Insights

Employment Tax Updates covering: Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR), Small Benefit Exemption, Shares Options – Revenue’s Compliance Focus and PAYE Revenue Audits

Finance Act 2022 introduced the requirement for employers to notify Revenue of certain payments made to employees known as ‘reportable benefits’. The introduction of this reporting requirement is subject to a commencement order; however, the target implementation date is 1 January 2024.

During 2022, the Revenue Commissioners launched a share-based remuneration project. Revenue analysed employer annual share reporting forms (e.g. Form RSS1) against available data such as personal tax returns. They identified discrepancies such as employees under-declaring share option tax and underpaying Capital Gains Tax (CGT).

Irish employers can offer employees a variety of benefits as a part of their overall remuneration package. These benefits can take the form of a cash benefit—for example maternity leave pay—or a non-cash benefit, such as the cycle-to-work scheme.

The Revenue Commissioners (“Revenue”) first introduced the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP) in 2012 as a method for encouraging companies to relocate or assign their key employees to work in Ireland. Where certain conditions are satisfied, 30 percent of taxable employment income over €100,000 is disregarded for income tax purposes. This programme can result in significant tax savings for key employees.

With a significant number of employees now working in different locations, global mobility has become an area of focus for Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners. Revenue has increased their resources in this area and begun to issue detailed guidance that addresses employers and employees in these circumstances.

The Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Act 2021 contains a provision, which requires the directors of Irish companies to provide their Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers on certain documents submitted to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) in order to allow for verification of a director’s identify.

With an increasing focus by Revenue on the correct operation of the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) system, now is the time for businesses to review payroll and employment related taxes. By performing required regular check-ups on processes and systems, businesses can ensure that any potential risks are identified before problems arise and a PAYE risk review can help with this.

A new rent tax credit was introduced in Budget 2023. This new tax credit is available for the tax years 2022 to 2025 inclusive – so take note, a back claim can be made for the year 2022! Key details pertaining to the new credit and how to claim as a PAYE employee are outlined in this article.

This correspondence, deemed a Level 1 Compliance Intervention, offers all eligible taxpayers the opportunity to self-review their tax returns for Period 1 (which ended on 31 December 2021 or 30 April 2022 where extension applied) and make an unprompted qualifying disclosure by 31 January 2023 in relation to any additional tax liabilities identified.

A foreign employment tax obligation can arise from as little as an employee spending one day working in a foreign country. Such obligations should be considered from a very early stage given the high personal tax rates that apply across Europe and associated penalties for companies who fail to register for and operate payroll withholding taxes.

The Companies (Corporate Enforcement Authority) Act 2021 (the “Act”) has now been commenced. The orders for the commencement of the Act and the establishment of the Corporate Enforcement Authority were signed by the Tánaiste on 5 and 6 July 2022 respectively. The Act was previously passed by the Oireachtas and signed into law by the President on 22 December 2021.