Public limited company
Public Limited Company PLCIreland
What it takes to form, own and run a public limited company in Ireland, and how its profit is taxed. Each figure links to the page it was read from.
This company type
At a glance
Owners' liability
Limited to what the owners put in
Officialirishstatutebook.ieRead 10 Oct 2026
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The memorandum of association of a PLC shall state— (a) its name, (b) that it is a public limited company registered under this Part, (c) its objects, (d) that the liability of its members is limited
Owners
At least 1 · a company may be one
Officialirishstatutebook.ieRead 14 Oct 2026
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A PLC may be formed for any lawful purpose by any person or persons subscribing to a constitution
Directors
At least 2 · one must live there · individuals only
Officialirishstatutebook.ieRead 10 Oct 2026
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one, at least, of the directors for the time being of a company shall be a person who is resident in an EEA state.
Minimum capital
EUR 25,000
Officialirishstatutebook.ieRead 10 Oct 2026
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“authorised minimum” means— (a) subject to paragraph (b) , €25,000;
Tax on profit
Varies · 12.5–25%2 special regimes may apply
Officialrevenue.ieRead 10 Oct 2026
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There are two rates of Corporation Tax (CT): 12.5% for trading income 25% for: income from an excepted trade (as defined in part 2 of the Taxes Consolidation Act ) non trading income, for example rental and investment income.
Notary needed: NoResident director needed: YesFormed online: Yes
Form it
Who registers it
- Registry
- Formed without visiting
- Not in our records
- Formed online
- Yes
What it takes to form
- A notary
- Not required
- A resident director
- Required
- Paying up the capital
- Not in our records
Own it
Who may own and run it
- Directors
- At least 2 · one must live there · individuals only
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one, at least, of the directors for the time being of a company shall be a person who is resident in an EEA state.
- Shareholders
- At least 1 · a company may be one
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A PLC may be formed for any lawful purpose by any person or persons subscribing to a constitution
- Members
- At least 1 · one person may form it alone
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A PLC may be formed for any lawful purpose by any person or persons subscribing to a constitution
- A local company secretary
- Not required
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The directors of a PLC shall have a duty to ensure that the person appointed as secretary has the skills or resources necessary to discharge his or her statutory and other duties and that the person complies with one, or more than one, of the following 3 conditions.
- A local registered agent
- Not required
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A company's registered office may be constituted by a statement (contained in the statement or notice referred to in subsection (2) or (3) ) to the effect that the office is care of a specified agent
Each year, at the registry
- Annual registry fee
- EUR 20
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Annual Return n/a €20 (Secretarial Software) €20 (Form Online)
- Accounts on the public record
- Yes
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Exclusions, exemptions and special arrangements with regard to public disclosure of financial information Chapter 14 of Part 6 Audit exemption Chapter 15 of Part 6
- Audit for a small company
- Required
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The directors of a PLC shall arrange for the statutory financial statements of the PLC for a financial year to be audited by statutory auditors.
- Audit
- A PLC's statutory financial statements must be audited (s.1117); the audit exemption of Chapter 15 of Part 6 and the small-company disclosure exemptions of Chapter 14 are disapplied to a PLC (s.1002 Table).
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The directors of a PLC shall arrange for the statutory financial statements of the PLC for a financial year to be audited by statutory auditors.
Important dates
When each obligation falls due, as the authority states it.
- First annual return, made up to the first annual return date
- 6 months and 28 days after incorporation
With Companies Registration Office
The first annual return date is 6 months after incorporation (s.345(3)(a)); the return is due not later than 28 days after it (s.343(2)).
- Annual return
- Not in our records
With Companies Registration Office
Not stated on irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/act/38/section/343/enacted/en/html when checked
- Annual general meeting
- Not in our records
Not stated on irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2014/act/38/section/175/enacted/en/html when checked
- First annual general meeting
- 18 months after incorporation
First AGM within 18 months after incorporation (s.175(2)).
What is public
- Directors
- Public
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The following shall be open to the inspection of any other person, on payment of the relevant fee: (a) the directors' and secretaries' register; (b) the disclosable interests register; (c) the members' register.
- Shareholders
- Public
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The following shall be open to the inspection of any other person, on payment of the relevant fee: (a) the directors' and secretaries' register; (b) the disclosable interests register; (c) the members' register.
- Beneficial owners
- To those with a legitimate interest
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The following shall be open to the inspection of any other person, on payment of the relevant fee: (a) the directors' and secretaries' register; (b) the disclosable interests register; (c) the members' register.
Tax
Tax on profit
How this company type is taxed, which can differ from its place’s headline rate.
Varies · 12.5–25%+2 regimes
Two rates of Corporation Tax: 12.5% for trading income; 25% for income from an excepted trade and non-trading income such as rental and investment income.
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There are two rates of Corporation Tax (CT): 12.5% for trading income 25% for: income from an excepted trade (as defined in part 2 of the Taxes Consolidation Act ) non trading income, for example rental and investment income.
Special regimes that may apply
- Knowledge Development Box (KDB) ip box · 10%
Companies Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, s. 769G - Tonnage Tax tonnage
Qualifying shipping companies Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, Part 24A (ss. 697A-697Q) and Schedule 18B
Whether a company qualifies depends on its activity and conditions set in each statute.
- CFC rules in Ireland
- Yes
Close it
Closing it
The other end, which most guides leave out.
- Route
- Voluntary strike-off by application to the Registrar (s.731) where the conditions are met, or winding up.
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A company may apply to the Registrar to be struck off the register if the following conditions are satisfied:
- Statutory fee
- Not in our records
Every business in Ireland
VAT
- Standard rate
- 23%Official European Commission, Taxes in Europe Database situation on 2026-07-01
- Other rates
- 13.5% Hotel lettings, admissions to cinemas, theatres, museums and exhibitions, amusement services, certain printed matter, certain fuels, building, repair, cleaning and maintenance services
- 9% Periodicals, e-periodicals, sport facilities, electricity and gas
- 4.8% Livestock in general, including horses intended for food or agricultural production
- 0% Exports, intra-Community supplies to VAT-registered EU businesses, certain food and drink, books and e-books, children's clothing and footwear, and solar panels on private dwellings and recognised schools
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Effective from Standard rate (%) Reduced rate (%) Second reduced rate (%) Livestock rate (%) Flat-rate addition (%) 1 January 2025 23 13.5 9 4.8 5.1
- Registration threshold
- EUR 42,500
services only; €85,000 for goods, and for goods-and-services where 90% or more of turnover is from goods; 12 months
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Value-Added Tax (VAT) registration is obligatory when your annual turnover exceeds the VAT thresholds. If your turnover is less than a threshold limit, you may elect to register for VAT.
- Voluntary registration
- Yes
A business below the threshold, and farmers and fishers, may elect to register for VAT; an election can only take effect from a current date, not retrospectively.
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Value-Added Tax (VAT) registration is obligatory when your annual turnover exceeds the VAT thresholds. If your turnover is less than a threshold limit, you may elect to register for VAT.
- A foreign company
- Registers from its first taxable supply
A person not established in the State must register and account for Irish VAT on taxable supplies to taxable customers irrespective of turnover, unless the EU VAT SME Scheme applies. Revenue's guidance names no tax representative requirement.
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A person, while not established in the State, needs to register and account for VAT if that person supplies
- Returns filed
- Depends on the business
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The taxable period is a two-month period (bi-monthly) commencing on the first day of January, March, May, July, September and November.
- Tax authority
- Registration page read 2026-10-22
Portals and registers
- Business registerCompanies Registration Office (CRO)
- Tax authorityOffice of the Revenue Commissioners (Revenue)
- Tax treatiesRevenue – Double Taxation Treaties listing
Payment and banking services
6 services name Ireland on their own list: Paysera, Airwallex, Stripe, Revolut, N26, bunq. Each provider, and what a listing means.
Reference
Its name and code
- Kind
- Public limited companyDerived our grouping, the same words in every country
- Name in law
- Public Limited Company (PLC)
- ISO 20275 code
- VYAXSecondary GLEIF, Entity Legal Forms code list