--- title: "Is It Worth Moving Home to Ireland? Calculator 2027 (Tax, Rent, Childcare)" url: https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-moving-home-calculator/ description: "What you keep each month now vs an Irish job offer: tax, rent by county, childcare, Child Benefit and the salary you'd need. UK, US, Australia, Canada." publisher: DecisionsCalc note: General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures name their source and the date they were read. --- [IE · figures checked 12 Nov 2026](https://decisionscalc.com/methodology/) 11 official sources [How we check figures](https://decisionscalc.com/editorial-standards/) [Corrections log](https://decisionscalc.com/editorial-standards/#corrections-log) [Report an error](mailto:hello@decisionscalc.com?subject=Possible%20error%20on%20%2Ftools%2Fireland-moving-home-calculator%2F) Moving home · Ireland # Is it worth moving home to Ireland? Compare what you keep each month where you live now with what you would keep in Ireland, after tax, rent and childcare. Example (our assumptions): a single person on **A$120,000** in Sydney, renting at A$3,000 a month, keeps about **€2,843** a month in euro. On a **€70,000** offer in Dublin City at the average new rent of €2,301 they would keep **€2,033**: €810 a month less. To be no worse off they would need about **€90,500**. Irish figures are Budget 2027’s; rents are the RTB’s for every county. **Sources, read 12 November 2026:** Irish tax from [Budget 2027](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/campaigns/budget/) (income tax, USC, PRSI 4.35% to 4.5% from October 2027, Rent Tax Credit €1,150/€2,300); Revenue on [split-year treatment](https://www.revenue.ie/en/life-events-and-personal-circumstances/moving-to-or-from-ireland/moving-or-returning-to-ireland/split-year-treatment-in-your-year-of-arrival.aspx), [emergency tax](https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/emergency-tax/emergency-tax-rules.aspx), [foreign pensions](https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/pension/private/foreign-pensions.aspx) and [Help to Buy](https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/how-much-can-you-claim.aspx); rents from the [RTB Rent Index Q1 2026](https://www.esri.ie/publications/the-rtb-rent-index-q1-2026) (new tenancies); childcare from the [Department of Children](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/) (15 Oct 2026); Child Benefit and the [Habitual Residence Condition](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/returning-to-ireland/applying-for-social-welfare/habitual-residence-condition/) from Citizens Information; UK tax and NI 2026-27 (HMRC), Australian tax 2027-28 and the Medicare levy (ATO), Canada 2027 CPP and EI (CRA) and federal and provincial tax, US 2026 federal tax (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32), FICA and state tax; exchange rates from the [ECB](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/index.en.html) (11 November 2026). Not modelled: pension contributions, US state tax as a married couple, health insurance, commuting and the cost of the move itself. General information, not financial advice. ## Your first year back: what to know - **Australian super:** it cannot move into an Irish pension. DASP (cashing out after you leave) is only for people who were never Australian citizens or permanent residents: 35% tax on the taxed element, 65% if you ever held a working holiday visa. Otherwise it stays in Australia until you are 60 (ATO). - **Split-year treatment** covers your job only: Irish tax on your salary starts from the day you arrive, with full-year credits. Foreign rent, interest, dividends and pensions are taxable in Ireland under the normal rules; non-EU interest (including UK) at up to 40%. - **Avoid emergency tax:** register the job on Revenue’s myAccount before your first payday (40% on all pay from week 5 otherwise). - **Help to Buy** needs that neither of you has ever owned a home anywhere, and is capped at the Irish tax you paid in the last 4 years. - **Child Benefit** (€140 a month per child) can be paid from the day you return if Ireland is now the centre of your life (Habitual Residence Condition: send form HRC1 with the claim). ## How it is worked out 1. **The year compared is 2027**, when most people would move. Ireland: Budget 2027 income tax bands and credits, USC and PRSI, with the Rent Tax Credit for renters. A couple is taxed jointly (married or civil partners); a single parent gets the single person child carer credit. 2. **Where you live now:** UK income tax and NI for 2026-27 (frozen to 2030-31), Scotland’s six bands; Australia’s 2027-28 rates (14% from 1 July 2027), LITO and the 2% Medicare levy; Canada’s federal and provincial tax with CPP (5.75% in 2027), CPP2 and EI; US federal tax (2026 brackets, standard deduction), Social Security and Medicare tax, and state tax for 18 states as a single filer. 3. **Housing:** the Irish default is the RTB’s average rent for new tenancies in your county or city (Q1 2026). Real listings are often higher. 4. **Childcare in Ireland:** the fee for a full-time place, capped at the Core Funding maximum, less the National Childcare Scheme universal subsidy for 45 hours a week. Families on lower incomes can get more through the income-assessed subsidy. 5. **Euro:** everything “now” is converted at the exchange rate you enter. A month is a twelfth of a year (52 weeks). ## Frequently asked questions **Is it worth moving home to Ireland?** It depends on what you would have left each month after tax, rent and childcare, not on the salary. Example (our assumptions): a single person on A$120,000 in Sydney paying A$3,000 a month in rent keeps about €2,843 a month in euro. On a €70,000 offer in Dublin City, paying the average new Dublin City rent of €2,301 (RTB, Q1 2026), they would keep about €2,033, so €810 a month less. They would need about €90,500 in Ireland to be no worse off. Childcare, family payments and a partner’s pay can change the answer completely, so enter your own. **How am I taxed in my first year back in Ireland?** Split-year treatment means Irish tax on your job starts from the day you arrive: employment income earned abroad earlier in the year is ignored, and you generally get full-year tax credits (Revenue). It covers employment income only. Foreign rent, interest, dividends and pensions are taxed under the normal rules, and most returning Irish keep an Irish domicile, so the remittance basis does not apply to them. **How do I avoid emergency tax when I start work in Ireland?** Register your new job on Revenue’s myAccount (PAYE Services, “Add Job or Pension Details”) before your first payday, so your employer gets your tax credits. Without them you pay emergency tax: a single person’s band for four weeks, then 40% on all pay from week 5, and USC at 8% (Revenue, 2026). Overpaid tax is refunded through payroll once your credits arrive. If you have an old PPSN, use it. **Can I get Help to Buy when I move home?** Only if neither of you has ever bought or built a home anywhere, including abroad. Help to Buy is now up to €35,000 (applications from 7 October 2026 to 31 December 2029), but it is capped at the Irish income tax and DIRT you paid in the 4 years before you apply, so it is small until you have Irish tax history (Revenue). Mortgage limits are 4 times income for first-time buyers and 3.5 times for others, with a 10% deposit (Central Bank). **Can I move my pension to Ireland?** Australian super cannot be moved into an Irish pension. You can only cash it out early through DASP if you were never an Australian citizen or permanent resident (taxed at 35%, or 65% if you ever held a working holiday visa); otherwise it stays until you are 60 (ATO). A UK pension can move only to an Irish scheme on HMRC’s recognised list, and since 30 October 2024 the 25% overseas transfer charge applies unless you already live in Ireland when you transfer (HMRC). A US 401(k) usually stays in the US; withdrawals are taxed in Ireland under the treaty. **Can I claim Child Benefit as soon as I move back?** Irish citizens are not exempt from the Habitual Residence Condition, but there is no minimum period: you can qualify from the day you return if Ireland is now the centre of your life, shown by things like an Irish job, a lease ended abroad or belongings shipped (Citizens Information). Child Benefit is €140 a month per child. ## Related - [Sell before or after you move?](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-sell-before-or-after-moving-calculator/) The Irish tax on shares, ETFs or a home abroad, by sale date. - [Irish State Pension with years abroad](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-state-pension-years-abroad-calculator/): what your years away add to the Irish pension. - [Moving home to Ireland: your tax in the first year back](https://decisionscalc.com/articles/moving-home-to-ireland-tax-guide/): split-year relief, emergency tax, foreign income and pensions. - [Budget 2027 calculator](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-budget-2027-calculator/): your Irish take-home in 2026 and 2027, line by line. - [Rent Tax Credit calculator](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-rent-tax-credit-calculator/) · [Help to Buy calculator](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-help-to-buy-calculator/) · [What can I claim? (Ireland)](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-what-can-i-claim/) - [UK voluntary National Insurance from abroad](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/uk-voluntary-ni-abroad-calculator/): keep building your UK State Pension from Ireland. ## Your next step 1. Free **Before you move.** Your PPS number and Revenue myAccount, pensions and foreign bank accounts: what to sort out before you leave. [The checklist](https://decisionscalc.com/articles/moving-home-to-ireland-tax-guide/#before) 2. Free **Hear when the rules change.** Get an email if Irish tax rules for people moving home change. Get the email alert 3. Our planner [Moving Abroad Planner](https://decisionscalc.com/moving-abroad-planner/) Moving costs, a month-by-month timeline, a savings target and a checklist, with sourced figures for Australia, Canada, Ireland and the UK. US$15 one-time · Excel and Google Sheets · moves to Australia, Canada, Ireland or the UK [See inside the planner →](https://decisionscalc.com/moving-abroad-planner/) Cite or link to this calculator DecisionsCalc (2026). Is It Worth Moving Home to Ireland? Calculator 2027 (Tax, Rent, Childcare). https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-moving-home-calculator/ You are welcome to quote our figures with a link. Each figure on the page names its official source and the date we checked it. ## Get an email when Irish rules change Tax bands, allowances and benefit rates change every year. We email you when a rule our Irish calculators use changes, usually a few times a year. Confirm by email; unsubscribe in one click. ## Where these figures come from Each figure this page uses, with the official page it comes from and the date we last read it. Tap one to see it. - **ESRI, checked 12 Nov 2026: Irish rents by county and city (new tenancies)** **RTB Rent Index Q1 2026: Dublin €2,335, Dublin City €2,301, national €1,839, all 26 counties** [Official page](https://www.esri.ie/publications/the-rtb-rent-index-q1-2026) - **gov.ie, checked 12 Nov 2026: National Childcare Scheme universal subsidy and Core Funding cap** **€2.14 an hour and €280 a week cap now; €2.50 and €250 from September 2027 (45 hours)** [Official page](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/) - **gov.ie, checked 12 Nov 2026: Child Benefit** **€140 a month per child (2026 and 2027)** [Official page](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/publications/budget-2027/) - **gov.ie, checked 12 Nov 2026: Rent Tax Credit 2027** **€1,150 single, €2,300 jointly assessed couple** [Official page](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-finance/campaigns/budget/) - **Revenue, checked 12 Nov 2026: Split-year treatment on arrival** **employment income only; full-year credits** [Official page](https://www.revenue.ie/en/life-events-and-personal-circumstances/moving-to-or-from-ireland/moving-or-returning-to-ireland/split-year-treatment-in-your-year-of-arrival.aspx) - **Revenue, checked 12 Nov 2026: Emergency tax** **single band for 4 weeks, then 40% on all pay from week 5; USC 8%** [Official page](https://www.revenue.ie/en/jobs-and-pensions/emergency-tax/emergency-tax-rules.aspx) - **Revenue, checked 12 Nov 2026: Help to Buy for returners** **up to €35,000 (7 Oct 2026 to 31 Dec 2029); never owned a home anywhere; capped at Irish tax of the last 4 years** [Official page](https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/how-much-can-you-claim.aspx) - **GOV.UK, checked 12 Nov 2026: UK pension transfer to Ireland: overseas transfer charge** **25% from 30 Oct 2024 unless resident in Ireland at transfer; can apply within 5 tax years** [Official page](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualifying-recognised-overseas-pension-schemes-charge-on-transfers/the-overseas-transfer-charge-guidance) - **ATO, checked 12 Nov 2026: Australian super: DASP** **35% taxed element, 65% working holiday makers; not for citizens or permanent residents; preserved to 60** [Official page](https://www.ato.gov.au/individuals-and-families/super-for-individuals-and-families/super/temporary-residents-and-superannuation/departing-australia-superannuation-payment-dasp) - **Citizens Information, checked 12 Nov 2026: Habitual Residence Condition for returning Irish citizens** **applies to Irish citizens; can be met from the day of return** [Official page](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/returning-to-ireland/applying-for-social-welfare/habitual-residence-condition/) - **ECB, checked 12 Nov 2026: Exchange rates (default)** **GBP 0.83618, USD 1.1127, AUD 1.6222, CAD 1.5839 per euro** [Official page](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/policy_and_exchange_rates/euro_reference_exchange_rates/html/index.en.html) Spotted a figure that has changed? 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