Accountants for small and medium-sized businesses in Ireland
The whole compliance cycle handled by one firm at one fixed monthly fee — and management figures during the year, not just a set of accounts nine months after it ended.
In short
An Irish SME typically needs bookkeeping, bi-monthly VAT returns, payroll, annual financial statements, a B1 annual return to the CRO and a CT1 to Revenue. We run all of it under one fixed monthly fee with a named chartered accountant, which removes the handover points where things usually get lost.
What an Irish SME is actually obliged to file
The load is heavier than most owners expect, and it runs on several different clocks at once. Missing any one of them has its own consequence.
| Obligation | Frequency | Consequence of missing it |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll submission | On or before every payday | Late submission on the Revenue record |
| PAYE/PRSI/USC payment | Monthly, 14th or 23rd via ROS | Daily interest |
| VAT3 return | Every two months, 19th or 23rd via ROS | Daily interest, higher risk rating |
| B1 annual return | Within 56 days of the ARD | €100 + €3/day to €1,200, and audit exemption at risk |
| CT1 return | 9 months after year end, 23rd via ROS | 5% surcharge, then 10% |
| Preliminary corporation tax | Before the year end | Interest on the shortfall |
The expensive one is not the fine. Filing the annual return late more than once in five years costs the company its audit exemption, and a statutory audit runs to several thousand euro a year for two years.
The problems we are usually brought in to fix
- Profitable on paper, short of cash, and nobody can say exactly why.
- The tax bill arrives as a surprise every October because nothing was set aside during the year.
- Books are eleven months behind, so every decision is being made on instinct.
- Business and personal money have been running through the same account, which in a company creates a director's loan with tax charges attached.
- VAT was registered late, or the wrong rate has been applied to a product line for a year.
- The previous accountant was responsive in January and unreachable in October.
How the engagement works
- We review where you are, including anything outstanding, before quoting.
- You get a fixed monthly fee in writing within 48 hours, covering the whole cycle.
- A named chartered accountant is assigned at onboarding. You deal with that person, not a department.
- Bookkeeping runs monthly, so VAT and year end are built on records that are already reconciled.
- You get management figures during the year and a planning conversation before your year end, while the numbers can still be changed.
Is your structure still right?
Plenty of Irish SMEs incorporated because somebody told them to, and are now paying company compliance costs for no benefit. Trading profits are taxed at 12.5% inside a company, but salary and dividends taken out are taxed at your marginal rate — so the company only helps on profit you can afford to leave in it.
It runs the other way too. A sole trader with growing profits, employees or real liability exposure is often carrying risk and tax they do not need to. We look at this properly once a year rather than treating the structure as settled.
Switching from your current accountant
Routine, and we handle it. We write for professional clearance and the handover records, take over the ROS and CRO agent links, and pick up the cycle. The cleanest moment is shortly after a year end, but it can be done at any point — including mid-year when something has gone wrong.
What it costs
One fixed monthly fee covering the whole cycle, set by your turnover, transaction volume, headcount and whether VAT is in scope. Quoted before you commit, and it does not move because a month was busier than expected. Questions during the year are inside the fee, because a client who avoids asking is the one who ends up costing more.
Sources
Questions we get asked
- What size is considered an SME in Ireland?
- Broadly, companies with fewer than 250 employees and turnover under €50 million. Most of our SME clients have between 1 and 50 employees and turnover between €100,000 and €10 million.
- What does an accountant cost for a small business in Ireland?
- We quote a fixed monthly fee based on turnover, transaction volume, headcount and whether VAT applies. You get the figure in a written proposal within 48 hours, so you know the cost before you commit and there is no hourly billing.
- Do I need an audit?
- Almost certainly not. A company qualifies for audit exemption where it meets two of three conditions in the current and preceding year: turnover not exceeding €15 million, balance sheet total not exceeding €7.5 million, and no more than 50 employees — and files its annual return on time.
- Can you fix books that are badly behind?
- Yes, and it is common. We quote the catch-up separately from the ongoing fee so you can see exactly what the backlog costs, then move you onto the monthly cycle once you are current.
- Do you work with businesses outside Dublin?
- Yes. The service is delivered online — secure portal, cloud accounting and video calls — so we work with businesses in every county. Our office is in Dún Laoghaire if you want to meet in person.
Read more on this
Starting Out
Starting a business in Ireland
The order in which the decisions actually have to be made, which ones are cheap to reverse, and where the state supports are worth the paperwork.
Corporation Tax
Corporation tax in Ireland
The 12.5% and 25% rates, what counts as trading, preliminary tax, and the close company surcharges that catch owner-managed businesses.
CRO & Annual Accounts
The CRO annual return, and what it costs to miss it
What the B1 is, the 56-day rule, the fee structure, and the audit exemption consequence that costs far more than the fine.
Who else we work with
Talk to us about your smes
Tell us about your business and we will send a fixed-fee proposal within 48 hours.