WRC, not a tribunal
Employee complaints are heard by the Workplace Relations Commission under Irish legislation, with its own deadlines and award ranges.
Irish law, from an Irish team
International HR support for your move into Ireland
Expanding into Ireland means navigating Irish employment law, PRSI obligations, and WRC compliance from day one. PurpleTree provides hands-on international HR support so your Irish operations are legally compliant and culturally aligned, handled by a Longford-based team that works in Irish law rather than an adapted UK playbook.
Get it right at setup, not afterwards.
What Changes When You Employ Staff in Ireland
The UK and Ireland share a common law heritage, but Irish employment law is its own system and it applies from your first Irish hire, not your fiftieth. A UK company expanding into Ireland inherits a different enforcement forum, a different social insurance system, and a different set of statutory entitlements. Getting these right at setup is far cheaper than correcting them after a complaint lands. For the wider picture, read our overview of the biggest HR challenges facing Irish SMEs.
PRSI, not National Insurance
Irish payroll runs PAYE, PRSI and USC reported in real time to Revenue, with employer classes that differ from the UK.
Different statutory leave
Annual leave, public holidays, maternity, paternity and parental leave all follow Irish rules rather than UK entitlements.
Written terms in five days
Five core terms must be given in writing within five days of starting, with a fuller written statement inside one month.
Sick pay and pensions
Ireland has its own statutory sick pay scheme and is introducing automatic enrolment for pensions, both employer obligations.
Permits for non-EEA staff
British citizens work freely under the Common Travel Area, but non-EEA hires need an Irish employment permit on file.
Foundations laid before the headcount grows.
Irish Employment Law Compliance
PurpleTree guides international businesses through Irish employment law requirements from your first hire. Our senior advisors provide specialised guidance so your business integrates smoothly and compliantly into the Irish market, covering everything from contracts to fair procedures. The same obligations apply whether you employ three people or three hundred, which is why we get the foundations right before the headcount grows.
Irish contracts
Drafting compliant Irish employment contracts and handbooks to the five-day and one-month statutory deadlines.
Statutory compliance
Meeting the Organisation of Working Time, Unfair Dismissals and Employment Equality Acts that govern Irish workplaces.
Fair procedures
Compliant disciplinary, grievance and termination processes that stand up if a WRC complaint follows.
What works globally rarely translates cleanly.
Adapting Global HR Policies for Ireland
Global HR policies rarely translate directly to Ireland. A handbook written for UK statutes will reference the wrong notice rules, the wrong leave entitlements, and a disciplinary framework that does not match Irish fair-procedure expectations. PurpleTree adapts your existing frameworks for Irish legal requirements, workforce expectations, and local culture, while keeping the parts of your group policy that should stay consistent. We can also implement specialist HR software to run your Irish HR operations, and our wider employment law team sits behind every policy we issue.
- Handbook and policy review against current Irish employment law
- Contracts re-drafted for Irish notice, leave and probation rules
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures aligned to fair-process expectations
- Group consistency preserved where it does not conflict with Irish law
Hire your Irish team without permit pitfalls.
Recruitment, Right to Work and Onboarding
Building a team in Ireland requires local knowledge. PurpleTree handles compliant recruitment, onboarding, and integration so you can focus on your core business objectives. Right-to-work checks matter here: British citizens can work in Ireland under the Common Travel Area without a permit, but non-EEA nationals you relocate generally need an Irish employment permit, and getting this wrong is a frequent and costly error. Our guide to employment permit mistakes covers the detail, and we keep the evidence trail right from the start.
- Local talent sourcing and compliant interviewing.
- Employee onboarding including Irish contracts and right-to-work checks.
- Employment permit guidance for non-EEA relocations and new hires.
- Guidance on competitive salary benchmarking and benefits.
Records in order before a problem lands.
HR Documentation and Workplace Investigations
All HR documentation for your Irish operations must comply with employment law and GDPR. PurpleTree provides a complete suite of compliant documents, and when workplace disputes arise we offer expert, independent management of sensitive issues to reduce your exposure. Thin or missing records are where most claims gain traction, so we make sure your written terms, working-time records and policies are in order before a problem ever reaches the Workplace Relations Commission.
- Legally compliant employee handbooks and tailored HR policies.
- Bespoke employment contracts meeting all statutory requirements.
- GDPR-compliant HR documentation and data management.
- Objective grievance and disciplinary investigations ensuring fair process.
- Full procedural fairness under Irish employment law to minimise WRC claim risks.
Help that scales as your team grows.
Day-to-Day HR Support and Payroll Setup
As your business grows in Ireland, PurpleTree offers flexible, ongoing HR support for your team. We handle day-to-day employee relations, payroll queries, and compliance needs while providing strategic HR advice to align your Irish workforce planning with global goals. Irish payroll runs on PAYE, PRSI and USC reported in real time to Revenue, with employer obligations that differ from UK National Insurance, so we coordinate with our outsourced payroll service and flag the PRSI pitfalls before they become a problem.
- Practical employee relations management and HR advisory.
- Guidance on compliant PAYE, PRSI and USC payroll setup.
- Local workforce and succession planning.
- Effective performance management strategies.
- Talent retention programmes for key employees.
A committed local team, never a franchise.
Expanding into Ireland? Let Us Handle the HR
Partnering with PurpleTree means gaining a committed, knowledgeable local HR team. We handle complex Irish HR and employment law so your leadership can focus on growth, with proactive risk management and responsive local expertise.
We are a Longford-based Irish HR consultancy, not a UK-headquartered franchise adapting generic guidance to Irish law, so the advice you receive is grounded in Irish legislation and WRC practice.
For businesses that want a complete function rather than project support, our outsourced HR service bundles advice, contracts, WRC cover and software on a fixed monthly fee. See how we price HR support before you commit.
- Ongoing practical HR guidance from seasoned professionals.
- Proactive HR risk management for your Irish operations.
- Irish employment law expertise, not an adapted UK approach.
- Trusted, responsive local expertise you can rely on.
Expanding into Ireland
Set up compliant Irish HR from day one with a team that knows the local rules. See our HR support pricing, then talk it through with our team about your headcount, your timeline, and what you are bringing across from the UK.
Free 5-minute HR Health Check
See where your business stands before the WRC does
Answer 40 straightforward questions on contracts, working time, pay, leave and policies, and get a clear read on where your compliance gaps sit and what to fix first.
Common questions from employers
A UK business can employ people in Ireland, but to run Irish payroll you must register as an employer with the Revenue Commissioners and operate PAYE, PRSI and USC on Irish earnings. Whether you set up an Irish entity, run a branch, or use an employer of record is a corporate and tax decision to take with your accountant. Our role is the employment side: making sure you are compliant from the first hire with Irish contracts, policies and the right registrations in place.
British citizens can live and work in Ireland without an employment permit under the Common Travel Area, so relocating UK staff is generally straightforward. Non-EEA nationals you bring in usually need an Irish employment permit, such as a General Employment Permit or a Critical Skills Employment Permit, and you must keep right-to-work evidence on file. See our guide to employment permit mistakes Irish employers make.
The enforcement forum is different: employee complaints are heard by the Workplace Relations Commission rather than an employment tribunal, and most claims must be brought within six months of the act complained of. Social insurance is PRSI rather than National Insurance, statutory leave and sick pay follow Irish rules, redundancy is calculated under Irish law, and written terms have to be issued on a tighter timeline than many UK employers expect. We map every one of these differences against your existing practice.
You must give five core terms of employment in writing within five days of an employee starting, and a fuller written statement within one month, under the Terms of Employment (Information) and Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) legislation. Beyond that you need a compliant contract by employment type and a staff handbook reflecting Irish law. Getting the wording wrong is one of the most common and avoidable WRC exposures, as our guide to employment contract mistakes sets out. See our employment contracts service.
Not as they stand. UK contracts and handbooks reference UK statutes, notice rules, leave entitlements and disciplinary frameworks that do not match Irish law. We adapt your documents so they meet the Organisation of Working Time Act, the Unfair Dismissals Acts, statutory sick pay and the rest, while keeping the parts of your global policy that should stay consistent across the group.
Irish payroll runs on PAYE, PRSI and USC, reported in real time to Revenue, and the employer PRSI classes and thresholds differ from UK National Insurance. Ireland is also introducing automatic enrolment for pensions, which adds an employer contribution obligation. We work alongside your payroll so the HR data and the payroll line up. See our outsourced payroll service and our guides to PRSI mistakes and auto-enrolment.
Most claims go to the Workplace Relations Commission. An employee generally has six months to lodge a complaint, hearings are usually held in public and on oath since the 2021 Zalewski ruling, and an unfair dismissal award can reach two years of gross remuneration. We assess your position honestly and represent you through the process. See our WRC representation service.
The publicly listed numbers are for HR:Duo software, which starts from €8 per employee per month for time and attendance and €14 per employee per month for the full HRIS. The HR support around your Irish setup, contracts, policies and ongoing advice is scoped to your headcount and the cover you need, and agreed in writing before we start. See how we price HR support and tell us what you are planning.