The most common questions about claiming a tax refund in Ireland — answered clearly and based on current Revenue rules.
Any PAYE employee or self-assessed taxpayer who has paid income tax in Ireland and has unclaimed reliefs. Common claimants: employees with medical expenses, qualifying occupations (nurses, teachers, tradespeople), people who worked from home, private tenants, and anyone who started or stopped work mid-year.
PAYE employees use Revenue myAccount at revenue.ie — go to PAYE Services → Review Your Tax → select the year → claim any applicable reliefs. Self-assessed taxpayers claim via their annual Form 11 (income tax return) filed on ROS.
You can claim for the current year and the 4 preceding years. In 2026 that means 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The right to claim for 2022 expires permanently on 31 December 2026.
Revenue typically processes PAYE refund claims within 5–10 working days. The money is paid directly to your bank account (IBAN) on file with Revenue. Some claims flagged for review take longer — Revenue will contact you if so.
Yes. You can claim medical expenses on your own tax return for any person — your children, spouse, civil partner, or any other individual — as long as you were the one who paid the costs. There is no requirement for the person to be a tax-dependent.
No. Routine dental (check-ups, hygienist, standard fillings, basic extractions) does not qualify. However, specific procedures do qualify: orthodontics, crowns, veneers, bridgework, dentures, root canals and surgical extractions.
Yes. Prescription glasses and contact lenses qualify for the 20% medical expenses relief. Non-prescription (reading) glasses do not qualify. Optician consultation fees also qualify.
You can only claim the portion you paid out of pocket — the excess after insurance reimbursement. If VHI or Laya paid €400 of a €600 consultant fee, you can only claim the €200 balance.
The flat rate allowance for nurses and midwives is €733 per year. At the standard income tax rate (20%), that saves €147 per year. At the higher rate (40%), it saves €293. If you have never claimed, you can back-claim for 5 years — up to €1,465 at the higher rate.
Primary and secondary teachers have a flat rate allowance of €518 per year. At 20% that is €104 saved; at 40% it is €207 per year. Back-claim for 5 years if you have never claimed.
No. Flat rate expenses are fixed Revenue-approved amounts by occupation. No receipts are required. You simply select your occupation in the Employment section of myAccount when reviewing your tax.
If your occupation is not covered by a specific flat rate agreement, you may be able to claim actual employment expenses — tools, professional subscriptions, uniforms you had to buy yourself. These must be wholly and exclusively for work and can be claimed with supporting evidence via myAccount.
A tax relief that allows you to claim a deduction for 30% of the qualifying home costs (broadband, electricity, heating) that relate to days you worked from home. The deduction reduces your taxable income, giving you either a lower tax bill or a refund.
Revenue does not set a minimum number of WFH days — you can claim for however many days you genuinely worked from home. Even 20 or 30 days per year gives a small but real refund.
Yes, but you deduct any employer payment first. If your employer pays you €3.20 per WFH day (the Revenue-approved rate), you can still claim e-Worker relief on qualifying costs that exceed the employer payment.
No. You can claim all standard reliefs (medical, flat rate, remote working, rent tax credit) for free via Revenue myAccount. However, if your tax position is complex — self-employment, rental income, multiple employments — an accountant can check you are claiming everything.
Claiming standard reliefs — medical expenses, flat rate, remote working — does not increase your audit risk. Revenue offers these reliefs specifically for employees to self-service via myAccount. Revenue may request supporting receipts for large medical claims, but this is a verification check, not an audit.
Yes. You can claim reliefs in your PAYE review regardless of how many employments you have. Revenue looks at your overall income and tax paid across all employments for the year.
Yes. You can claim Irish tax refunds via Revenue myAccount even if you have since left Ireland, as long as you are registered with Revenue and have an active myAccount login. You need an Irish bank account or an IBAN to receive the refund.
Self-employed individuals file a Form 11 each year and can claim the same reliefs — medical expenses, flat rate (where applicable by occupation), remote working. The refund is applied as a credit against tax owed or, if you overpaid, returned as a cash refund.
Yes. D'Emilia Accounting reviews your PAYE taxes — covering up to 4 years and every credit you qualify for. You send your details; we calculate the full entitlement, submit to Revenue, and make sure nothing is missed. Contact us on WhatsApp.
We review your PAYE taxes — up to 4 years, all credits (medical, flat-rate, remote working and more). Most clients get back more than they expect.
Disclaimer: General information only. Verify at revenue.ie. Not personalised tax advice.
Our accountants review your entire tax position — medical expenses, flat rate, remote working, rent credit, pension and more — and claim everything you are owed from Revenue.