What is preliminary tax and when must it be paid?

Preliminary tax is an advance payment of your current year's tax liability, due on or before 31 October each year. Revenue requires self-employed taxpayers to pay at least 90% of the current year's final liability, 100% of the prior year's liability, or 105% of the pre-preceding year's liability. Paying 90% of your current-year liability is the most common approach and is what this calculator estimates.

What PRSI class do self-employed people pay in Ireland?

Self-employed people in Ireland pay Class S PRSI, currently set at 4% of all reckonable income. There is a minimum annual charge of €500 even if your profits are low. Class S entitles you to a limited range of social welfare benefits including the State Pension (Contributory), Maternity Benefit, and Illness Benefit, but does not cover Jobseeker's Benefit or short-term illness pay.

Self-Employed Tax Calculator Ireland 2024 — Income Tax, USC & PRSI

Self-Employed Tax Calculator (Ireland) · IEIrish Tax

Example result based on the prefilled values.

Income Tax

€15,850.00

USC

€2,104.62

PRSI (Class S)

€2,800.00

Total Tax

€20,754.62

Effective Rate

29.60%

Net Income

€49,245.38

Preliminary Tax Due

€18,679.16

Continue your plan

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When to use this calculator

Before accepting a pay change, bonus, pension contribution, or salary-sacrifice option.
When you want to compare employed, self-employed, or dividend-based income scenarios.
When you need a simple take-home estimate before running payroll or filing returns.
When you are approaching the £100,000 income level and want to understand the personal allowance taper effect.
When you are planning a salary sacrifice arrangement and need to see the net pay impact before agreeing terms.

A realistic Ireland planning example

Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.

Annual Net Profit (€)

70000

Your Age

Marital Status

Single

Additional Allowable Expenses (€)

After entering these figures, review income tax, usc and prsi (class s) together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.

How to read your results

Income Tax

Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result or a recommendation to make a tax decision.

USC

Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.

PRSI (Class S)

Total Tax

Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result or a recommendation to make a tax decision.

Effective Rate

The effective rate lets you compare options on a true like-for-like basis rather than being misled by different compounding periods or fee structures. Use it to cut through headline marketing rates when shortlisting providers or products.

Net Income

Preliminary Tax Due

Review this figure alongside gross income and the local tax rules that apply to you. It is a planning estimate, not a filing result or a recommendation to make a tax decision.

Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources

This calculator estimates the total Irish tax burden for a self-employed sole trader using 2024 Revenue rates. Income tax uses the standard rate band (€42,000 single, €51,000 married sole earner), reduced by the Personal Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. USC is applied across four bands on gross trading profit — it is not reduced by pension contributions or additional expenses in the same way income tax is. Class S PRSI of 4% applies to net profits with a statutory minimum of €500 per year.

Expenses and pension contributions entered reduce taxable income for income tax purposes. The preliminary tax shown is 90% of the estimated liability — the threshold most taxpayers aim for to avoid surcharges. The tool does not model PRSI credits, the Home Carer Credit, or the Start Your Own Business relief. Use Revenue's myAccount or ROS for your binding Form 11 annual return.

Common mistakes

!Using an assumption that is not supported by a current local quote, bill, statement or official source.
!Treating a generic estimate as a lender, provider, payroll or tax authority decision.
!Mixing monthly and annual inputs without converting them consistently.
!Forgetting location-specific taxes, fees, eligibility rules or payroll deductions where they apply.
!Testing only one scenario instead of checking how a cautious assumption changes the result.

What to do next

Run a second scenario with a cautious assumption so you can see the downside clearly.
Compare the result with the related calculators below before making a decision.
Check current local rules, eligibility and provider terms before applying or committing money.
Keep a record of the assumptions so you can update the estimate when a quote, bill or pay figure changes.
Use the result to prepare better questions for a lender, provider, adviser or employer rather than treating it as a final answer.

Frequently asked

Irish self-employed individuals pay three taxes on their net profits: income tax at 20% and 40% depending on the amount, the Universal Social Charge (USC) across four bands, and Class S PRSI at 4% with a minimum annual charge of €500. Taxable income is net profit minus allowable business expenses and any pension contributions made to a Revenue-approved scheme.

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