Ireland Employer of Record (EOR) Services
Capital
Dublin
Official Language
English, Irish
Currency
Euro
Payroll cycle
Monthly or weekly
Quick facts about Ireland
Ireland is home to a number of major tech companies, including Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. Known as a friendly country with high levels of education, Ireland is a booming talent hotspot for companies looking to recruit top talent. With significant growth in sectors such as IT, energy, environmental engineering, and medical devices, the country is quickly becoming one of the most important economies in the European Union.
If you're looking to hire top talent or build a local HQ in Ireland but don't have the time to set up an entity in Ireland, an employer-of-record (EOR) provider may be the best solution as you start expanding into the Irish market.
Learn about the hiring, employment, payroll, and general benefit requirements for workers in Ireland, as well as how our employer-of-record service and local HR experts can help you manage your global team.
An employer of record (EOR), sometimes known as an international PEO, enables businesses of all shapes and sizes to quickly hire and onboard workers in Ireland, sometimes in just 1-2 business days. Employer-of-record (EOR) providers like Via have experts in Ireland that streamline global expansion and hiring.
EORs help:
Manage payroll, mandatory benefits like parental leave, and supplemental benefits like private health insurance
Draft compliant employment contracts for full-time employees
Navigate payroll in Ireland, employment laws, and other human resources processes
Support full-time workers throughout the duration of the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, ongoing compliance, and offboarding
Sponsor work permits and offer support during the work visa process
Save thousands of dollars in entity set-up, legal & accounting fees, as well as 1,000+ hours of valuable time
Ireland at a glance
Population | 5.05 million |
Currency | Euro (EUR) |
Capital city | Dublin |
Business languages | English, Irish |
GDP | 418.6 billion USD |
Minimum salary | $1656.20 EUR/month |
Working hours | Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:30pm, with a 30-minute break for lunch |
Number of public work holidays | 11 |
Misclassification penalties | Fines for misclassifying a work can range up to $250,000 EUR or 10 years of jail time |
Time to hire with an EOR in Ireland | 1-2 weeks, but sometimes in as little as 1-2 business days |
What to know before hiring in Ireland
What is work culture like in Ireland?
Work culture in Ireland is influenced by a combination of factors, including the country's history, values, and its place in the modern global economy. Here are some key aspects of work culture in Ireland:
Friendliness and Hospitality
Work-Life Balance
Punctuality
Teamwork and Collaboration
Communication
Diversity and Inclusion
Casual Dress Code
Loyalty
Socializing
What time zone is Ireland in?
Ireland is typically in the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, during the daylight saving time (DST) period, which usually starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, Ireland moves to Irish Standard Time (IST).
If it’s 8am in New York City or EST, it’s 6 hours ahead in Dublin (or 2pm).
What is the typical work week in Ireland?
The average working day in Ireland is 8 hours per day, for a total of around 39 hours per week.
Working weeks are usually Monday to Friday, between 9:00am-5:30pm. This includes a 30-60 minute lunch break.
Employer costs
Hiring employees in Ireland will come with a handful of employer costs.
Expected costs to hire an employee in Ireland include:
Wages and Salaries
Employer Payroll Taxes
Pension Contributions
Employment Perks and Benefits
Annual Leave and Holiday Pay
Sick Pay
Employment Taxes
Workplace Insurance
Recruitment and Onboarding
What public holidays are in Ireland?
New Years Day (1/1/2023)
St. Brigid’s Day (2/6/2023)
St. Patrick's Day (3/17/2023)
Easter Monday (April 10, 2023)
Good Friday (4/7/2023)
May Day (5/1/2023)
June Holiday (6/5/2023)
August Holiday (8/7/2023)
October Holiday (10/30/2023)
Christmas Day (12/25/2023)
St. Stephen’s Day (12/26/2023)
How is internet connection in Ireland?
Internet connection in Ireland is generally quite good and available everywhere. In 2022, 94% of households with children in Ireland had internet connection.
Remote work in Ireland
The Work Life and Balance Miscellaneous Act of 2023 was signed in April of 2023 and allows workers to make reasonable requests to work from home.
With the integration of advanced technology and a growing emphasis on work-life balance, remote work has become the main choice for professionals throughout the country.
Employment legislation
Irish labor laws set the national minimum working hours per day, termination and notice, terms for fixed-term contractors and indefinite contractors, minimum wage, holidays in Ireland, and prohibits discrimination in the workplace.
The Employment Equality Acts (1998–2015)
| This act protects workers against discrimination for characteristics like gender or age. |
Payment of Wages Act (1998) | Sets out the proper way to pay wages to employees. |
Organization of Working Time Act (1997)
| Defines when employees should rest at work and between shifts and caps the maximum amount of working hours in 1 week at 48. |
Minimum Notice & Terms of Employment (Act 1973 – 2005)
| Defines the minimum notice that employers must give employees to terminate their employment contract. |
Maternity Protection Act (1994 and 2004)
| Protects new mothers from termination and stipulates the amount of time given for maternity leave. |
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005)
| Defines the duties of employers to provide their employees with a safe working environment. |
Hiring process with an EOR in Ireland
Start recruiting Irish talent using your in-house recruiter or by partnering with a recruiting agency based in Ireland (Via can introduce you to one of our local recruiting partners)
Choose the EOR partner that fits your hiring needs
Complete work permit and work visa application, if the employee does not already have Irish residency
Begin onboarding full-time employees with mandatory and supplemental benefits
Manage new worker onboarding, as well as ongoing payroll, benefits, compliance, and other local HR processes for your growing hub
Scale your hub to 20-100+ workers without establishing an entity or building a local HR team
Offboard workers with compliant severance packages
End of employment in Ireland
An employer must have just cause to dismiss an employee, and they must provide notice based on statutory periods:
13 weeks to 2 years of employment: 1-week notice
2 to 5 years of employment: 2 weeks’ notice
5 to 10 years of employment: 4 weeks’ notice
10 to 15 years of employment: 6 weeks’ notice
15 years or more of employment: 8 weeks’ notice
Immediate dismissal without notice is warranted for gross misconduct, including assault, theft, or breach of employment policies. However, the most common form of termination is redundancy, in which severance pay is given.
Ireland: What works best for you? EOR? PEO? Subsidiary? Let’s find out
As you decide upon expanding your business in Ireland, you’ll find that you have 3 options: partner with a PEO (given you already have an entity in Ireland), open your own subsidiary, or use an EOR service like Via.
Partnering with a PEO in Ireland
If you only need simple HR and payroll management, you can outsource to a PEO provider.
Pros of a PEO | Cons of a PEO |
Simple payroll and HR outsourcing | Have to set up an entity in Ireland |
Located in Ireland | Enter into a co-employment agreement which makes you partially liable if any compliance problems arise |
In-country knowledge about Ireland | Usually isn’t specifically tailored to your business needs |
Opening a subsidiary in Ireland
Another option is to open your own subsidiary in Ireland
Pros of opening a subsidiary | Cons of opening a subsidiary |
Gives you direct management of your entity in Ireland | Subsidiary incorporation in Ireland begins at only $100 EUR but you need to remember that you have to register with all the right institutions and hire a legal team |
Can hire a local HR team to help manage payroll and employee benefits in Ireland | Usually takes around 1 month, at least for entity incorporation–the real challenge is finding local vendors |
Assimilate your business practices to Irish culture by being directly immersed in the marketplace | Forced to deal with local bureaucratic agencies and country-specific nuances |
Partnering with an EOR in Ireland
Finally, you have the option to partner with an EOR service like Via.
Pros of an EOR | Cons of an EOR |
Save your business money and time by skipping entity incorporation | May not be the best option if you need to hire 200+ workers in Ireland (at this point, you’ll need to open your own entity) |
Avoid having to understand the complex mandatory benefits in Ireland (an EOR helps you craft the perfect package) | May have less control over how HR is managed |
Help with benefit and payroll management, support during the onboarding and offboarding process | Learn more about EOR services. |
Why companies partner with Via
Both large and small companies want to hire employees in Ireland and around the world, but are unsure of how to navigate the country’s payroll and labor laws. Via makes hiring your workforce in Ireland and building your global team seamless. Our easy-to-use platform helps you manage the local HR processes for benefits such as private insurance, international payroll services, background checks, and more. We have a local team of lawyers and on-the ground experts that understand compliance as you expand abroad.
As your employer-of-record/entity in Ireland, Via assumes responsibility for employment liability, so that you can focus on what matters: recruiting and managing your global workforce.
With Via’s transparent pricing, you can pay full-time employees or contractors in Ireland with no hidden set-up fees, no foreign exchange or transaction fees, and no minimums–start with 1 employee and scale up at your own pace.
