means...
When an employee works in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, you may need to run payroll in both jurisdictions simultaneously. Here's how dual p...
The Dundalk–Newry Cross-Border Conference brings together hundreds of business leaders from both sides of the border. Here's a summary of the key themes from re...
The first twelve months of running a business in Ireland expose most new owners to the same set of financial mistakes. Here's what they are, why they happen, an...
Capital Acquisitions Tax at 33% can take a large chunk of a family business passed to the next generation. Here's how Irish inheritance tax works, the key relie...
Not all accountants are the same. Here's what to look for when choosing an accountant for your business in Ireland — the questions to ask, the qualifications th...
The Louth Local Enterprise Office funds, trains, and mentors small businesses across County Louth. Here's a practical guide to every support available — includi...
The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced statutory sick pay for Irish employees for the first time. The entitlement is still phasing in. Here's where it stands in 202...
CGT at 33% is one of Ireland's highest tax rates — and one of the least planned for. Here's how capital gains tax works for Irish business owners, what reliefs ...
How you extract money from your own limited company has a major impact on your tax bill. Salary, dividends, pension, or a combination — here's how Irish company...
Most business location decisions in Ireland default to Dublin. Here's why an increasing number of companies are choosing Dundalk — and why the numbers make a co...
The Employment Investment Incentive Scheme gives individual investors income tax relief of up to 40% on investments in qualifying Irish companies. Here's how it...
Your accountant produces a profit and loss statement every year. Most business owners scan the bottom line and file it away. Here's how to actually read it — an...
PAYE Modernisation has been live in Ireland since 2019 but many small employers are still not fully compliant. Here's what it requires, the common failures Reve...
Remote working has transformed cross-border employment. Irish employers with staff working from Northern Ireland — or NI employers with ROI-based remote workers...
The Small Benefit Exemption allows Irish employers to give employees up to €1,500 in non-cash benefits per year, completely tax-free. Budget 2026 made it even b...
More Irish people than ever are running side businesses alongside their day job. At what point does it make sense to incorporate? Here's the financial and legal...
Not every accountant is a registered auditor. Here's what a statutory audit involves, who needs one in Ireland, what it costs, and why the audit exemption — and...
The Irish tax system contains dozens of legitimate reliefs that small business owners are entitled to but never claim. Here are ten of the most commonly missed ...
The Angel Investor Relief, introduced in Budget 2026, gives individual investors a reduced CGT rate of 16% on qualifying startup investments. Here's how it work...
The CRO annual return is the filing Irish company directors most commonly get wrong. Here's exactly what's required, when it's due, what happens if you're late,...
Being a company director in Ireland comes with legal obligations most people never properly understood when they took the role. Here's a plain-English guide to ...
Thousands of people who live in Ireland and work in Northern Ireland are entitled to the Transborder Workers' Relief — and most never claim it. Here's what it i...
The M1 Corridor — the Drogheda–Dundalk–Newry 'Linear City' — is one of Ireland's most strategically important growth zones and is now recognised in the National...
Thinking of starting a business in Ireland? Here's everything you need to do — from choosing your structure and registering with Revenue to VAT, payroll, and yo...
The cost of an employee in Ireland is considerably more than their salary. Here's a full breakdown of employer PRSI, sick pay, holiday pay, pension auto-enrolme...
VAT confuses more Irish small business owners than almost any other tax. Here's a plain-English explanation of how it works, when you must register, how to calc...
A practical guide for Irish tradespeople — plumbers, electricians, builders, carpenters — on what expenses you can legitimately claim against tax, from tools an...
VAT rules for tradespeople in Ireland are more complex than for most businesses. The two-thirds rule, the 13.5% vs 23% question, and the VAT threshold — here's ...
The CRO resumed involuntary strike-offs in August 2025. Around 35,000 Irish companies are now at risk. Here's what it means, what the consequences are, and what...
Ireland's auto-enrolment pension scheme came into effect in September 2025. Here's what every Irish employer needs to know about eligibility, contributions, opt...
Budget 2026 delivered several measures that matter to small businesses across County Louth. Here's a plain-English breakdown of what changed, what it means in p...
Cross-border employment between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is getting more complex. Here's what every Dundalk employer hiring across the borde...
Missing a Revenue deadline costs money. Here are all the key Irish tax filing and payment dates for 2026 — for sole traders, company directors, employers, and V...
After more than a decade of lobbying by Dundalk Chamber, the Living City Initiative now covers Dundalk. Here's a plain-English guide to the tax reliefs availabl...
Relevant Contracts Tax (RCT) catches more Dundalk construction businesses out than almost any other tax. Here's a plain-English guide to how it works, who it ap...
Choosing between sole trader and limited company in Ireland? We break down the tax implications, liability differences, CRO requirements, and practical consider...
County Louth has some of the best grant support available to new businesses in Ireland. Here's a complete guide to LEO, InterTradeIreland, Enterprise Ireland, a...
Our guides are organised into nine pillars covering the topics that matter most to Dundalk businesses.
