Irish Tax Planner 2026
Answer 4 quick questions. Get a personalised tax dashboard — estimated tax, credits you may be missing, Revenue deadlines, and the right calculators for your situation.
Step 1 of 4
Who are you?
Select the option that best describes your main tax situation in Ireland. You can only choose one — pick the primary one if more than one applies.
Personal Information
These details determine which credits and reliefs apply to your situation. All fields are optional — the more you fill in, the more accurate your plan.
Income
Enter your annual gross income figures. Leave any field blank if it does not apply to you. All amounts should be in euro before tax.
Business Details
These details help us flag VAT obligations, employer PRSI, and preliminary tax deadlines that apply to your business.
What Is the Irish Tax Planner?
The Irish Tax Planner is a free, intelligent tool that goes beyond a standard calculator. Rather than producing a single number, it analyses your complete financial situation and generates a personalised dashboard that tells you exactly what your estimated tax bill is for 2026, which tax credits and reliefs you may be leaving unclaimed, the Revenue deadlines most relevant to your situation, and the right calculators to use to dig deeper into each aspect of your tax.
Most online tax tools in Ireland ask you to enter a salary and return a net figure. The Tax Planner takes a different approach: it asks who you are first, then builds a picture of your personal and financial situation before producing actionable recommendations tailored to you. Think of it as a guided conversation with a tax adviser — except it is always available, completely free, and gives you a structured output you can print and bring to your accountant.
The tool uses Ireland's 2026 tax rates as set out in Budget 2026 and the Finance Act 2025. It covers income tax (PAYE), Universal Social Charge (USC), Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI), and a range of credits and reliefs available under Irish tax law.
Who Should Use the Tax Planner?
The Tax Planner is designed for anyone who pays tax in Ireland and wants to understand their situation better. It is especially useful for:
- PAYE employees who have never reviewed their tax credits and want to know if they are claiming everything they are entitled to — particularly common among workers who have been in Ireland for fewer than five years.
- Self-employed individuals — delivery drivers, cleaners, tradespeople, childminders, hair stylists — who need to understand their income tax, USC, and PRSI obligations and stay on top of the October preliminary tax deadline.
- Company directors who need to optimise how they extract income from their company, balancing salary and dividends for maximum efficiency.
- Landlords who receive rental income and may be unsure about what expenses are deductible or whether they need to register for self-assessment.
- Immigrants and new arrivals to Ireland who are unfamiliar with the Irish tax system and want a clear starting point to understand what is deducted from their pay and what they might be able to claim back.
- Anyone who received a tax credit certificate and wants to verify that the credits listed match their actual entitlements.
The Tax Planner does not require a Revenue account, an ROS login, or any registration. Your answers remain private in your browser — no data is sent to any server.
How It Works — Step by Step
The wizard has four steps. You do not need to complete all four if some are not relevant to you.
Step 1 — Profile: Choose the option that best describes your main tax situation: PAYE Employee, Self-Employed, Company Director, Employer, Landlord, or Investor. This determines which calculations and recommendations apply to you.
Step 2 — Personal Information: Enter details about your age, marital status, children, any medical expenses, whether you rent or own your home, pension contributions, remote working, and health insurance. Each of these can affect your tax credits and reliefs.
Step 3 — Income: Enter your annual gross income figures — salary, bonus, rental income, investment income, and overtime. These figures are used to estimate your income tax, USC, and PRSI liability.
Step 4 — Business (self-employed, directors, and employers only): Enter your turnover, business expenses, employee count, and VAT registration status. This step is skipped automatically if you are a PAYE employee or investor.
After the final step, your personalised tax plan is generated instantly. You can print it using the Print Report button, or start over if you want to try a different scenario.
Understanding Your Results
Your results dashboard has five main sections:
- 2026 Estimated Tax Summary: Your estimated income tax, USC, PRSI, and net income based on the 2026 Finance Act rates. These are estimates — your actual bill depends on your full tax credit certificate and any other income or credits not captured here.
- Tax Credits & Reliefs You May Be Missing: A list of specific credits and reliefs that are relevant to your answers, each showing the estimated annual value. This is often the most valuable part of the output.
- Savings Opportunities: Proactive suggestions — such as starting or increasing a pension contribution — that could reduce your tax bill.
- Revenue Deadlines: The key filing and payment dates that apply to your situation for 2026 and early 2027.
- Recommended Calculators: Specific tools on IrishTaxTools.ie that will help you go deeper on each aspect of your tax.
Why Most Irish Workers Miss Tax Credits
Revenue data consistently shows that Irish taxpayers leave hundreds of millions of euros unclaimed each year. The reasons are straightforward: the credits exist, but claiming them requires action — logging into Revenue MyAccount, navigating the interface, and knowing what to look for.
The most commonly missed credits in Ireland are the Rent Tax Credit (worth up to €2,000 per year for a single person renting privately — it must be actively claimed each year), Medical Expenses Relief (20% of out-of-pocket medical costs, available for GP visits, prescription charges, specialist appointments, and dental treatment), and the Remote Working Tax Relief (introduced in 2022, it allows employees to claim 30% of home utility costs for days worked from home).
For single parents, the Single Person Child Carer Credit is worth €1,750 per year but is only received by the primary carer — if you changed arrangements, you may need to transfer or re-register it.
Self-employed workers and small business owners frequently underestimate their allowable expenses, which directly reduces their taxable income. Common deductible expenses include fuel and vehicle costs, tools and equipment, phone and broadband, insurance premiums, accountancy fees, and marketing costs. If you are operating a van or car for business purposes, the tax treatment of that vehicle can be significant.
A Worked Example: Dara, Delivery Driver
Dara is 32, single, and works as a self-employed delivery driver in Dublin. He earned €38,000 in 2025 and has business expenses of around €9,000 (fuel, van insurance, phone, and maintenance). He is not registered for VAT (his turnover is below the €40,000 services threshold), rents a flat for €1,500/month, and works from home sometimes but not primarily.
Running the Tax Planner for Dara's situation would show:
- Estimated taxable income of approximately €29,000 (€38,000 less €9,000 expenses)
- Income tax of approximately €3,800 (after personal credit of €2,000)
- USC of approximately €600
- Class S PRSI of approximately €1,160
- Net income of approximately €23,440
- Rent Tax Credit recommendation: up to €2,000/year — Dara must claim this actively on Revenue MyAccount
- Preliminary Tax deadline: 31 October 2026 — Dara must pay 90% of his 2026 liability by this date
- Self-Employed Tax Calculator, VAT Registration Threshold Checker, and Expense Tracker as recommended tools
The most impactful action for Dara would be claiming the Rent Tax Credit — a €2,000 direct reduction in his tax bill that he has probably never claimed. The second most impactful would be ensuring all allowable business expenses are recorded and deducted.
Ireland's Tax System Explained
Ireland uses a multi-layered tax system for personal income. Every euro you earn is potentially subject to three separate charges: Income Tax (IT), Universal Social Charge (USC), and Pay-Related Social Insurance (PRSI).
Income Tax in 2026 is charged at 20% on income up to €44,000 for a single person (€53,000 for a married couple on a single income) and 40% on income above that threshold. However, tax credits reduce the actual amount you pay — the standard personal credit (€2,000) and PAYE credit (€2,000) for employed workers mean no income tax is paid until earnings exceed around €20,000.
Universal Social Charge applies at 0.5% on the first €12,012, 2% from €12,012 to €27,382, 3% from €27,382 to €70,044, and 8% above that. Workers earning €13,000 or less are fully exempt from USC.
PRSI for PAYE employees (Class A) is 4% on earnings above €18,304 per year. Self-employed workers pay Class S PRSI at 4% on income above €5,000, with a minimum annual charge of €500.
These rates combine to produce an effective marginal rate of around 52% for higher earners — meaning that for every additional euro above the standard band, approximately 52 cents goes to the State. Understanding where you sit relative to these thresholds is the first step to effective tax planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free. No registration, no account, no payment required. The Tax Planner is a public tool provided by IrishTaxTools.ie. Your answers are processed entirely in your browser — no data is transmitted to any server or stored anywhere.
The estimates use Ireland's 2026 tax rates (Budget 2026 / Finance Act 2025) and apply the standard personal and PAYE tax credits. They do not account for tax credit changes mid-year, employer-specific benefits-in-kind, certain reliefs that require prior approval, or income from abroad. The estimates provide a useful working figure but should not be used as the basis for official tax filings. Always verify with Revenue MyAccount or a qualified tax professional before filing.
Yes — the Tax Planner is especially useful for immigrants and recent arrivals. Irish tax rules can be unfamiliar, and many immigrants overpay because they do not know what credits to claim or how to register correctly with Revenue. The tool explains the key credits relevant to your situation. If you need help with a tax return, registering as self-employed, or claiming a refund, d'Emilia Accounting specialises in serving the immigrant community in Ireland.
A tax credit is a direct reduction in the amount of tax you owe. If you owe €5,000 in income tax and have a €2,000 personal credit, you pay €3,000. The value of a credit is the same regardless of your income. A tax relief reduces your taxable income first — so the saving depends on your marginal tax rate. Medical Expenses Relief at 20% means that a €1,000 medical bill reduces your income tax by €200. Pension contributions receive relief at your marginal rate — so if you pay 40% income tax, a €1,000 pension contribution saves you €400 in income tax.
Preliminary tax is a payment on account for self-assessed taxpayers (self-employed, directors, landlords, and investors). It is due by 31 October each year and must be at least 90% of your current year's tax liability, or 100% of your previous year's liability — whichever is lower. Paying on time avoids interest charges. If you file and pay via ROS (Revenue Online Service), the deadline is typically extended to mid-November. Use the Preliminary Tax Calculator to estimate your payment.
Choose Self-Employed, as having any self-employment income typically requires you to file a Form 11 (self-assessed return) and register for self-assessment with Revenue, even if you also have PAYE income. In Step 3, enter your PAYE salary under "Annual gross salary" and any self-employment earnings under "Additional income." Note that having self-employment income means you will likely owe Class S PRSI on that portion and need to file annually with Revenue.
For PAYE workers, log in to Revenue's MyAccount, go to "Manage Your Tax," and select "Claim Tax Credits." Find "Rent Tax Credit" and enter your landlord's details and the annual rent paid. For the 2026 tax year, you can claim from January 2027 onwards. The credit is €2,000 per year for single individuals and €4,000 for married couples or civil partners. Use the Rent Tax Credit Calculator to confirm your exact entitlement.
No. The Tax Planner is a planning and education tool — it estimates and recommends but does not connect to Revenue systems and cannot file a return on your behalf. To file a return, PAYE workers use Revenue MyAccount, and self-assessed taxpayers use ROS (Revenue Online Service). If you would prefer professional assistance, d'Emilia Accounting handles both PAYE credit claims and full self-assessed returns.
Official Sources
All tax rates and credit values used by this tool are drawn from official Irish legislation and Revenue guidance:
- Finance Act 2025 — Income Tax Rates and Credits
- Revenue — Personal Tax Credits, Reliefs and Exemptions
- Revenue — Universal Social Charge (USC)
- Department of Social Protection — PRSI Classes
- Revenue — Self-Assessment Filing Guide
- Budget 2026 — Summary of Taxation Measures
Privacy Notice
The Irish Tax Planner processes all information locally in your browser. No data you enter is transmitted to IrishTaxTools.ie or any third party. We do not store your income figures, personal details, or results. When you close or refresh the page, all data is lost. There is no account, login, or data retention of any kind associated with this tool.
Limitations
The Tax Planner provides estimates and general recommendations only. It is not professional financial, tax, or legal advice. Results may differ from your actual Revenue assessment due to factors not captured in this tool, including: income from employment in multiple jurisdictions, benefits in kind from an employer, stock options or restricted stock units, certain complex pension arrangements, rental income from abroad, and specific Revenue concessions or assessments. Always verify your situation with Revenue directly or with a qualified tax professional before making financial decisions.