Budget 2027 Ireland: what it means for you
Simon Harris delivered Budget 2027 on Tuesday 6 October 2026. Every change to income tax, inheritance tax, savings and welfare, with the old figure beside it.

Budget 2027 income tax: the headline figures
- Where the 40% rate starts
- €46,500Where the 40% rate startsUp €2,500, from €44,000
- Income tax package
- €1.3bnIncome tax packageBands, credits and USC together
- Less a year on €50,000
- Over €700Less a year on €50,000Income tax and USC, the Minister's figure
- A couple earning €50,000 each
- About €1,500A couple earning €50,000 eachIncome tax and USC, the Minister's figure
Budget 2027
Budget 2027 tax changes, measure by measure
Every figure the Budget moved, with the one it replaces beside it. A dash means the Budget gave the change rather than the previous figure.
| Measure | Before | After Budget 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax, USC and tax credits | ||
| Where the 40% rate starts | €44,000 | €46,500 |
| Personal, PAYE and earned income credits | — | Each up €125 |
| Home carer credit | — | Up €100 |
| USC band ceiling | €28,700 | €30,300 |
| Savings, investments and pensions | ||
| Capital gains tax | 33% | 31%, from 7 October 2026 |
| Exit tax on funds and ETFs | 38% | 35% |
| Standard Fund Threshold | — | Defined benefit valuation factors revised from 1 January 2027 |
| Inheritance and gift tax (CAT) thresholds, from 7 October 2026 | ||
| Children | €400,000 | €420,000 |
| Siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren | €40,000 | €44,000 |
| Everyone else | €20,000 | €22,000 |
| Housing, rent and childcare | ||
| Help to Buy, maximum | €30,000 | €35,000, from 7 October 2026 |
| Help to Buy, property value cap | €500,000 | Unchanged |
| Rent tax credit | €1,000 | €1,150 (€2,300 a couple) for 2027 and 2028 |
| Rent-a-room relief limit | €14,000 | €16,000 |
| Childminders' tax exemption | €15,000 | €20,000 |
| Social welfare payments | ||
| Weekly rates | — | Up €10 |
| Cost-of-disability payment | — | €500 |
| Carer's income disregard | — | €1,150 a week single, €2,300 a couple, from July 2027 |
| Fuel allowance | €38 a week | €43 a week |
| Fuel allowance means limit, single pensioners | €534 | €641 |
| Living alone allowance | €22 a week | €25 a week |
| Excise, fuel and motoring | ||
| 20 cigarettes | — | Up €1 |
| Vape e-liquid | — | Up 20c per millilitre |
| Reduced excise on fuel | — | Held to 28 February 2027, restored in four phases by 30 June 2027 |
| VRT relief for electric vehicles | — | Runs to 31 December 2028 |
| VRT on higher-emission cars | — | Up one percentage point |
Income tax, USC and tax credits
- Before
- €44,000
- After Budget 2027
- €46,500
- After Budget 2027
- Each up €125
- After Budget 2027
- Up €100
- Before
- €28,700
- After Budget 2027
- €30,300
Savings, investments and pensions
- Before
- 33%
- After Budget 2027
- 31%, from 7 October 2026
- Before
- 38%
- After Budget 2027
- 35%
- After Budget 2027
- Defined benefit valuation factors revised from 1 January 2027
Inheritance and gift tax (CAT) thresholds, from 7 October 2026
- Before
- €400,000
- After Budget 2027
- €420,000
- Before
- €40,000
- After Budget 2027
- €44,000
- Before
- €20,000
- After Budget 2027
- €22,000
Housing, rent and childcare
- Before
- €30,000
- After Budget 2027
- €35,000, from 7 October 2026
- Before
- €500,000
- After Budget 2027
- Unchanged
- Before
- €1,000
- After Budget 2027
- €1,150 (€2,300 a couple) for 2027 and 2028
- Before
- €14,000
- After Budget 2027
- €16,000
- Before
- €15,000
- After Budget 2027
- €20,000
Social welfare payments
- After Budget 2027
- Up €10
- After Budget 2027
- €500
- After Budget 2027
- €1,150 a week single, €2,300 a couple, from July 2027
- Before
- €38 a week
- After Budget 2027
- €43 a week
- Before
- €534
- After Budget 2027
- €641
- Before
- €22 a week
- After Budget 2027
- €25 a week
Excise, fuel and motoring
- After Budget 2027
- Up €1
- After Budget 2027
- Up 20c per millilitre
- After Budget 2027
- Held to 28 February 2027, restored in four phases by 30 June 2027
- After Budget 2027
- Runs to 31 December 2028
- After Budget 2027
- Up one percentage point
Source: Department of Finance, Budget 2027 Tax Policy Changes, as at October 2026
The Investment Account
- The most you can pay in a year
- €12,000The most you can pay in a year
- No tax on the fund up to this value
- €50,000No tax on the fund up to this value
- Tax on the value above €50,000
- 1% a yearTax on the value above €50,000Due whether the fund gained or lost
- Accounts open
- 1 July 2027Accounts open
Savings, investments and pensions
What it means for savers and investors
Three measures with a long tail. The account itself, and how it compares with a pension, has its own page.
Inside the Investment Account
No capital gains tax, no exit tax and no eight-year deemed disposal. Your provider works out the 1% tax and pays it, so you file nothing with Revenue.
Exit tax on funds outside the account
Exit tax falls from 38% to 35%, when you sell and on a deemed disposal alike. The eight-year rule itself was not abolished.
Your pension
The Investment Account carries no contribution relief, so it does not displace pension capacity you have not used. My Future Fund is a separate scheme.
Now the figures are out
What to do after Budget 2027
Nothing here needs doing on the day. Knowing your own position is what turns a Budget figure into a decision.
Know what you hold
Deposits, investments and unused pension capacity. Those three answers decide what a €12,000-a-year account is worth to you.
How investing is taxed nowAvoid moves that are hard to undo
Accounts do not open until 1 July 2027, and the €12,000 limit means a lump sum cannot go in at once.
Common questionsWe read the Budget against your numbers
What the measures are worth depends on your income, your bands and what you hold. If nothing changes your plan, we will say so.
Book a consultation
Budget 2027 — common questions
Updated after the Budget speech. Last reviewed 6 October 2026.
Read the Budget against your own numbers
A 45-minute first conversation, by video call anywhere in Ireland or in person by arrangement. A diagnostic look at where you stand, not advice on the day.
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