Ireland · VAT
FinnAccountings reconciles Irish VAT transactions and prepares bi-monthly return drafts for Revenue — with Chartered Accountant insight before you or your adviser files. Estimate rates first on our free dual-market VAT calculator, then return here for filing prep.
FinnAccountings reconciles sales and purchase VAT, prepares bi-monthly return drafts for Revenue ROS, and flags threshold risk against the €85,000 goods / €42,500 services limits — with Chartered Accountant insight before you or your adviser files.
Need a quick rate estimate first? Use our free Ireland & UK VAT calculator for 23%, 13.5%, or 9% maths, then come back here for filing prep and ROS packs.
Registration becomes obligatory once rolling twelve-month turnover crosses €85,000 for goods or €42,500 for services, and earlier for distance sales and certain cross-border services. Irish standard VAT is 23%, with reduced rates for hospitality, energy, and specific goods.
This page covers return preparation and ROS packs. If you are still deciding when and how to register, our dedicated guide walks through the thresholds, the TR1 and TR2 forms, and what changes the day registration takes effect.
Cash flow spikes around VAT payment dates if you invoice on gross terms but pay suppliers net of VAT. The gap is worst for businesses whose customers pay slowly, because the VAT on an invoice can fall due before the invoice itself has been settled. Forecasting liability across the period lets you price jobs and negotiate payment terms with the timing in mind rather than discovering it.
Growth changes the picture again. Taking on staff, selling into other EU Member States, or shifting your mix between goods and services can all alter which rules apply and how often you report. The platform forecasts liability, suggests timing for major purchases, and flags when a change in trade warrants a second look at your registration.
Keep income tax estimates beside your VAT set-aside with our Ireland & UK tax calculator after your return draft is ready.
A VAT3 return looks simple — output VAT, input VAT, the difference — but the figures behind it are only as good as two months of records. Sales must be captured at the right rate, purchases separated between recoverable and non-recoverable, and receipts held for anything reclaimed.
The scramble most businesses recognise comes from doing that work in the final week. Transactions categorised as they arrive, with rates separated and receipts matched at the point of purchase, turn the return into a review rather than a reconstruction. Purchases missing evidence are flagged while the supplier can still send a copy.
Beyond the bi-monthly cycle, Revenue requires an annual Return of Trading Details reconciling supplies and purchases by VAT rate across the year. It is not a payment return, which is why it is easy to treat as an afterthought.
It is also a consistency check. Where the RTD does not agree with the VAT3 returns filed during the year, or with the turnover reported on your income tax or corporation tax return, the mismatch is a routine trigger for Revenue queries. Preparing all of them from one reconciled ledger removes that risk by construction.
FinnAccountings prepares draft VAT3 figures, Return of Trading Details support, and export-ready packs from your reconciled records. Our Chartered Accountant team provides insight on the AI's output before it reaches you.
The submission itself stays with you or your qualified adviser through ROS. We are VAT and bookkeeping preparation software rather than a registered filing agent, and AI has no legal accountability for a return filed in your name — which is exactly why the review step exists.
Recovering VAT on purchases is where most of the money is, and where most of the exposure sits. To reclaim, you need a valid VAT invoice from the supplier showing their registration number, the rate applied, and the VAT amount — a card receipt or bank line on its own is not enough.
Some costs are restricted regardless of evidence. Entertainment, most passenger motor vehicles, and food and drink carry longstanding recovery restrictions, and mixed business and private use requires apportionment rather than a full claim. Treating every business payment as fully recoverable is a common and correctable error.
The platform separates purchases by rate as they arrive, flags those where no supporting invoice has been attached, and holds the document against the transaction so a reclaim can be evidenced years later without a search through email.
Most registered businesses file a VAT3 return bi-monthly through ROS, though Revenue may assign less frequent periods to smaller traders. Separately, an annual Return of Trading Details reconciles your supplies and purchases by rate across the year — mismatches between the two are a routine trigger for Revenue queries.
The standard rate is 23%, with reduced rates of 13.5%, 9%, and 4.8% applying to specified goods and services, and 0% on exports and other qualifying supplies. Our free VAT calculator applies each rate to net or gross amounts if you need a quick figure for a quote or invoice.
Once turnover exceeds €85,000 for goods or €42,500 for services over any rolling twelve-month period, and earlier for intra-EU acquisitions or distance sales. The test is forward-looking too, so you are expected to register before crossing if you can reasonably foresee it. Our VAT registration Ireland guide covers the thresholds and the TR1 and TR2 forms.
No. We reconcile sales and purchase VAT, separate amounts by rate, flag purchases with missing receipts, and prepare draft VAT3 figures and export-ready packs, with Chartered Accountant insight on the output. You or your qualified adviser submit through ROS.
Errors can be corrected, but interest and penalties may apply depending on the amount and whether the error is disclosed voluntarily. The practical protection is evidence: keeping receipts matched to transactions and rates separated throughout the period, rather than reconstructing figures in the last week before the deadline.
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Organise transactions and receipts, flag what is missing, and prepare VAT and bookkeeping packs for Ireland and the UK — with you in control before anything is shared or filed.
