The complete guide to offering employee benefits in Ireland

Here, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about offering benefits plans that meet the minimum requirements for your employees in Ireland and also how to go above and beyond.

Where can I get quotes for Irish employee benefits?

Rippling partners with brokers and insurance carriers around the world to give your Irish employees access to big business benefits at affordable prices—including health insurance and registered retirement savings plans, etc.

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Offer benefits in Ireland easily and automatically with Rippling

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Parental leave

Employers are legally required to offer employees who give birth or adopt children seven weeks of leave, which can be taken at any time during the first two years of the child’s life or after they are placed in the worker’s home. Employees must notify their place of work of the dates they intend to take paternity leave or maternity leave six weeks beforehand.

As an employer, you do not have to pay employees while they’re on parental leave–the Irish government provides them with payment via the Parent’s Benefit program. Some companies choose to pay parents as a supplemental benefit. It’s also important to note that both mothers and fathers are covered under parental leave laws.

Paid annual leave

The Organisation of Working Time Act provides all employees with 20 days of paid annual leave each year. This number does not include the public or bank, holidays employees receive.

Rippling makes managing your international employees' time off and leaves simple.

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Bank holidays

Bank holidays are the Irish equivalent of the federal holidays employees are entitled to in the US. There are 10 bank holidays, including a new one that was added in 2023; these are all paid holidays.

Below, you’ll find a list of statutory holidays in the Republic of Ireland and the dates they fall on.

Create a custom holiday calendar for Ireland, design Ireland-specific policies, and offer benefits in Ireland easily and automatically with Rippling.

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What employee benefits are optional in Ireland?

In addition to what’s legally required, many employers also choose to expand their benefits packages and offer supplementary plans and perks to help them stand out from the competition and attract and retain the right talent. Below, we’ll discuss some common supplementary benefits employers include when hiring employees in the Republic of Ireland.

Private health insurance

While every Irish citizen is entitled to government-funded public health care either completely free of charge or for a nominal fee, many employers offer private health insurance plans as part of their benefits packages. A private medical plan expands employees’ access to health care and usually covers things like an in-hospital stay and inpatient services at a private health care provider. It also affords employees the privilege of selecting the provider they’d like to see, which is not an option under the public health insurance scheme.

Life assurance plans

In addition to healthcare, many employers offer group life assurance plans. Also called death-as-a-service schemes, these plans are different from life insurance in that they are open-ended, rather than in force for a fixed term only. Employers who elect to provide this benefit pay the premium for the employees; upon the worker’s death, a lump sum is paid to their beneficiaries–provided they are still employed by the company. 

Income protection

This type of insurance provides a monthly income to employees who are unable to work due to illness or injury. This can be a valuable benefit for employees who have dependents, as it can help them to maintain their financial security during a difficult time.

Additional paid time off

Many employers offer paid leave beyond what Ireland’s statutory minimums require–usually, around four to eight extra days. Giving employees additional days or a way to purchase extra ones beyond Ireland’s generous annual leave provisions is an excellent way to ensure your company stands out from the crowd.

Employee assistance program (EAP) 

An EAP is a confidential counseling service that is available to employees. This can be a valuable resource for employees who are dealing with personal or work-related challenges.

Rippling can help with managing your employees' time and paying your international employees in a single system.

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How to hire employees in Ireland and offer them affordable benefits in minutes—with Rippling

Running a global workforce isn't easy. It can be a challenge for global companies just to keep their benefits compliant—let alone managing offer letters, equipment, payroll, and everything else global employees and contractors need.

That's why, if you're going to hire employees, contractors, or remote workers in Ireland, you need Rippling. Rippling makes it easy to onboard, manage, and pay employees and contractors around the world—in one system that helps keep you compliant with local employment laws and regulations.

We offer a native Employer of Record (EOR) service, which allows you to hire employees in Ireland, enroll them in benefits, and run payroll in 90 seconds—even if you don't have a legal entity there.

Rippling’s EOR is built on top of our native payroll rails, which means that when the time comes to bring HR in-house, you can move from our EOR to Global Payroll through your own entities—in minutes.