Irish Investment Account
A new account for shares, bonds and funds, due from 1 July 2027. Instead of CGT or exit tax, you pay 1% a year on whatever it is worth above €50,000, and the provider deals with Revenue.
In the Finance Bill. Not law yet.Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026 published 19 October 2026. Becomes law with the Finance Act, then starts by ministerial order. Last checked 29 October 2026.
The rules in short
- Paying in
- Up to €12,000 a year, in money only. There is no minimum, and taking money out doesn't give you any of that year's limit back.
- The tax
- 1% a year on the account's average value above €50,000. Below that, nothing. Inside the account there is no CGT, dividend withholding tax, exit tax or 8-year deemed disposal, and nothing is due when you take money out.
- The average
- The account is valued at the close of every day it is open, and the tax uses the average of those values for the year.
- Paperwork
- None for you. The provider works out the tax, pays it to Revenue from the account and sends you a yearly statement.
How the tax is worked out
(average value − €50,000) × 1%
The Budget speech used an account averaging €52,000: that is €2,000 over the threshold, so the tax is €20. A few more cases:
- Paying in the full €12,000 for four years gives €48,000 before growth, still under the threshold, so no tax yet.
- An account that lost money over the year but still averaged €60,000 owes €100. The tax follows value, not profit.
- Money paid in on 1 December is there for 31 of the year's 365 days, so only about a twelfth of it counts toward that year's average.
The average covers only the days the account was open. If you close it partway through a year, that part of the year is taxed when it closes.
Who can open one
Anyone 18 or over who is resident in Ireland for tax and has a PPS number. You get one account, in your own name. If you close it during a year, you can't open another until the next year. Providers check all of this when you apply.
What can go in
Allowed
- Shares traded on a regulated market in the EEA, or on an equivalent market elsewhere
- Bonds traded the same way
- UCITS funds, which covers most ETFs sold in Europe
- Insurance-based investment products
Not allowed
- Anything else, such as crypto assets and derivatives
- Funds that aren't UCITS, such as US-domiciled ETFs, and structured UCITS
- Personal portfolio funds and personal portfolio life policies
- Shares from an employee share scheme
- Cash as savings: it can sit there only while waiting to be invested, and earns no interest
Calculator
Pick when you open it, what you pay in and a growth rate. It values the account every day it is open, averages those values and takes 1% of anything over €50,000, as the Finance Bill sets out.
On the 1st, from the month it opens.
From the second year on.
Not a forecast. Growth of the investments after their own fund charges. Real returns go up and down, and can be negative.
No provider has published prices. Industry sources expect about 0.5% without advice, up to 1.5% with it.
You pay in
€122,000
Growth
€84,859
1% tax, all years
€9,078
Value on 31 December 2046
€197,781
The 1% first applies in 2034, the first year the average value goes over €50,000. Over the whole period the tax comes to 10.7% of the growth. Taking money out is not taxed.
| Year | Paid in | Average value | 1% tax | Value at 31 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | €8,000 | €6,825 | - | €8,168 |
| 2028 | €6,000 | €11,684 | - | €14,738 |
| 2029 | €6,000 | €18,424 | - | €21,637 |
| 2030 | €6,000 | €25,494 | - | €28,880 |
| 2031 | €6,000 | €32,918 | - | €36,486 |
| 2032 | €6,000 | €40,707 | - | €44,472 |
| 2033 | €6,000 | €48,898 | - | €52,858 |
| 2034 | €6,000 | €57,492 | €74.92 | €61,588 |
| 2035 | €6,000 | €66,439 | €164.39 | €70,665 |
| 2036 | €6,000 | €75,735 | €257.35 | €80,102 |
| 2037 | €6,000 | €85,413 | €354.13 | €89,915 |
| 2038 | €6,000 | €95,470 | €454.70 | €100,118 |
| 2039 | €6,000 | €105,927 | €559.27 | €110,727 |
| 2040 | €6,000 | €116,793 | €667.93 | €121,757 |
| 2041 | €6,000 | €128,104 | €781.04 | €133,226 |
| 2042 | €6,000 | €139,858 | €898.58 | €145,150 |
| 2043 | €6,000 | €152,079 | €1,020.79 | €157,549 |
| 2044 | €6,000 | €164,779 | €1,147.79 | €170,440 |
| 2045 | €6,000 | €177,998 | €1,279.98 | €183,844 |
| 2046 | €6,000 | €191,735 | €1,417.35 | €197,781 |
How it is worked out
- The account is valued at the close of every calendar day it is open, weekends included. The average value is those daily values added up and divided by the number of days (section 747Q(5)).
- Tax for the year: (average value − €50,000) × 1%, nil if that is below zero (747Q(4) and (7)). In the year it opens, the average covers only the days it was open, and the €50,000 is not reduced.
- The tax is taken from the account on 31 December here. The law lets the provider take it from the account or another way you agree, and pay it to Revenue by 14 April (747Q(6), 747T).
- At most €12,000 is paid in each calendar year, whatever is taken out (747H, 747L). Payments are made on the 1st of the month.
- Growth and the provider fee are spread evenly over the days, so a full year grows by exactly the rate you chose, less the fee. Growth is shown after fees and before this tax.
- Nothing else is taxed: no exit tax, CGT, dividend withholding tax or deemed disposal inside the account, and nothing when you take money out (747P, Finance Bill s.27).
Source: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, section 26, new Part 27A.
Illustration only, not advice. It assumes one steady return every year; real returns vary and can be negative. Rules are as in the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026 and may change before it becomes law.
When it may not suit you
- Money you might need in the next few years. Investments can fall just when you need them, so an emergency fund belongs in a deposit account first, and investing generally suits goals five or more years away.
- Low expected returns. The 1% is charged on value, not profit: on an average of €100,000 the tax is €500 whether the account grew by €10,000 that year or not at all.
- Unused pension room. Pension contributions get income tax relief, within age-related limits, and this account gets none on the way in. Pension money is locked away until retirement, though, and this account can be emptied at any time.
Not decided yet
The Bill answers most questions, but not these, and the Bill itself can still change.
- When will accounts open?
- The Bill allows accounts from 1 January 2027, with the start set by ministerial order. The Government says providers will begin offering them from 1 July 2027.
- Will it count as savings for means-tested welfare payments?
- The Finance Bill doesn't cover it and nothing has been said yet.
- What will it cost?
- There is no fee cap. Industry sources expect about 0.5% a year all-in without advice and up to 1.5% with it. No provider has published prices.
- How will investments be valued each day?
- Revenue will set the price sources and currency rules in regulations.
- Will children's accounts be allowed?
- Not at launch. The Minister says they will be considered in future Finance Bills.
- Will the Bill change?
- It went to Select Committee after the Dáil's Second Stage debate on 20 October and can be amended at Committee and Report Stages.
Where it stands
- 15 Feb 2026Minister announces plans for a savings and investment scheme
- 31 Mar 2026Savings and Investment Forum sets the principles
- 31 Aug 2026Retail Investment Roadmap gives the design
- 6 Oct 2026Budget 2027 sets €12,000, €50,000 and 1%
- 19 Oct 2026Finance (No. 2) Bill published with the account's legal rules
- 20 Oct 2026Dáil Second Stage debate; the Bill goes to Select Committee
- Nov 2026Committee and Report Stages (expected)
- Dec 2026Finance Act signed into law (expected)
- After the ActMinisterial order starts the account rules
- 1 Jul 2027Providers start offering accounts (Government plan; the Bill allows 1 January 2027)
Who can offer it
Only regulated firms: investment firms and brokers authorised under MiFID, banks with investment permissions, fund management companies, and insurers for insurance-based products. Firms elsewhere in the EEA can offer it too, as long as they run the Irish tax for you. Each provider must register with Revenue, which will publish the list. Credit unions want to take part but aren't among the types named in the Bill.
We don't name brands. None has published prices yet, and a list would read as a recommendation.
Questions
See also
- Investment planner: compare 32 Irish options by return after tax
- CGT calculator: tax on selling shares outside the account, at 31%
- Budget 2027: the other changes
- How savings and investments are taxed: the longer guide
- CCPC Investment Readiness Tool: a short check on whether you are ready to invest
Sources
- Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, section 26: new Part 27A, Individual Investment Account (19 October 2026)
- Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, Explanatory Memorandum
- Department of Finance, Budget 2027 Tax Policy Changes, chapter 9 (12 October 2026)
- Statement by the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance on Budget 2027 (6 October 2026)
- Department of Finance, Taxation of Retail Investment: A New Path Forward for Ireland (August 2026)
- CCPC, What is Ireland's new Investment Account
- Revenue, Irish Investment Account Technical Group Forum
General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules are as set out in the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, published on 19 October 2026, and may change before it becomes law. The account is not a State guarantee: investments can fall as well as rise.
Content reviewed by Arif Bhuiyan, FCA, ACA, MBA, MSc, and a group of Ireland-based finance professionals who want to make financial literacy easier for people in Ireland.
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