Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 section 847AA

Deduction for donations to National Governing Bodies

Section 847AA provides tax relief for donations of at least €250 made by individuals or companies to National Governing Bodies of sports, where those donations fund qualifying projects such as purchasing sports equipment, supporting elite athletes, or promoting participation by women and people with disabilities.

• Individual donors (PAYE or self-assessed) may elect either to deduct the donation from their total income or to surrender the tax relief to the NGB, which can then claim a repayment from Revenue on or after 1 December in the year following the donation.
• Companies receive relief by treating the donation as a deductible trading expense or an expense of management for the accounting period in which it is made.
• Qualifying NGBs must be recognised by Sport Ireland (or be the Olympic Federation of Ireland or Paralympics Ireland), hold ministerial approval and a valid tax clearance certificate, and be listed on the Register of Organisations in Compliance with the Governance Code for Sport.
• The Minister must certify each qualifying project (maximum cost €40 million), and the total donations received by an NGB for any single project cannot exceed €40 million.