irish·finances

Newcomer guide

Your first 6 weeks in Ireland

The financial admin you can't put off. Most expats lose thousands to emergency tax in their first month — not because the rules are hard, but because the timing is.

  1. 1Week 1

    Apply for your PPS Number

    Personal Public Service number is your gateway to everything — Revenue, healthcare, banking. Apply via MyWelfare.ie as soon as you have a verifiable Irish address. Bring passport, proof of address, and an offer letter or signed contract showing why you need it.

    Watch out: Without a PPS, your employer must apply emergency tax — up to ~50% effective on a high salary.

  2. 2Week 1–2

    Open an Irish bank account

    AIB, BOI, PTSB, Revolut, or N26. Revolut and N26 are fastest (fully digital, IBAN issued same-day). Traditional banks need proof of address and may take 2–4 weeks. Your employer needs an Irish IBAN to pay you.

    Watch out: Don't try to receive your first salary into a non-Irish account — payroll systems frequently reject IBANs from outside the SEPA-Ireland routing path.

  3. 3Day 1 of employment

    Register your job in Revenue myAccount

    Once you have a PPS, sign up at revenue.ie/myAccount and register your employment with your employer's tax registration number. This triggers Revenue to issue a Revenue Payroll Notification (RPN) and unlock your tax credits and standard rate band.

    Watch out: Until your employer receives an RPN, payroll defaults to emergency tax. Even a 1-week delay can mean €1,000s withheld.

  4. 4First payslip

    Avoid emergency tax

    Emergency tax week 1: 40% on income above ~€846/week, no credits. Weeks 5+ and tax-year-end: full 40% from euro one. The fix is the RPN above. If already on emergency tax, refunds reconcile automatically once Revenue has your details — usually within one or two payroll cycles. Run the Emergency Tax estimator to see exactly what you're losing per week.

    Watch out: Don't wait for end-of-year refund processing on a 6-figure salary — that's months of cashflow gone.

  5. 5Ongoing

    Track your residency days

    Irish tax residency: 183 days in a tax year, OR 280 days across this year and last (with at least 30 in each). Day of arrival counts. Residency triggers worldwide income tax; non-residency means only Irish-source income.

    Watch out: If you arrive late in the year (e.g. October), you may not be tax-resident in year 1 — which can be advantageous, but check the look-back rule before booking flights.

Once you're set up

Run a salary calculation to see what you'll actually take home, and start tracking any ETFs you brought with you — the Deemed Disposal clock is already ticking.

Emergency Tax estimator Salary calculator Deemed Disposal tracker