Accounting Data pending verification Verified - April 2026

BrightBooks

Irish-built cloud bookkeeping (formerly Surf Accounts) with Revenue compliance and Irish support

Last verified: 27 Apr 2026 Methodology

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Irish corporate registry

CRO number
186005
Trading status
Normal
Incorporated
18 Mar 1992

Registered address Unit 35 Duleek Business Park, Duleek, Co. Meath, A92 N15E

Last checked against CRO May 2026.

Irish Compliance Assessment

Verified pass Partial · caveats Not supported

Revenue Integration

Direct connection to Revenue Online Service (ROS) for tax submissions. Submissions can be filed without leaving the product.

verified 2026-04-27 · native ROS
-

PAYE Modernisation

No native PAYE Modernisation. Real-time payroll reporting to Revenue is not supported in this product, or requires a paired payroll tool.

verified 2026-04-27 · requires paired payroll tool

Irish Bank Feeds

Direct bank feeds with AIB and Bank of Ireland. Supports Irish IBAN and SEPA payments.

verified 2026-04-27 · AIB / BOI

SEPA / Irish IBAN

SEPA Direct Debit and Irish IBAN supported natively. SEPA XML export available.

verified 2026-04-27 · native SEPA

VAT Handling

Standard VAT rates supported. Irish 23% / 13.5% / 9% rates can be applied per line item.

verified 2026-04-27 · manual config required

Irish Support

Customer support available during Irish business hours. Email, phone, or chat as published by the vendor.

verified 2026-04-27 · Irish hours
GDPR Data Residency EU data centres verified 2026-04-27

Overview

BrightBooks (formerly Surf Accounts) is an Irish-built cloud accounting platform now part of Bright Software Group, the Irish company behind BrightPay and Thesaurus. It is designed specifically for Irish small businesses and offers Revenue-compliant VAT returns, direct bank feeds from AIB and Bank of Ireland, SEPA payment support, and Irish IBAN handling out of the box. Unlike international competitors, BrightBooks prices in euro with no currency fluctuation risk, and provides dedicated Irish phone and email support during Irish business hours. It is an excellent choice for sole traders, micro-businesses, and small professional services firms with 1-20 employees who want a no-fuss, locally supported accounting platform without the complexity of Sage or the add-on dependencies of Xero.

About BrightBooks: BrightBooks (formerly Surf Accounts) is an Irish cloud accounting software built and hosted in Ireland by Bright Software Group, the Irish company behind BrightPay and Thesaurus. It is designed specifically for Irish SMEs, with built-in VAT return filing to Revenue ROS, Irish bank feeds for AIB and Bank of Ireland, and full GDPR compliance with Irish data residency. Pricing is listed as Contact us for Pricing on brightsg.com.

Compliance reference

Compliance vocabulary for BrightBooks

Irish terms that shape how this software is bought, configured, and audited.

See the full Irish compliance glossary →

Editor's verdict on BrightBooks

stamped 2026-04-27

BrightBooks (formerly Surf Accounts, now part of Bright Software Group) earns a strong recommendation for Irish service businesses that need both accounting and basic CRM in one tool. It's the only Irish accounting platform with a built-in sales pipeline, which removes the need for a separate CRM at early stages. Irish-built, EU-hosted, and Irish-supported - the GDPR story is as clean as it gets. It's not the right choice for businesses with complex integrations or inventory management needs, but for a consultant, contractor, or small agency billing on retainer, it's the most practical Irish-built option available.

Irish compliance score

BrightBooks Irish compliance score4 of 6 pass
CRO active
Revenue integration
PAYE Modernisation
Irish bank feeds
GDPR (EU residency)
Irish support
BrightBooks Irish compliance score
CriterionStatusNote
CRO activeNot met
Revenue integrationPass
PAYE ModernisationNot met
Irish bank feedsPass
GDPR (EU residency)Pass
Irish supportPass

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Made in Ireland
  • Excellent Irish support
  • Revenue-compliant out of the box
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Smaller app ecosystem
  • Less known internationally
  • Fewer integrations than Xero

Best For

Company Size

1-5 employees6-20 employees

Sectors

Professional ServicesRetail

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Verification Notes

Rebranded from Surf Accounts to BrightBooks under Bright Software Group (also operates BrightPay and Thesaurus). Name, tagline, description and editorial_verdict updated to BrightBooks; alternate_name retains 'Surf Accounts' for schema.org alternateName + AEO continuity. Slug deliberately retained as 'surf-accounts' to preserve inbound links and existing /software/surf-accounts URL. BrightBooks landing page (brightsg.com) shows 'Contact us for Pricing' rather than published tiers; pricing_from set to null and pricing_model set to 'contact' until tiered figures are confirmed. Waterford-built reference resolved to Irish-built (parent group HQ is Drogheda).

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Pricing and feature data is indicative and may not reflect current vendor offerings. Always verify details directly with the vendor before purchasing.