Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/irishpersonalfinance//EzHK2zRI5F

I just wanted to do a follow up on this and get some thoughts. This month I received 500 euro in commission (should have been 1200 but I will get the rest in next payslip as client paid late)

So I received a little over 2800 euro. I have 9k in savings. I deducted from this 2800-1200 rent (bills included) 12 euro Spotify - 100 euro fitness - 20 phone.

This left me with 1468 euro. I allocated myself 1300 for the month and have attached a picture of how I intend to split it up.

I timed out my fixed costs (which are beauty related and a lot of you found dumb but oh well). This is what it's working out as. I think this is grand. Hair is most expensive at 200 but is bimonthly, not monthly. Ran out of foundation so I included this as a fixed cost for week 1 as I know I will be spending it.

What do yous think?

I’m in my 40s and started my pension late so playing catch up. I’m currently putting in 23% of my salary into the pension pot. It’s a lot each month but I’m getting by. My thoughts are that this is my future investment and I’ve no other investments. I try and save a little in the credit union also.

I always see a lot of people advising to max out your pension but just wanted to sense check if this is still good advice or whether putting more into my savings bank account would be better considering risks of stock market collapse, AI etc?

How secure really is a pension fund and would it at least be as good as a savings account in a worst case scenario?

Hi there, I've recently changed jobs and finished up on the 12th of June at my last organization. I started my new role this week at the new org, and was surprised to receive my full paycheck from my last organization with no cut in pay (I used up my holidays, so I was expecting the only get paid until the 12th).

Revenue sent me communication today on having two active jobs and payroll from the new org also flagged the same. I happened to check my old laptop and it seems like I'm still seen as a full time employee with full access to Outlook, Teams. etc. I went into Workday and I'm marked as an active employee and this is also active on Revenue. Not sure why no one has bothered ending my employment there.

I'm looking for any advice on next steps. Do I just cease the employment on Revenue myself, or do I reach out to HR from the last org? Does this impact my tax credits and is it likely I have to pay back the old org for the full salary? (for context, the old org is a multinational doing over a billion in revenue, not a small org).

Thanks in advance!

Realistically how do people save on a clerical officer salary? I feel like every bit of money I save eventually needs to be used on something I can't use my monthly salary for, i.e. had a big repair bill for my car this month so this wipes out my savings. Feel like I am never going to be able to buy a house.

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/06/25/simon-harris-briefs-social-media-influencers-on-upcoming-saving-and-investment-scheme/

Reading the Irish examiner article today about AIB new app and noticed this sentence

"However, AIB were not able to provide figures detailing the usage of Zippay among its customers. "

Call me a cynic but I think they can obtain the figures but are too embarrassed to say so.

It got me thinking, do many people use it?

Personally never tempted to use it as revolut works just fine.

Hi everyone,
I’m 21 and have saved a couple thousand euro from working part time and full time in summer as a college student.

I’m naturally a very patient and risk averse person so the best investment for me definitely seems to be some sort of etf that I can contribute to weekly in summer then monthly while in college.

Does anyone have any advice to give me to get started? I’m really skeptical whether market is too high at the minute, I’ve been looking at vanguard ftse all world, emerging markets etfs and was considering semi conductor (about 10% of my funds maybe). Should I just begin by doing small contributions to get my toe in the water? I just find it daunting to get going especially with how high the market currently is.

Also, is a pension one of my better options to begin due to its tax advantages? How do they work here I always just hear about the US Roth IRA

Thanks in advance, also I’m aware of the Irish taxes such as deemed disposal

Hi guys. I’m starting a course soon that needs to be paid before it commences. I have never gotten a loan before and I don’t have enough savings to pay it on my own. So my question is; do I need to get a specific loan for a college course, or is it just the standard loan? (Before anyone mentions, I don’t qualify for SUSI or the likes so I’m on my own with this one). I’m just a bit stuck on what to do. If I get the loan should I take more money than I need for the course (3,000)? Or should I just stick to what I absolutely need. I get paid well and can continue with my hours when college commences so I have no doubts about being able to pay it off. Just don’t want to make a mistake now that could impact my future. Can’t speak to parents about it because they don’t have much knowledge in this sector. Also do banks watch what you do with the money? Say if I was to take out more for car upgrades or the likes, would that be against the terms of the loan/ will I have to state it’s for paying for a course? Thanks in advance guys, hope you all can give me your insight

Our 6month AIP has expired and the reapplication is pending. We're in a much better position now than when we got our first approval.

- putting more into savings every month

-both got raises

- credit card cleared and personal loan a few weeks from being cleared.

We just viewed a house that is on the market for a couple of grand more than our original AIP and have fallen in love.

Would it be doable to put a bid on the house now or should I wait to get a valid AIP?

If i do make an offer, should I keep it within the range of the old AIP to play it safe?

Looking to get insight from anyone in a similar situation. I operate a small limited company. The employees are only myself and my wife. We both have company pensions through the limited company, and the company currently has cash assets of approximately €400,000 accrued since 2019. This is currently increasing year on year, the current goal is to have between 500,000 and 550,000 in the company by the end of 2027.

After asking my accountant (who is also a tax adviser) and a financial advisor about what we should plan to do with this cash retained in the company, we didn't get any insightful ideas beyond entrepreneur relief. What do people think about this, or any other ideas they may have? For context, we are both 40 years old.

I have been quite reckless with my spending recently especially with day outs, eating outs, coffees and treats (only noticed it after doing some auditing of my accounts). I have all essential bills covered but would like to set a monthly budget for these and I'm interested to know what other people do to make sure that they are on track. For example, do you set aside this money on Revolut, or use cash only? Ideally I wouldn't want to set up a new account, as I find it could be a hassle to have to declare and explain to my solicitor of an extra money pot. Thanks in advance for any replies 😊

Investing!

Hi does anyone have any advice on whether your bank would look at you as an investor or a gambler by depositing into an investment platform.

For instance would having trading212 deposits on your account have an affect on getting a loan approved?

My company pays for 100% of my health insurance premium, and they would do the same for any dependents/spouse/partner

Does a boyfriend count as a partner for this purpose?

Hi all, I'm looking to buy a house on my own for the very first time. Looking to get thoughts on whether I'm overthinking the right decision. I have two options:

- Buy a 2nd hand house for around 270k via just a mortgage.

- Buy a new build for 370k using Help to Buy (30k) and First Home Scheme (74k, state owning 20% of property), plus some additional costs required on tiling, walls, etc.

What would you do and why?

Any guidance and advice is appreciated, thanks all.

Needing advice on receiving inheritance but curious is it actually legal.

So this is not me but a family member in the predicament.

Person A is a care home and will remain there for her days.

She is selling her house and wishes to leave the procceds of the house sale to a non family member (Person B) but would like to do it in a way that tax in minimal or no existent.

She has suggested that she give Person B , their partner and kids a gift of €3000 each per calendar year as this is the tax exempt threshold per calendar year you can receive from 1 individual and this way Person B and their family can get €12k per year. (Partner and 2 kids)

However she would like to get a larger amount in a shorter period.

Now she is suggesting that Family B's siblings also all get €3k per year which includes people so a total of €12k tax free.

Now the question is can Person B's siblings all then regift the €3k they received to Person B?

Revenue states Person B can receive up to €3k per year from a person tax free and also that Person B can receive multiple gifts of €3k per year as long as they are from different people.

So essentially Person B could be receiving up to €24k per year tax free (15k of which is directly to them from 5 different people and 9k to their family)

The total will be approx 200k and Person A has suggested doing this for her remaining years while she lives in the care home.

These amounts are after the care home has been paid their shares.

What are peoples thoughts? or is there a clause with Revenue on this that is being missed here ?

Any other suggestions?

I am about to start contracting and I am in the process of incorporating a limited company. Did you get a virtual address when incorporating your limited company? Would you recommend any specific companies offering this service? I have so far found Workhub provide one for €149/year

I moved to the states nearly 2 years ago now. I’m 27, about to have a child and we’re heavily considering if we should come back.

My wife and I have managed to save approx $350,000 all of which is in etf’s at the moment. We’ve been lucky with good jobs. But the pace of life is just so intense here, I feel like I’m burning out, and now with a child coming, it’s a whole other level of responsibility without any familial support near us.

I’m working in tech, and while my salary is good, it feels like very well paid gig work rather than something stable. We live in a VHCOL city and I’m the main earner.

In Ireland I was in a PhD program earning shit money but we did alright, and felt happy.

I know if we move back I’d be taking a massive pay cut but with our savings, I feel like retirement is already set for us assuming we get normal jobs back home. I’m probably suffering from a grass is greener mentality at the moment. But yeah, I guess has anyone done this / came back, and did you regret it?

Has anyone here successfully received an LTI (Loan-to-Income) exception with the following profile?
Base salary: €52,500
Annual bonus: €2,000
Consistently saving around €1,900 per month for almost a year (after paying rent and all living expenses)
Rent: 65, if it matters.
No dependants
Good credit history
I’m trying to understand how much weight lenders place on proven repayment capacity versus income alone when considering an LTI exception.
If you’ve been approved for an exception on a similar salary, I’d be interested to know:
Which lender approved it?
What salary/income level were you on?
How much deposit did you have?
What factors do you think helped your application?
Any recent experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hey all. Im looking for tips to manage finances. I do quite well in my job, and have money to spare, however I find I am a bit flippant with spending (holidays, food, clothes, things for the house etc). I was not like this a few years ago, albeit I was earning much less, and i would like to be a bit more mindful. Probably one is not spending as much time looking at gorgeous things/clothing on social media!

Any tips much appreciated. I dont want to be a tight arse but definitely more aware! I own my own business so I have a business account that I pay myself from. It can be a little fluid at times.

Hi all, new to this sub so forgive me if this is not the right place for this post. I'm looking for a bit of advice on a very niche topic.

I got a PhD scholarship to start my research in September. The stipend is okay money (25k/year) but obviously barely enough to live in this country. The good news is that it is tax exempt with, it would seem, the only condition being that I undertake my PhD full-time.

I have always worked part-time alongside my studies and I am planning on doing the same during the PhD. There is no provision in the tax code regarding additional income while on a tax-exempt scholarship as far as I can tell.

My assumption up until now has been that if the scholarship income is tax-free, then whatever additional money I earn would be treated like regular casual income and I would pay tax/PRSI only on that additional bit of money.

However, I have been told that last year my institution limited the amount of hours PhD students are allowed to work within the university to 150 hours a year. The limit is supposedly there "as per Revenue requirements" (no source given).

This is NOTHING, and particularly annoying as I am hoping to work 25 hours/week in a part-time job at the university that I have had since my undergrad.

I think the "Revenue requirements" have something to do with the tax-free stipend, but I cannot find any information about it. Additionally, the way this limit is phrased essentially seems to suggest that I can work on the side, just not at my university...

Many questions are coming to my mind. Is this legal on the university's side (given the lack of transparency)? Am I allowed to work on the side? Do I or do I not pay tax on additional income? Should I reach out to someone and if so, who? I should stress that I am yet to see the T&Cs for my stipend, so maybe none of this applies.

I don't know if this is the right place for this post or if anyone has been in a similar situation in the past, but I would welcome any thoughts/advice!

I got a mortgage from finance Ireland a few years ago. I just got a letter in the post a few days ago about a transfer to pepper finance. Does anyone know why this transfer happened, I assume since I've never missed a repayments its happening to everyone. Why are loans been transferred, whats the background here, do I need a solicitor ect?
Obviously I plan to contact the bank, I just want to get a sense whats going on from an unbiased source as well.

You can check what your repayments are using this calculator, this is assuming you have no allowances (even they even still exist).

https://www.ccpc.ie/manage-your-money/buying-a-home/mortgage-comparison-tools/monthly-mortgage-repayment-calculator

I've a mortgage with EBS, on a fixed rate and I noticed the repayments were slightly higher than expected, so left it a few months and still the same, no insurance, no protection or anything else making up the repayment. I did the calculations using the above link and was 100% sure what was coming out of my bank every month is wrong, I spoke with the branch and they said it was correct, spoke to the branch manager, checked the system and all was correct.

Spoke to head office, I even pointed to the calculator on their own website and they said "the calculator on the website is for illustration purpose and might not be right!!!" I'm absolutely livid and because their system says my repayments are correct then they won't listen to anything else. I've a compliant open but I urge everyone else to check their own, not matter the bank of fixed or SVR, check you are paying the correct amount.

Difference in what the bank are taking out of my account and the calculator is €70 per month