EmploymentWise

Guides · 73 at launch

Your rights at work, chapter by chapter

Each guide names the Act or official page it comes from, is written for the employee, and carries the date it was last checked. The figures in them are the figures the tools use.

Chapter 1

Losing your job

Unfair and constructive dismissal, probation, gross misconduct, notice, being let go while sick, fixed terms, and settlement agreements.

  1. GuideCan you be fired for being sick in Ireland? Incapacity dismissals, disability and your pay while offSick leave does not stop a dismissal in Ireland, but dismissal for incapacity needs medical evidence, consultation and a fair procedure, and disability law may require reasonable accommodation first.Read →
  2. GuideConstructive dismissal in Ireland: when resigning counts as being dismissedConstructive dismissal is resigning because of your employer's conduct. In Ireland the burden is on you, the WRC expects a grievance first, and compensation is for loss up to 104 weeks' pay.Read →
  3. GuideDismissed on probation in Ireland: what you can still claimProbation in Ireland is capped at six months since 2022, but unfair dismissal still needs 12 months' service unless an exception applies. You keep your notice, your pay and your equality rights.Read →
  4. GuideDismissed without warning or notice in Ireland: what the Code expects and what you are owedDismissal without notice is lawful only for gross misconduct. For anything less, Irish law expects warnings under the WRC Code, a fair hearing and notice of one to eight weeks or pay in lieu.Read →
  5. GuideFixed-term contract not renewed in Ireland: when expiry is a dismissal and when you are owed redundancyIn Ireland a fixed-term contract that is not renewed can be a dismissal unless it excluded the Unfair Dismissals Acts in writing. After four years you may hold a contract of indefinite duration.Read →
  6. GuideGross misconduct in Ireland: examples, suspension and the procedure your employer still owes youGross misconduct is conduct serious enough for dismissal without notice. In Ireland the label alone is not enough: the WRC looks at the facts, and a fair investigation and hearing are still owed.Read →
  7. GuideSettlement agreements in Ireland: what to check before you signA settlement agreement in Ireland pays you a sum in return for waiving your claims. Check the figure, the tax treatment, the reference, confidentiality and the waiver, and take advice before signing.Read →
  8. GuideUnfair dismissal in Ireland: who can claim, what the WRC looks at and what it awardsYou need 12 months' service to claim unfair dismissal in Ireland, with exceptions for pregnancy, leave and whistleblowing. The WRC awards up to 104 weeks' pay for loss. The clock is six months.Read →
  9. GuideWrongful dismissal and notice pay in Ireland: breach of contract, the notice bands and which route to useWrongful dismissal in Ireland is a breach of contract, usually dismissal without the notice owed. Statutory notice runs from one to eight weeks by service. You claim at the WRC or in court, not both.Read →

Chapter 2

Redundancy

The 2026 rules, the statutory sum, tax, voluntary redundancy, notice, lay-off and short time, and what happens when the employer cannot pay.

  1. GuideCan you be made redundant while on maternity leave or sick leave in Ireland?Notice of redundancy cannot be served during maternity leave in Ireland, and pregnancy dismissals need no 12 months' service. Redundancy on sick leave must be genuine and the sum uses normal pay.Read →
  2. GuideRedundancy and tax in Ireland: what is tax-free and how the exemptions workStatutory redundancy is free of tax, USC and PRSI. Ex gratia payments use the Basic Exemption (€10,160 plus €765 a year), the Increased Exemption (€10,000 more) or SCSB, with a €200,000 cap.Read →
  3. GuideRedundancy in Ireland in 2026: your rights, the statutory sum and what happens nextRedundancy in Ireland in 2026: who qualifies after 104 weeks, two weeks' pay per year plus one bonus week at a €600 cap, tax-free, fair selection, notice, social welfare after, and the WRC route.Read →
  4. GuideRedundancy notice periods in Ireland: how much notice you are owedHow much notice you are owed on redundancy in Ireland: one to eight weeks by length of service under the Minimum Notice Acts, pay in lieu, the 30-day collective rule, and leave during notice.Read →
  5. GuideStatutory redundancy in Ireland: the calculation explained step by stepHow statutory redundancy is worked out in Ireland: two weeks' pay per year plus one bonus week, the €600 weekly cap, part years as days over 365, part-time workers, who pays and breaks in service.Read →
  6. GuideTemporary lay-off and short time in Ireland: your rights and when you can claim redundancyTemporary lay-off and short time in Ireland: what each means, whether your employer can do it, pay and social welfare during it, and claiming redundancy on form RP9 after 4 weeks or 6 in 13.Read →
  7. GuideVoluntary redundancy in Ireland: what you are owed and what to ask before you acceptVoluntary redundancy is still redundancy in Ireland: the statutory sum of two weeks' pay per year plus one at a €600 cap is owed, the tax exemptions apply, and you can still claim Jobseeker's.Read →
  8. GuideWhen your employer cannot pay redundancy: the Social Insurance Fund and the Insolvency Payments SchemeIf your employer is insolvent, the Department of Social Protection pays statutory redundancy from the Social Insurance Fund, and the Insolvency Payments Scheme covers wages, holiday pay and notice.Read →

Chapter 3

The WRC

How to complain, the six-month limit, the hearing, mediation, what decisions are worth, the Labour Court, and whether you need a solicitor.

  1. GuideA WRC hearing: what happens before, on the day and afterWhat a WRC adjudication hearing looks like in 2026: the submissions and documents before it, the public hearing, evidence on oath and cross-examination, and the written decision afterwards.Read →
  2. GuideAppealing a WRC decision to the Labour Court: the 42 days and the re-hearingEither side can appeal a WRC decision to the Labour Court within 42 days, free unless you missed the WRC hearing without good cause. What a full re-hearing means, and why the EAT no longer exists.Read →
  3. GuideDo you need a solicitor at the WRC?The WRC awards no costs, many people represent themselves and a union represents members free. When an employment solicitor earns the fee, what one costs, and why legal aid does not cover the WRC.Read →
  4. GuideHow to make a WRC complaint in Ireland: the form, the six months and what happens nextHow to make a WRC complaint in Ireland: the online form step by step, which Act to tick, the six-month time limit, what happens after you submit, the Infoline, and the PDF route if the form fails.Read →
  5. GuideWRC decisions: how to read one and what they are worthHow to read a WRC decision, where the published database is, and what awards look like under each Act: loss-based for unfair dismissal, up to two years' pay for discrimination, the arrears for wages.Read →
  6. GuideWRC mediation: how it works, what an agreement is worth, and when to say noWRC mediation is free, voluntary and confidential. How it is offered, what happens in the session, why a mediated agreement is binding but never published, and when adjudication is the better route.Read →
  7. GuideWRC time limit: the six months, reasonable cause and the twelve-month barYou have six months from the contravention to lodge a WRC complaint, twelve with reasonable cause and never longer. When the clock starts for dismissal, pay, equality and leave complaints.Read →

Chapter 4

Pay and hours

Minimum wage by age, payslips and deductions, unpaid wages, overtime and Sunday, breaks, tips, holiday pay on leaving, equal pay, auto-enrolment.

  1. GuideEmployer not paying your wages: the steps, the six months and what the WRC can awardUnpaid wages: each pay day is its own contravention with a six-month WRC limit. Ask in writing, lodge the complaint, and claim through the Insolvency Payments Scheme if the employer is insolvent.Read →
  2. GuideGender pay gap reporting and equal pay in Ireland: what 2026 gives youEmployers with 50 or more staff report their gender pay gap through the central portal in November 2026. Equal pay for like work is a separate right under the Equality Acts, reaching back 3 years.Read →
  3. GuideHoliday pay when you leave a job in Ireland: what you are owed in your final payLeave a job in Ireland and annual leave you accrued but did not take must be paid in your final pay under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. A public holiday the week after may be owed too.Read →
  4. GuideMinimum wage in Ireland 2026: the rates by age and how to check you are getting themThe national minimum wage from 1 January 2026 is €14.15 an hour for adults, €12.74 at 19, €11.32 at 18 and €9.91 under 18. What counts towards it, yearly figures, and the WRC route if underpaid.Read →
  5. GuideOvertime and the Sunday premium in Ireland: what the law saysThere is no statutory overtime rate in Ireland. Your contract, an ERO or an SEO sets it, Sunday work must be recognised by a premium, and the 48-hour average week still applies.Read →
  6. GuidePension auto-enrolment in Ireland: My Future Fund explained for employeesFrom 1 January 2026 employees aged 23 to 60 earning €20,000 or more are in My Future Fund: 1.5% each from you and your employer plus a State top-up, rising to 6%, with an opt-out in months 7 and 8.Read →
  7. GuideTips and service charges in Ireland: your rights under the 2022 ActSince 1 December 2022 electronic tips must be shared fairly, a mandatory service charge is treated as a tip, tips cannot make up your wages, and you get a statement within 10 days.Read →
  8. GuideWorking hours and breaks in Ireland: the 48-hour week, rest periods and breaks at workThe Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 caps your week at an average of 48 hours over 4 months, gives 11 hours' daily and 24 hours' weekly rest, and a 15-minute break after 4.5 hours and 30 after 6.Read →
  9. GuideYour payslip explained, and which deductions are lawfulWhat a payslip must show, each line explained, and the four kinds of deduction the Payment of Wages Act 1991 allows. Till shortages, uniforms, training costs, overpayments and the week's notice.Read →

Chapter 5

Leave

Annual leave, public holidays, statutory sick pay, Illness Benefit, maternity, paternity, parent's, parental, carer's, domestic violence and force majeure leave.

  1. GuideAnnual leave entitlement in Ireland: how your holidays are worked outStatutory annual leave in Ireland is the greatest of 4 weeks for 1,365 hours, one third of a week for each month of 117 hours, or 8% of hours worked, under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.Read →
  2. GuideCarer's leave and medical care leave in IrelandCarer's leave in Ireland is 13 to 104 weeks unpaid, to care full time for someone the Department decides needs it, with six weeks' notice. Medical care leave adds five unpaid days a year.Read →
  3. GuideDomestic violence leave and force majeure leave in IrelandForce majeure leave in Ireland is three paid days in 12 months, five in 36, for a sudden family injury or illness. Domestic violence leave is five paid days. Compassionate leave is contractual.Read →
  4. GuideIllness Benefit after statutory sick pay in IrelandIllness Benefit is paid by the Department of Social Protection once statutory sick pay runs out: €254 a week in 2026, three waiting days, PRSI conditions, and how to apply through MyWelfare.Read →
  5. GuideMaternity leave and Maternity Benefit in Ireland 2026Maternity leave in Ireland is 26 weeks paid by Maternity Benefit (€299 a week in 2026) plus 16 unpaid weeks. When it can start, the four weeks' notice, your job protection, and how to claim.Read →
  6. GuideParent's leave in Ireland: nine weeks for each parentParent's leave in Ireland is nine weeks for each parent within two years of the birth, with six weeks' notice and Parent's Benefit of €299 a week. The blocks, the form, and no transfers.Read →
  7. GuideParental leave in Ireland: 26 unpaid weeks before your child turns 12Parental leave in Ireland is 26 unpaid weeks for each child before the 12th birthday (16 with a disability), with six weeks' notice. How it can be taken, postponement and your job protection.Read →
  8. GuidePaternity leave in Ireland: two weeks, notice and Paternity BenefitPaternity leave in Ireland is two weeks within 26 weeks of the birth, with four weeks' notice and Paternity Benefit of €299 a week from the Department. Who qualifies and how to apply.Read →
  9. GuidePublic holidays in Ireland 2026: the ten dates and what you are entitled toIreland has ten public holidays in 2026. Your employer picks one of four options for each, part-timers qualify after 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks, and the 2027 dates are listed too.Read →
  10. GuideStatutory sick pay in Ireland 2026: five days at 70% and what comes afterStatutory sick pay in Ireland in 2026 is 5 days a year at 70% of pay, capped at €110 a day, after 13 weeks' service, with a certificate from day one. The rise to 7 and 10 days is paused.Read →

Chapter 6

Trouble at work

Bullying, harassment, discrimination, grievances, disciplinaries, warnings and suspension, performance plans, stress, and whistleblowing.

  1. GuideBullying at work in Ireland: what counts, what to do, and the routes that existBullying at work in Ireland is defined by the 2021 Code of Practice (S.I. No. 674/2020): repeated inappropriate behaviour. There is no standalone WRC claim; here are the routes that do exist.Read →
  2. GuideDisciplinary procedure in Ireland: the Code, the hearing and your rightsWhat a fair disciplinary procedure looks like in Ireland under the Code of Practice (S.I. No. 146/2000): the allegation and evidence in advance, a hearing, representation, a fair sanction and an appeal.Read →
  3. GuideDiscrimination at work in Ireland: the nine grounds, reasonable accommodation and the WRCThe Employment Equality Acts ban discrimination on nine grounds, including age and disability, in hiring, pay, promotion and dismissal. The WRC can award up to 104 weeks' pay; you have six months.Read →
  4. GuideGrievance procedure in Ireland: the Code, the letter, the meeting and the appealHow to raise a grievance at work in Ireland under the Code of Practice (S.I. No. 146/2000): informal first, then a formal written grievance, a meeting with a representative, an outcome and an appeal.Read →
  5. GuideHarassment and sexual harassment at work in Ireland: your rights and the WRC claimHarassment linked to any of the nine equality grounds, and sexual harassment, are discrimination under the Employment Equality Acts. The WRC can award up to 104 weeks' pay; you have six months.Read →
  6. GuidePerformance improvement plans in Ireland: your rights and how to respondA PIP has no statutory definition in Ireland, but the Code (S.I. No. 146/2000) and the Unfair Dismissals Acts shape it: clear targets, support, time to improve, warnings before dismissal and an appeal.Read →
  7. GuideStress leave and mental health at work in Ireland: pay, your rights and returningThere is no 'stress leave' in Irish law: it is sick leave with a certificate. Statutory sick pay is 5 days at 70% capped at €110, then Illness Benefit of €254 a week; the HSE's own scheme is separate.Read →
  8. GuideWhistleblowing and protected disclosures in Ireland: how to report and how you are protectedThe Protected Disclosures Acts 2014 to 2022 protect workers who report wrongdoing: the burden is on the employer, no minimum service, compensation up to 5 years' pay and interim relief within 21 days.Read →
  9. GuideWritten warnings and suspension in Ireland: how long they last and how to appealVerbal, written and final written warnings under the Code (S.I. No. 146/2000), how long a warning lasts (typically 6 to 12 months), how to appeal one, and when a suspension from work may be unfair.Read →

Chapter 7

Contracts and status

What must be in writing, probation, zero-hours and banded hours, part-time and agency work, employee or self-employed, non-competes, and TUPE.

  1. GuideContract of employment: what must be in writing in IrelandYour employer must give you the core terms in writing within 5 days of starting and the full statement within 1 month. What each list contains, and the WRC route if you never got one.Read →
  2. GuideEmployee or self-employed in Ireland: the Karshan testWhether you are an employee or self-employed in Ireland turns on the whole relationship, not the label. The Supreme Court's five-step Karshan test (2023), why it matters, and how to challenge it.Read →
  3. GuideNon-compete clauses and garden leave in IrelandA non-compete clause in Ireland is enforceable only if it protects a legitimate business interest and is reasonable in time, area and scope. What that means, non-solicitation, and garden leave.Read →
  4. GuidePart-time and agency workers' rights in IrelandPart-time workers in Ireland get the same treatment as full-timers pro rata, and agency workers get the hirer's basic conditions from day one. Leave, public holidays, pay and who the employer is.Read →
  5. GuideProbation period in Ireland: the 6-month cap and your rightsProbation in Ireland is capped at 6 months, or 12 only exceptionally, since the 2022 Regulations. What must be in writing, extensions, notice in probation, and the rights that apply from day one.Read →
  6. GuideTUPE in Ireland: your rights when the business transfersWhen your employer's business or part of it transfers to a new owner, your contract goes with it on the same terms. What TUPE covers, the 30 days' consultation, pensions, dismissal and redundancy.Read →
  7. GuideZero-hours and banded hours contracts in IrelandZero-hours contracts have been banned in Ireland since the 2018 Act except for casual, emergency and relief work. The minimum payment when sent home, and how to get banded hours after 12 months.Read →

Chapter 8

Life events

Resigning, references and your employment detail summary; remote and flexible working requests; working past a retirement age.

  1. GuideRemote and flexible working requests in IrelandAfter 6 months' service you can ask in writing for remote working. The employer must answer within 4 weeks, extendable by 8, and may refuse on business grounds. The request, and what the WRC can do.Read →
  2. GuideResigning in Ireland: notice, letters and referencesHow much notice you must give when resigning in Ireland (1 week by law, more if your contract says so), whether you must work it, what a resignation letter needs, and your rights on references.Read →
  3. GuideWorking past retirement age in Ireland: the 2026 rulesThere is no compulsory retirement age in Irish law. Since 29 June 2026 you can notify an employer 3 to 12 months ahead that you will work to 66; an earlier contractual age must be objectively justified.Read →

Chapter 9

Working in Ireland from abroad

Your rights on an employment permit are the same as an Irish worker's; changing employer on a permit. StampWise covers the permit itself.

  1. GuideChanging employer on a work permit in Ireland: the employment sideMoving jobs on an employment permit: the notice you owe, the holiday pay and final pay you are owed, your employment detail summary, redundancy on a Critical Skills permit, and unfair dismissal.Read →
  2. GuideEmployment rights on a work permit in IrelandA work permit does not weaken your employment rights. You get the same minimum wage (€14.15 in 2026), leave, sick pay, notice, redundancy and WRC access as any Irish worker.Read →

Chapter 10

Your sector

HSE, civil and public service, teachers and SNAs, construction, security, cleaning, childcare, au pairs, healthcare assistants: the schemes and orders above the statutory floor.

  1. SectorAu pairs in Ireland: you are an employee, with the minimum wageAu pairs in Ireland are employees: the WRC has said so since 2016. You are owed the minimum wage (€14.15 in 2026) less only the set board and lodging allowance, breaks, leave and written terms.Read →
  2. SectorChildcare and early years workers: the Employment Regulation Order and Core FundingThe early years services Employment Regulation Order sets minimum rates by role above the national minimum wage, raised again in 2025. How the roles work, the link to Core Funding and the WRC route.Read →
  3. SectorCivil and public service: sick leave, probation, pay and disciplineThe civil service sick leave scheme under Circular 05/2018 (3 months full pay, 3 half, in 4 years), temporary rehabilitation remuneration, one-year probation, pay and the Disciplinary Code.Read →
  4. SectorConstruction workers: the Sectoral Employment Order, CWPS and your rightsThe Sectoral Employment Order for construction sets minimum rates by category above the minimum wage, overtime premiums, and pension and sick pay through CWPS. What it covers and how to enforce it.Read →
  5. SectorContract cleaners: the Employment Regulation Order, transfers and travelThe contract cleaning Employment Regulation Order sets a minimum rate above the national minimum wage. What happens when the cleaning contract changes hands, travel between sites, and the WRC route.Read →
  6. SectorHealthcare assistants and home carers: hours, travel time, sleepovers and permitsWhat healthcare assistants and home carers need: the QQI Level 5 requirement, travel time between clients as working time, sleepovers, HSE and private pay, the permit layer and the WRC route.Read →
  7. SectorHSE staff: annual leave, sick leave, pay and proceduresWhat HSE employees get above the statutory floor: annual leave by grade, the public service sick leave scheme (3 months full pay, 3 half, in 4 years), maternity, the pay agreement and unions.Read →
  8. SectorSecurity workers: the Employment Regulation Order, your PSA licence and hoursThe security industry Employment Regulation Order sets a minimum rate above the national minimum wage, with overtime and allowances. The PSA licence, the 48-hour average over six months, and the WRC.Read →
  9. SectorTeachers and SNAs: maternity, parental and sick leave, contracts and payTeachers and SNAs get full pay for 26 weeks' maternity leave under Department circulars, the public service sick leave scheme, a CID after two years since the Ward report, and panel rights.Read →