Check the headline figures carefully
Revenue lists €42,500 for services and €85,000 for goods, with qualifications and other rules. These are not universal limits for every business. Mixed supplies, establishment and cross-border activity can change the analysis. Ask your accountant which test applies before deciding that a projected sales total is safely below a threshold.
Describe how you earn revenue
Separate products, services and other income in the forecast. Record where customers are located and whether the business has transactions outside Ireland. For example, software services sold internationally raise different questions from local product sales. This example is a prompt for assessment, not a conclusion about the VAT treatment of software or overseas customers.
Use a monitored forecast
Keep actual and expected turnover visible to the accountant and agree when to review it. Do not wait until a year-end accounts meeting if the activity is changing quickly. Label the period, exclusions and assumptions used in the calculation. The figure you track should follow the relevant rule, rather than an arbitrary rolling total chosen because your sales dashboard displays it.
Prepare for the operational change
If registration is required or elected, ask how pricing, invoices, records and returns should change and from what date. A business selling to consumers may need to reconsider how prices are presented; a business selling to other companies may need updated customer records. Obtain advice before altering invoice templates or adding VAT to a previously agreed price.
Your practical checklist
- Classify supplies before selecting a threshold
- Describe customer locations and cross-border transactions
- Confirm the relevant measurement with the accountant
- Monitor actual and forecast turnover
- Plan pricing, invoices and records around confirmed treatment
Sources and editorial notes
Official guidance and any referenced service information checked 11 October 2026. These are original preparation notes with illustrative examples; they do not replace individual legal or tax advice.
Author and publisher: Ireland Company Formation, operated by COMMERCIAL ADMINISTRATION BUREAU LIMITED. For a correction or question, contact the team.
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