Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 section 15

Rate of charge

Section 15 sets out the rates at which income tax is charged and the bands of taxable income to which those rates apply for the year 2025 and subsequent years of assessment.

• Income tax is charged at two rates: the standard rate of 20% and the higher rate of 40%, applied to successive portions of an individual's taxable income according to rate bands that vary by personal circumstances.
• For 2025 onwards, the standard rate band is €44,000 for a single person, €48,000 for a single person entitled to the single person child carer credit, and €53,000 for a married couple or civil partnership assessed jointly.
• Where both spouses or civil partners have income, the jointly assessed couple's standard rate band of €53,000 can be increased by the lesser of €35,000 or the lower earner's income (after source-specific deductions), giving a maximum combined band of €88,000.
• Any increase in the standard rate band attributable to employment income subject to PAYE can only be used within the PAYE system, ensuring that the additional band cannot be transferred between spouses or civil partners.