Contracting in Ireland

PAYE CONTRACTORS

Requirements for working in a contract job in Ireland vary depending on whether you are an Irish citizen or a non Irish citizen. At Hays, we provide you with everything you need to start your contract job including the contracting essentials.

1. IRISH - PAYE CONTRACTOR

Emergency tax and tax credits

It is important to ensure that your tax is dealt with properly from the start of your contract and the right amount of tax is deducted from your pay. To ensure this happens, you will need to do two things:

Provide your PPS Number
Provide your most recent P45 Form or Certificate of Tax Credits

Q. I have a PPS number but I haven’t received my P45 from my previous employer (or I haven’t worked in Ireland this year) – what should I do?

If you haven’t received your P45 from your previous employer or you haven’t worked in Ireland for this tax year, it is your responsibility to do the following asap:

Contact the Revenue Office on 1890 333 425
Give them your PPS number and quote our employer number 8252320U
Let them know your start date with Hays/Accenture As soon as you have your P45, please email or post this to your Hays representative.

2. NON IRISH - PAYE CONTRACTOR

If you have never worked in Ireland you must apply for a PPS number and a Certificate of Tax Credits.

PPS Number: This is your unique personal identification number for public services and is required for any kind of employment.
Certificate of Tax Credits: This is a notice that is issued to you that shows your tax credits and rate bands.

Q. How do I set up a bank account in Ireland?

It's very difficult to open a bank account in Ireland, if you do not have proof of address (e.g. utility bill) or a PPS number. We can help you open a bank account with AIB, one of the leading banks in Ireland.

You are under no obligation to open an account with AIB – this is an additional service we offer. For further information on opening a bank account please contact your Hays representative.

Q. I have not previously worked in Ireland – what do I need to do?

If you have not previously worked in Ireland, you must apply for a PPS number and a Certificate of Tax Credits.

PPS Number
A PPS number is your unique personal identification number for public services and is required for any kind of employment. To apply for a PPS number, you need to book an appointment at the Department of Social Welfare Office which can be done online. It is important to note that the waiting time for an appointment is 2-3 weeks, so you must book an appointment as soon as possible, even if you haven’t arrived in Ireland yet.

For all questions regarding your PPS number, please visit the welfare website.

Certificate of Tax Credits
You will also need to complete an application form called 12A when you first start working in Ireland. The 12A form, plus additional useful information about starting work in Ireland, can be found on this link. Please quote our employer number 8252320U.

Your own personal circumstances, not the employer, dictate the amount of tax credits you are entitled to. The Revenue Office will forward you a detailed statement of your tax credits once you have completed the 12A form. Hays payroll will also be notified of your tax credits and pay you based on the information that the Revenue Office has provided. More information about your tax is available on the Revenue website.

Unfortunately, until you receive your PPS number and/or Certificate of Tax Credits, you will be on emergency tax. This means that the Revenue Office will give you a temporary tax credit for the first month of employment but tax deductions are increased progressively from the second month onwards. The effect of emergency rate is that after 4 weeks no tax credits are given - tax is paid at the higher rate from week 9, regardless of the level of pay. Further information about tax credits and emergency tax can be found here.

Please note, all questions about emergency tax and tax credits need to be directed to the Revenue Office. You are taxed based on the information that Revenue provides, therefore it is your responsibility to deal with the Revenue Office directly to ensure you are taxed correctly.

Please also note that it can take several weeks for all the information to be submitted to Revenue and our payroll department, therefore the sooner you confirm all your details, the better!

Essentials

For both Irish and non Irish citizens, working in a contract job requires you to take ownership of certain elements. Please take the time to read the following and familiarise yourself on how each of them are carried out.

3. GETTING PAID

Example of payment schedule

Start date	Monday 1st February
Worked	Monday 1st - Friday 5th February
Submit timesheet	Friday 5th February
Timesheet approved before 12pm	Tuesday 9th February
Pay day	Friday 12th February

Pay is processed weekly, one week in arrears. Pay day is every Friday.
You must submit your timesheet on the online portal and get it approved by your manager – if your manager is not available or on leave, your manager must make arrangements with another approver prior to the deadline.
It is your responsibility to ensure your weekly timesheets are approved before 12pm every Tuesday for the previous week’s work.
We recommend you submit timesheets every Friday afternoon – it’s a good idea to put a reminder in your diary! Then, follow up with your manager on Monday to ensure the time sheet is approved before the deadline. If for whatever reason, your timesheet is not approved on time, you will not get paid that week.

4. PAID LEAVE

You are entitled to paid holidays as a temp worker however you must accrue your holiday before you are able to take them. If you have not accrued enough holidays, you can still take them but you will not get paid for these days until you have accrued them.
To book holidays, please get approval from your manager first. Then contact your Hays representative via email to confirm dates and complete an annual leave form.
Failure to notify Hays about holidays booked will result in you being unpaid for your leave.
You are entitled to payment for bank holidays (if any occur during your assignment) provided you have worked 40hours within the last five weeks, prior to the bank holiday.
If you want to check your holiday entitlement, please contact your Hays representative and we will let you know by Friday of that week. We are only able to provide current leave balances, not future balances.
Holidays that haven’t been used during the assignment will be paid upon the termination of your assignment with your last pay.
All holiday hours accrued from January of a calendar year must be used by December of that calendar year.

5. SICKNESS

Sick leave is unpaid - if you wish you may use your annual leave provided it has been accrued.
If you are sick and unfit to work, you need to notify both your Hays representative and your manager by 8.30am. Please note that sending an e-mail or a text message is not acceptable – you need to call.

6. COMPLIANCE

If you are a non-EEA national residing in Ireland for a period of more than three months, you must register with the local immigration registration office. An immigration certificate of registration (GNIB Registration Card) is issued by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
Please visit this website for more information: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/inis/pages/wp07000031