Irish Preliminary Tax for self-employed individuals.
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| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/self-assessment-and-self-employment/guide-to-self-assessment/preliminary-tax.aspx |
| Option 1: the CURRENT tax year (2026) | 90% | "90% of the tax due for that tax year" |
| Option 2: the immediately PREVIOUS tax year (2025) | 100% | "100% of the tax due for the immediately previous tax year" |
| Option 3: the PRE-PRECEDING tax year (2024), direct debit payers only | 105% | "105% of the tax due for the tax year preceding the immediately previous tax year" |
| Due date | 31 October of the tax year | "You must pay this by 31 October of the tax year in question." |
| What it covers | Income Tax, PRSI and USC | "your estimate of the Income Tax, Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) and Universal Social Charge (USC)" |
This Guide covers preliminary tax for individuals in Irish Income Tax self-assessment (self-employed people, and people with rental or other non-PAYE income who file Form 11). Figures are for tax year 2026. Preliminary tax for 2026 is paid in 2026, on the same date as the 2025 Form 11 return and the 2025 balance. It does not cover companies, trusts or Capital Gains Tax (CGT) computation. Amounts in the worked examples are hypothetical arithmetic, not authority figures.
Preliminary tax is the individual's own estimate of Income Tax, PRSI and USC for the current tax year. It is due by 31 October of that tax year. To avoid interest, it must be equal to, or more than, the LOWEST of three amounts. Each amount looks at a DIFFERENT year:
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/self-assessment-and-self-employment/guide-to-self-assessment/preliminary-tax.aspx |
| Option 1: the CURRENT tax year (2026) | 90% | "90% of the tax due for that tax year" |
| Option 2: the immediately PREVIOUS tax year (2025) | 100% | "100% of the tax due for the immediately previous tax year" |
| Option 3: the PRE-PRECEDING tax year (2024), direct debit payers only | 105% | "105% of the tax due for the tax year preceding the immediately previous tax year" |
| Due date | 31 October of the tax year | "You must pay this by 31 October of the tax year in question." |
| What it covers | Income Tax, PRSI and USC | "your estimate of the Income Tax, Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) and Universal Social Charge (USC)" |
The 105% option in the table above applies ONLY where preliminary tax is paid by direct debit. It does NOT apply if the tax due for the pre-preceding year was nil. Revenue's page says: "This option only applies where you pay by direct debit. It does not apply if the tax due for the pre-preceding year was nil."
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/ebrief/2026/no-0342026.aspx |
| ROS extended date, 2025 Form 11 balance and the 2026 preliminary tax | 18 November 2026 | "the due date is extended to Wednesday 18 November 2026." |
| Date when only one of filing or paying (or neither) is done on ROS | 31 October 2026 | "the required date to submit both returns and payments is no later than 31 October 2026." |
The extension in the table above applies only to a customer who BOTH files the 2025 Form 11 AND pays through ROS (Revenue eBrief No. 034/26, 16 February 2026). Revenue's words: "To qualify for the extension, customers must both pay and file through ROS. Where only one of these actions is completed through ROS, the extension does not apply". A paper return, or a ROS return paid some other way, keeps 31 October 2026 for BOTH the return and the payments.
Conservative defaults
| Ambiguity | Default |
|---|---|
| Option selection unclear | Use the previous year option (no estimate of the current year needed) |
| Filing and payment method unclear | Confirm that BOTH the return and the payment go through ROS before relying on the extended date; otherwise use 31 October 2026 |
| CGT included in preliminary tax | EXCLUDE: CGT has its own payment dates |
| First year of self-assessment | Ask: the previous year option is available, and generally means nothing is payable (Section 5.5) |
| Previous year liability unknown | STOP: the previous year option needs the final figure for 2025 |
| Direct debit not confirmed | Do not use the pre-preceding year option |
This is the deterministic pre-classifier for bank statement transactions. When a debit matches a pattern below, classify it as a preliminary tax payment, subject to the timing checks.
Revenue preliminary tax debits
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| REVENUE, REVENUE COMMISSIONERS | Preliminary tax payment | Match with October or November timing |
| ROS PAYMENT, ROS DEBIT | Preliminary tax payment | ROS online payment (ROS Debit Instruction) |
| PRELIMINARY TAX, PRELIM TAX | Preliminary tax payment | Explicit description |
| FORM 11, SELF ASSESSMENT | Preliminary tax or balance payment | Distinguish by timing and amount |
| INCOME TAX REVENUE | Preliminary tax payment | Generic description |
Timing-based identification
| Debit date range | Likely payment | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 15 October to 5 November | Preliminary tax (date without the ROS extension, 31 October) | High if Revenue payee |
| 1 November to 20 November | Preliminary tax paid on ROS (2026 extended date: see the pay and file table in Section 1) | High |
| Same date: large single debit | Combined: balance for the previous year plus preliminary tax for the current year | Flag for reviewer to split |
| Around the ninth day of each month | Preliminary tax by direct debit (Section 5.4) | High if Revenue payee |
Related but NOT preliminary tax
| Pattern | Treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CGT, CAPITAL GAINS TAX | EXCLUDE | Separate obligation, separate dates |
| PAYE, EMPLOYER PAYE | EXCLUDE | Employer PAYE payment |
| VAT, VAT3 RETURN | EXCLUDE | VAT payment |
| PRSI EMPLOYER | EXCLUDE | Employer PRSI |
| LOCAL PROPERTY TAX, LPT | EXCLUDE | Property tax (but see the surcharge note in Section 6.2) |
| USC DIRECT | EXCLUDE | USC coded through employment |
| SURCHARGE, INTEREST REVENUE | EXCLUDE | Penalty or interest |
Input: Final 2025 tax due (Income Tax, USC and PRSI) EUR 15,000. Expected 2026 tax due EUR 18,000. No direct debit. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Output: Current year option: 90% of EUR 18,000 = EUR 16,200. Previous year option: 100% of EUR 15,000 = EUR 15,000. The lowest is EUR 15,000. Pay at least that by 31 October 2026, or by 18 November 2026 if the 2025 return is filed AND the payment made on ROS. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: Final 2025 tax due EUR 30,000. Expected 2026 tax due EUR 10,000. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Output: Current year option: 90% of EUR 10,000 = EUR 9,000. That is lower than the previous year option, so EUR 9,000 is enough IF the estimate holds. If the final 2026 tax due turns out to be EUR 12,000, then 90% of it is EUR 10,800. The EUR 9,000 paid is below both EUR 10,800 and EUR 30,000, so preliminary tax was too low. The due date for the whole 2026 liability then goes back to 31 October 2026 and interest runs from that date. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: Client has paid preliminary tax by direct debit for several years. Final 2024 tax due EUR 8,000. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Output: Pre-preceding year option: 105% of EUR 8,000 = EUR 8,400 across the 2026 direct debit payments, if this is lower than the other options. If the 2024 tax due was nil, this option is not available. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: Taxed only under PAYE in 2025. Started self-employment in 2026.
Output: The client may choose the previous year option. Revenue says that with this choice the client generally will not have to pay preliminary tax, because in the first year the previous year's liability would normally be nil. The client may instead pay on the current year option, which reduces the tax to pay in the following year. The 2026 balance is then due by 31 October 2027.
Input: 2026 preliminary tax due for Income Tax, USC and PRSI. The client also sold shares in June 2026.
Output: Preliminary tax is due by 31 October 2026 (or the ROS extended date). The CGT on the June disposal is due by 15 December 2026. Two separate payments.
Input line: 31.10.2026 ; REVENUE COMMISSIONERS ROS ; DEBIT ; PRELIMINARY TAX ; -15,000.00 ; EUR
Classification: Preliminary tax for 2026 (it may also include the 2025 balance: flag for split). Tax payment, not a deductible expense.
The three options (percentages as in the first table of Section 1)
| Option | Year it looks at | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Current year | 2026 (the year being paid for) | None, but it depends on an estimate |
| Previous year | 2025 | None. No estimate needed |
| Pre-preceding year | 2024 | Only if paid by direct debit, and NOT if the 2024 tax due was nil |
current_option = 0.90 x estimated 2026 tax due (Income Tax + USC + PRSI)
previous_option = 1.00 x final 2025 tax due
preprec_option = 1.05 x final 2024 tax due (only if direct debit, and only if the 2024 tax due is not nil)
minimum_required = lowest of the options that apply
The multipliers above are the percentages in the first table of Section 1. Paying the previous year option is the safe choice when no reliable 2026 estimate exists.
If preliminary tax is not paid by 31 October, the direct debit arrangement is not kept, or the amount paid is too low, the client may be liable to interest. The due date for the full liability or the balance is then backdated to 31 October in the year of assessment. Interest under section 1080 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 is due for each day, or part of a day (Tax and Duty Manual Part 41-00-28, section 3.4).
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/collection/debt-management/guidelines-for-charging-interest-on-late-payment.pdf |
| Daily interest rate, Income Tax, from 1 July 2009 | 0.0219% | "IT 0.0273% 0.0219% CT 0.0273% 0.0219%" (the second column is "Daily Rates from 1/7/2009") |
The manual prints the rate per day only. This Guide gives no annual equivalent, because no allowed page prints one.
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/self-assessment-and-self-employment/guide-to-self-assessment/pay-file-system.aspx |
| Return filed less than two months after the filing date | 5% of tax due, capped at EUR 12,695 | "a surcharge of 5% of your tax due, up to €12,695, is applied" |
| Return filed more than two months after the filing date | 10% of tax due, capped at EUR 63,485 | "a surcharge of 10% of your tax due, up to €63,485, is applied" |
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/publications/prsi-class-s-rates/ |
| Blended Class S rate, 2026 self-employed income returned through self-assessment | 4.2375% | "for 2026 income the rate will be 4.2375% or min payment of €650" |
| Blended Class S rate, 2025 self-employed income (the 2025 balance paid in 2026) | 4.125% | "a blended or proportionate rate of 4.125% or a minimum payment of €650 will apply on their self-employed 2025 annual income" |
| Minimum annual Class S contribution | EUR 650 | "the minimum annual contribution for Class S is €650" |
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/cb168977/PRSI_C20260116_Contribution_Rates_and_User_Guide_-_SW_14_-_English_Version_-_January_2026_.pdf-web.pdf |
| Class S applies to self-employed annual income of this amount OR MORE | EUR 5,000 | "Self-employed contributors with annual income of €5,000 or over pay Class S PRSI" |
Previous year liability was small. No allowed page sets a minimum below which preliminary tax is not needed. Apply the three options as normal. The Form 11 must still be filed.
Income drop. Use the current year option only with a reasoned estimate. Risk: interest from 31 October if the estimate is too low (Example 2).
First year. See Section 5.5: the previous year option is available and generally means nothing is payable.
ROS extended date. 18 November 2026 ONLY where the client both files the 2025 Form 11 and pays through ROS. Otherwise 31 October 2026 (pay and file table, Section 1). People who registered (or re-registered) for self-assessment from 1 January 2015 must file and pay electronically (Tax and Duty Manual Part 41-00-28, section 5.2).
CGT. CGT dates are separate from preliminary tax:
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/gains-gifts-and-inheritance/transfering-an-asset/when-and-how-do-you-pay-and-file-cgt.aspx |
| Disposals 1 January to 30 November | Pay by 15 December of the same year | "1 January and 30 November (the initial period), you must pay CGT by 15 December of the same year" |
| Disposals 1 December to 31 December | Pay by 31 January of the next year | "1 December and 31 December (the later period), you must pay CGT by 31 January of the next year." |
Rental income and other non-PAYE income. Preliminary tax arises only for a person in Income Tax self-assessment. Revenue's registration test is in the table below. Either limit alone brings the person in (Revenue joins them with "or"). Below both limits Revenue says: "To declare non-PAYE income that does not exceed the above amounts, please submit a Form 12 online using myAccount." A landlord who is in self-assessment uses the same three options on the tax due for the year.
| Item | Value | Note (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| Source | all figures below | https://www.revenue.ie/en/self-assessment-and-self-employment/guide-to-self-assessment/register-it-self-assessment.aspx |
| Must register for self-assessment: taxable non-PAYE income MORE THAN (this is a different rule from the PRSI Class S threshold in Section 7) | EUR 5,000 | "your taxable non-PAYE income exceeds €5,000" |
| Must register for self-assessment: gross non-PAYE income MORE THAN | EUR 30,000 | "or your gross non-PAYE income exceeds €30,000" |
Direct debit. Monthly payments under the pre-preceding year option. Check the minimum number of payments (Section 5.4). Flag for reviewer.
Late return, payment on time. The surcharge still applies (Section 6.2).
Early paper filer. A paper return filed before 31 August lets Revenue complete the self-assessment panel. For the last few years, including 2026, that date has been concessionally extended to 30 September (Tax and Duty Manual Part 41-00-28, section 2.1).
Before delivering output, check:
Input: 2025 tax due EUR 15,000. 2026 estimate EUR 18,000. No direct debit. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?) Expected: Minimum EUR 15,000 (lower than EUR 16,200). Due 31 October 2026, or 18 November 2026 if filed AND paid on ROS. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: 2025 tax due EUR 30,000. 2026 estimate EUR 10,000. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?) Expected: EUR 9,000. Interest risk flagged. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: First year in self-assessment, PAYE only before. Expected: Previous year option available; generally no preliminary tax payable. Current year option optional.
Input: Direct debit payer. 2024 tax due EUR 8,000. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?) Expected: EUR 8,400 if lowest. If 2024 tax due was nil: option not available. (Revenue: What is preliminary tax?)
Input: Preliminary tax due. Shares sold in June 2026. Expected: Preliminary tax by 31 October 2026 (or ROS extended date). CGT by 15 December 2026.
Input: Tax due EUR 20,000. Return filed 6 weeks late. (Revenue: Pay and file system) Expected: Surcharge 5% = EUR 1,000 (below the cap). (Revenue: Pay and file system)
Input: Tax due EUR 800,000. Return filed 3 months late. (Revenue: Pay and file system) Expected: 10% would be EUR 80,000, so the cap applies: EUR 63,485. (Revenue: Pay and file system)
Input: 2025 Form 11 filed on ROS on 10 November 2026. Payment made through myAccount. Expected: Extension does not apply. Both the return and the payments were due by 31 October 2026. The return filed on 10 November 2026 is late by less than two months, so the 5% surcharge in Section 6.2 applies.
This Guide and its outputs are provided for informational and computational purposes only and do not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Open Accountants and its contributors accept no liability for any errors, omissions, or outcomes arising from the use of this Guide. All outputs must be reviewed and signed off by a qualified professional (such as a CPA, EA, tax attorney, or equivalent licensed practitioner in your jurisdiction) before filing or acting upon.
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