Work & incomeIreland
Tax on pay in Ireland
How much of my salary never arrives?
Ireland's tax on pay is 25.10 % — #20 of 37 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.
25.10%
Source: OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database
Of every $100 of gross pay at the average wage in Ireland, about $25 goes to income tax and employee social contributions.
Among 37 countries
- Rank
- #20 of 37
- lower is better
- Ranked behind
- 46 %
- 17 of 37 countries
In Europe: #10 of 25vs median 24.93 %: +0.17 pp (worse)
The neighbourhood
| # | Country | Tax on pay | vs Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Poland | 24.44 % | −0.67 pp |
| 19 | Portugal | 24.93 % | −0.17 pp |
| 20 | Ireland | 25.10 % | — |
| 21 | Canada | 25.61 % | +0.50 pp |
| 22 | Latvia | 26.00 % | +0.90 pp |
Income tax plus employee social contributions as a share of gross pay, for a single person at the average wage (OECD). The share of a salary that never arrives.
How to read this figure
The OECD net personal average tax rate: income tax plus the EMPLOYEE’s social contributions as a share of gross wage earnings, for a single person with no children at exactly the average wage. This is the rate you can apply to a salary. It is deliberately smaller than the tax wedge on the same page, which measures a wider bite (it adds the employer’s contributions) over a wider base (total labour cost) — two honest answers to two different questions.