The consultant and contractor stack for Ireland

Business banking with an Irish IBAN

Revolut Business is the fast path. AIB or Bank of Ireland if you want a branch relationship.

Clean accounting with Revenue filing

Xero or Surf Accounts cover VAT3 ROS filing, P&L, and Corporation Tax handoff to your accountant.

Invoicing that gets you paid

Stripe Invoicing or Zoho Invoice. Clear EUR invoicing, SEPA support, and automated reminders.

Payroll the moment you pay yourself

Even a director-only company running a PAYE salary needs PAYE Modernisation. BrightPay or Collsoft.

Lightweight client management

HubSpot Free CRM or Pipedrive for a few client contacts without enterprise overhead.

Docs and knowledge

Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for email, docs, and contracts. Notion for client knowledge and proposals.

Directors-only PAYE

A director-only limited company that pays a salary is still inside PAYE Modernisation. Every payroll run must file a Payroll Submission Request (PSR) to Revenue before the pay date, even if you are the sole employee. Directors are not covered by statutory minimum wage or redundancy, but PRSI (Class S or Class A depending on shareholding) and USC still apply. Revenue's Guide to PAYE is the reference document for employer obligations.

Form 11 vs CT1

Sole traders file Form 11 (self-assessment Income Tax) by 31 October each year, typically extended to mid-November for ROS filers - see Revenue - filing your tax return. Limited companies file Form CT1 (Corporation Tax) within 9 months of year-end (and by the 23rd of that 9th month if filing via ROS). If you trade through a company but also have rental or freelance income, you file both a CT1 for the company and a Form 11 for yourself.

VAT-registration thresholds

Current Revenue thresholds (2026) are EUR 42,500 turnover for services and EUR 85,000 for goods - full detail at Revenue - who should register for VAT. Cross either in any 12-month rolling period and VAT registration is required (TR1 for sole traders, TR2 for companies). Many consultants register voluntarily below the threshold to reclaim input VAT on software and subcontractors - your accountant can model this.

Business expenses the common rule trips up

Company-paid broadband, mobile, and home office costs need a clean paper trail and a genuine business purpose or Revenue will treat them as a benefit-in-kind. Keep contracts in the company name where possible, and separate personal from business use on any shared asset. Revenue covers the current BIK framework at revenue.ie - benefit-in-kind for employers.