What happens at payroll year-end? The full picture.
Year-end in Irish payroll is simpler than it used to be — the old P35 annual return was abolished with PAYE Modernisation. Employers now issue Employment Detail Summaries to employees and ensure all PSR submissions for the year are accurate and complete.
Budget changes are the higher-risk event. Each October, the Government announces changes that take effect from 1 January. These typically include new income tax bands and credits, USC rate changes, PRSI threshold adjustments, minimum wage increases, and changes to employer PRSI rates. Every one of these must be applied correctly in the first payroll run of the new year.
What Irish employers are required to do
- Employment Detail Summaries (EDS) are generated automatically by Revenue at year-end and are available to employees via their myAccount — employers no longer issue P60s
- Ensure all PSR submissions for the year are filed and accurate
- Reconcile PAYE, PRSI, and USC payments against Revenue's records
- Apply new tax bands, credits, and USC rates from 1 January
- Apply minimum wage increases from their effective date
- Update employer and employee PRSI rates from the correct date
- Apply any changes to SSP entitlement or BIK rules from the effective date
Where most employers are not yet up to speed
These are the errors CBCR finds most often when reviewing payroll for new clients:
- Not being aware that Employment Detail Summaries have been replaced — employees access their Employment Detail Summary directly via Revenue myAccount
- Not applying Budget changes in the first January payroll run — every subsequent run is then wrong
- Using the previous year's minimum wage rate after an increase has taken effect
- Not applying the correct PRSI rates — 11.25% to 30 September 2026, increasing to 11.40% from 1 October 2026
- Not updating payroll software with new tax credit values and cut-off points
- Failing to reconcile annual PAYE payments against Revenue's employer record
How CBCR handles it
CBCR monitors Budget announcements each October and applies every change in the first payroll run of the new year. No need to ask. We issue Employment Detail Summaries to your employees by the January deadline, reconcile your annual PAYE position, and flag any year-end actions required before the January runs begin. When something changes, it's in your payroll before it affects your people.
Not sure if you're compliant?
Book a free Payroll Health Check — 30 minutes, no obligation. We review this and every other compliance area — and tell you exactly where you stand. No obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Official Revenue & Government resources
- Revenue — year-end and EDS obligations →
- Revenue — Budget 2026 employer changes →
- Revenue — minimum wage and PRSI rates →