Enhance your Irish property investment with expert tax support

The basic tax return includes:

Rental income in Ireland can come from different sources, but it is typically seen as any money that is earned by renting out a house, apartment, building, office, or land.

For most landlords, you need to complete a self-assessment by 31 October each year. If you earn rental income and are a PAYE employee, and your rental income is under €5,000, you don’t need to complete a self-assessment.

Instead, you must fill out and submit a Form 12 tax return by 31 October.

Both residents and non-residents will have a filing requirement if they receive any income that falls outside the PAYE system in Ireland, for example, rental income from either domestic or international sources. 

The amount you earn and its source will determine if you have to file Form 11, Form 12, Form CG1, or Form IT38. 

Form 11 will be required for any individual who is deemed to be a chargeable person. 

Self-assessment customers are required to file Form 11 which is mandatory for individuals with significant income from non-PAYE sources. 

In general, most PAYE workers are not required to file a Form 11, but are required to do so in certain circumstances where the non-PAYE income received is more than €30,000 gross per annum or greater than €5,000 net per annum. Company directors who own more than 15% of a company (i.e. proprietary directors) will have to file a Form 11, even if the majority of their income comes from the PAYE system. You will also be regarded as a chargeable person if you open a foreign bank account, acquire a foreign life policy, or have a material interest in an offshore fund or exercise share options. 

A Form 12 tax return is completed by those whose primary source of income comes from PAYE income. In general, most PAYE workers do not have to complete Form 12 as they do not meet the criteria required to file a tax return. Revenue may also randomly select PAYE workers and issue a Form 12 for completion regardless of their income threshold. 

People with an income of up to €5,000 net income and €30,000 gross income per annum from non-PAYE sources should also complete a Form 12. If the non-PAYE income is above this amount, a Form 11 tax return will have to be submitted. 

Form 12 has the same deadline as Form 11 (31 October in the year following the tax year to which the return relates). 

Individual non-resident landlords tax rate in Ireland:  

20% on the first €40,000 of gross rental income, and 40% on any remaining gross rental income. 

Company non-resident landlords tax rate in Ireland:25% of gross rental income. 

Yes, Irish tax residents must pay 4% PRSI on the profit they make from rental income. 

Yes, USC applies to rental income. The rates range from 2% to 10%, depending on your total income. You need to pay USC when you file your annual Irish rental income tax return in October.

Typically, landlords in Ireland don’t count rental or security deposits as rental income on their tax returns. However, if you use these deposits for repairs or other deductible costs, you can’t also claim those expenses as a tax credit.

Landlords can claim several expenses to reduce their taxable income. These include:

Capital allowances let you claim the cost of furniture, equipment, or appliances you buy for your rental property against your rental income. You can claim 12.5% of the cost each year for 8 years.

Irish landlords should keep detailed records of everything related to their rental properties, even if it doesn’t seem important or deductible. 

This includes records of your rental activity, invoices, bank statements, correspondence from building societies, check stubs, work orders, and receipts. 

The Irish tax authorities recommend keeping these documents for 6 years. 

Undeclared rental income in Ireland is considered tax evasion and can have serious consequences for landlords.

The Rent-a-Room scheme lets you earn money from renting out a room in your home without paying tax on that income. 

To qualify, you must meet certain conditions, such as: 

• The room must be in your main home (where you live) 

• You must rent it out for more than 28 days in a row 

• Your total income from renting the room must be below €14,000 per year (before any deductions) 

If you meet these criteria, you can claim this tax relief. 

It’s common for new landlords to experience a loss on their rental property, where expenses exceed income. Don’t worry—you only pay income tax once you start making a profit and after deducting any losses from previous years.

Yes, you must register each new tenancy with the PRTB within one month of it starting. The registration fee is €90 per tenancy. You can claim this fee as an expense on your tax return.

Non-resident landlords in Ireland have two choices for handling tax on rental income. 

One option is to appoint an Irish-based “collection agent” to handle Irish tax filing (such as Property Tax International). 

Alternatively, tenants can deduct the rental income tax (20% rate) from their rent and pay it directly to Revenue on the landlord’s behalf. 

The landlord can later claim this as a credit when filing their property tax return. In either case, it’s crucial to note that the tax return for landlords must be filed with the liability paid by 31 October each year. 

If you’re not using a Rent Collection Agent and your tenants are paying your rental 

income tax, don’t forget to collect the filled-out Form R185 from them. You’ll need this form to claim the payment. If you make more than €5,000 from your property (after deducting expenses), you must register for self-assessment and report your rental income using Form 11. 

If your rental income is less than €5,000, there’s a different way to report it as non-PAYE income. Landlords can be reimbursed for common expenses when calculating rental profit. They might also qualify for a portion of personal allowances. A tax professional from our team can guide you through all the tax details. 

Yes. 

If you live abroad but own a rental property in Ireland, you have two options for handling taxes on your rental income: 

Your tenant can pay 20% of the rent directly to the local tax office and give you the remaining 80%. At the end of the year, they’ll fill out a form, which you then submit to the Irish tax authorities to show that tax has been paid. 

You can appoint a Collection Agent who lives in Ireland to collect the rent and handle your tax filings for you. 

If you have more questions about non-resident landlord tax in Ireland, feel free to request a no-obligation consultation with a tax advisor. 

If you sold your rental property last year and have no other non-PAYE income, you don’t need to file a tax return for landlords for that year.

Stamp duty is a tax in Ireland that you pay when transferring property ownership. 

When you buy property in Ireland, you’ll sign a document that transfers ownership to you. 

Afterwards, you need to: 

• Fill out a Stamp Duty Return for this document 

• Pay Stamp Duty for this document 

Irish property can be: 

• Land 

• Buildings (residential like houses or apartments, and non-residential like offices or factories) 

• Business assets (like goodwill) 

• Shares in Irish companies 

For a list of the double taxation treaties Ireland has entered into, click here.