Prepaid Mastercard
Resources
Register
Login
Swirl Ireland's Favourite Prepaid Mastercard
Order Now
Make an Enquiry
Swirl Ireland's Favourite Prepaid Mastercard
Order Now
Make an Enquiry
Swirl Ireland's Favourite Prepaid Mastercard
Order Now

Why Only Half of Irish Employers Are Using the €1,500 Tax Break- And How to Fix it

Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Why Only Half of Irish Employers Are Using the €1,500 Tax Break- And How to Fix it
Why Only Half of Irish Employers Are Using the €1,500 Tax Break- And How to Fix it

The Small Benefit Exemption (SBE) stands out as one of Ireland’s most generous, and surprisingly underused, tax relief schemes. Yet more than 40% of Irish employers fail to leverage it even when well resourced multinationals are among them.

The Overlooked Benefit: What You’re Missing Out On

  • The Small Benefit Exemption permits employers to provide up to €1,500 per staff member each year in non-cash benefits (gift cards, vouchers, etc.). 
  • These are completely exempt from income tax, USC, and PRSI, for both employer and employee. 
  • According to the CIPD/Irish Recruitment Network Pay & Employment Practices Survey, just 56% of employers currently utilise this valuable scheme. That leaves nearly half of the workforce missing out and employers foregoing a powerful incentive tool. 

What’s Holding Employers Back?

From conversations with HR and payroll teams, recurring concerns include: 

  • “It’s too complicated to implement.” 
  • “Our payroll system can’t handle vouchers.” 
  • “Our global policies don’t capture gift cards.” 
  • “We didn’t realise the €1,500 threshold was in place.” 

These are perfectly legitimate worries but each one can be addressed with the right platform in place. 

The SBE Limit Raises the Stakes

Since 1 January 2024, the Small Benefit Exemption (SBE) limit has increased to €1,500 per employee—a significant boost in potential tax free rewards. Yet, many employers remain unaware of this change or the impact it could have on both employee satisfaction and cost savings.

How to Adopt SBE Seamlessly (No Headaches Required)

Swirl Gift Card is tailored to help Irish employers fully unlock the SBE benefits regardless of size or structure. 

Here’s how Swirl makes compliance effortless: 

Key Challenge How Swirl Helps
Spending restrictions
Cards work anywhere Mastercard is accepted
Global policy misalignment
Fully flexible, with global reach and local relevance
Scalability
Bulk ordering from 10 cards to 10,000, custom delivery, simple onboarding

Why Act Now?

  • Maximise tax‑free benefits: Provide employees with up to €1,500 each tax free to boost engagement and retention. 
  • Align with year end planning: It’s perfectly timed for annual review cycles. 
  • Avoid unintended tax exposure: Eliminate grey area compliance risks. 

Next Steps

  1. Confirm whether your organisation’s HR or payroll policy supports SBE. 
  2. Evaluate Swirl’s platform explore a risk free pilot to streamline the process. 
  3. Roll out the full programme before your fiscal year end. 

In Summary

Tax‑free employee gifting is a powerful, efficient way to increase engagement and reward staff available to all Irish businesses. With the proper implementation and a capable partner, employers can unlock up to €1,500 per employee, lower costs, and remain fully compliant with Revenue guidelines. 

Ready to elevate your SBE strategy? Contact Swirl today and get started in minutes. 

Place an Order
Learn More

Make an Enquiry











Make an Enquiry











Check out some of our other Corporate Blog posts below!

Facebook
X
LinkedIn
SWIRL Card logo

Swirl Card

Other Swirl Products

Social Media

Contact Us

Copyright © 2011-2025 Smart Transfer Ltd.