We prepare and file Corporation Tax, income tax, Capital Gains Tax, gift and inheritance tax, VAT, PAYE and RCT returns for businesses and individuals, and plan ahead so reliefs are claimed and deadlines are met. The aim is not to pay no tax, but to pay no more than you have to.
Information checked 3 October 2026 against Revenue and CRO guidance.
What's included
Most owner-managed businesses deal with four or five taxes a year: Corporation Tax or income tax on profit, VAT on sales, PAYE on wages, and Capital Gains Tax or gift and inheritance tax when assets change hands. The main rates and deadlines for 2026 are below.
| Tax | Rate | Main deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation Tax | 12.5% on trading profit, 25% on rental and investment income | CT1 and balance by the 23rd day of the ninth month after the year end |
| Income tax (self-assessed) | 20% and 40%; 40% above €44,000 for a single person | 2025 Form 11 and 2026 preliminary tax by 31 October 2026, or 18 November 2026 if you pay and file on ROS |
| Capital Gains Tax | 33% on most gains, after €1,270 a year | Pay by 15 December (gains from 1 January to 30 November) or 31 January (December gains); return by 31 October of the next year |
| Gift and inheritance tax (CAT) | 33% above the tax-free group threshold | Pay and file by 31 October for valuation dates from 1 September to 31 August |
| VAT | 23% standard rate; reduced rates of 13.5% and 9% | VAT3 by the 19th of the month after each two-month period (23rd on ROS) |
| PAYE, PRSI and USC | Deducted from wages through payroll | Payroll submission on or before payday; payment 14 days after the month (23 days on ROS) |
| RCT | 0%, 20% or 35% of payments to subcontractors | Deduction summary and payment by the 23rd day after each period |
A small company, one whose Corporation Tax for the previous period was not above €200,000, pays preliminary tax in one instalment in the month before its accounting period ends, by the 23rd day of that month. It can base the payment on 100% of last period's tax or 90% of this period's tax, whichever is lower.
Worked example
A company has a 31 December 2026 year end. Its Corporation Tax for 2025 was €30,000, and 2026 is expected to come in at €40,000. Preliminary tax is due by 23 November 2026, and the company can pay the lower of €30,000 (100% of 2025) and €36,000 (90% of 2026). It pays €30,000. The €10,000 balance is due with the CT1 by 23 September 2027.
Tax planning means looking at a decision before you make it, so you use the reliefs the law allows.
Selling a business is a good example. Revised Entrepreneur Relief taxes qualifying gains at 10% instead of 33%, and for gains on or after 1 January 2026 the lifetime limit is €1.5 million. In general you must have owned the business, or at least 5% of the company's shares, for three of the five years before the sale and, for shares, worked in the company as a director or employee for at least half your time.
Worked example
| Without relief | With Revised Entrepreneur Relief | |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | €600,000 | €600,000 |
| Less annual exemption | €1,270 | €1,270 |
| Rate | 33% | 10% |
| Capital Gains Tax | €197,581 | €59,873 |
Meeting the conditions saves about €137,700. They have to be in place for years before the sale, which is why the planning starts early.
Capital Acquisitions Tax is charged at 33% on the value of gifts and inheritances above a tax-free threshold, and the threshold depends on your relationship to the person giving. Everything you have received in the same group since 5 December 1991 counts towards it.
Since 2 October 2024 the thresholds are €400,000 for Group A (mainly children of the person giving), €40,000 for Group B (such as brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren) and €20,000 for Group C (everyone else, including friends, cousins and in-laws).
Budget 2027 is announced on 6 October 2026 and can change thresholds, so check before you rely on these figures. Our article on estate planning in Ireland covers wills and succession.
A four year tax review goes back over the last four years of your tax affairs to find reliefs, credits and expenses that were not claimed. Four years is as far back as Revenue will repay: claims for 2022 must be made by 31 December 2026, and after that the money cannot be refunded.
For disposals from 1 January to 30 November, by 15 December of the same year. For disposals in December, by 31 January of the next year. The CGT return itself is due by 31 October of the year after the disposal, even if reliefs mean no tax is due.
Source: Revenue: When and how do you pay and file CGT?, checked 3 October 2026.
Not for its first accounting period if its Corporation Tax is under €200,000. It pays the full tax for that first period when it files its CT1, by the 23rd day of the ninth month after the period ends.
Source: Revenue: Preliminary Corporation Tax (CT), checked 3 October 2026.
Yes. We file your returns and deal with Revenue queries for you. If Revenue opens an audit or review, see Revenue audit support.
Next step
Book a call to talk through your returns, a four year review or a decision you are planning, or ring the office.
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm · info@mawhately.ie
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