Move back to Republic of Ireland but keep job in UK...is this possible??

[Mydogisanaughtyboy]

Used to live in ROI in the West and am seriously considering moving back there from the UK. I work remotely but for a UK company so not sure if I could continue to do this. I also do contract work remotely in UK as well through umbrella companies. I miss the slower pace of life and cheaper property costs amongst other things so would like to go back. Anyone able to give me advice/experiences?

No advice on job but dont call it the Republic. Just Ireland. I live here and its the first thing that marks you out as someone who does not underastand Irish politics. Houses are in vvvv short supply so consider that too.

No offence intended! I steer clear of anything political 🙂and am only looking for advice on the work situation.

Check your various contracts. Ours were changed during COVID to state that WFH must be from within the UK.

If I remember rightly the tax implications can be pretty onerous

I bet! Might have to brace for a call to HMRC....

No offence taken! But just make sure you steer the middle ground and only use Ireland.
Because of Brexit I think you are going to find the tax thing difficult. Does your Co have a European office - easier to bill and be paid fromn there in Euro.
If you can live here do you have residency? Or an Irish parent. If so Its well worth thnking about getting a passport.

Thank you 🙂 my mum is Irish - from the North but we lived in Clare for a couple of years and it was one of the happiest times. My permanent job does not have an EU office but is owned by a non EU company so is used to dealing with multicurrency invoices....doesn't help me with the tax but wouldn't be a shock to the system. There is a contractor who works for them based in Dublin so they might be amenable...

I used to work remotely for a UK company from another country (not Ireland). A few things to consider:

(1) Is there anything in your contract with your employer(s) that would prevent you from working outside the UK? Even if they allow telecommunting full time, they may not allow it internationally. Also Pre-Brexit there were some restrictions about telecommuting within the EU (mainly to prevent companies from shifting their workforces to the EU countries with the cheapest COL while keeping their "presence" in a more expensive location); I assume most have gone now but there may still be some legacy legislation or agreements between the UK and Ireland.

(2) Practical considerations - depending on the type of work, there may be concerns about data security, about any benefits such as pensions or private insurance coverage that may not be viable internationally, about what would happen if you need to come into the office, visit a client, have something mailed/overnighted to you, etc. Also whether any company-issued equipment would still be under warranty, and what would happen if equipment were lost or stolen and the authorities became involved. Will you be able to call in to internal calls from abroad, will your company cell phone (if you have one) still work, etc. These things are mostly fixable if your employer's willing but best to have an idea up front how you'd handle.

(3) Tax implications - complicated, but a starting point: https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-guides/employment/working-remotely-your-uk-employer-while-overseas

Littlegreenheart - it's a minefield! I'm an accountant (But not a tax specialist!) so will have to do some serious thinking....

We aren't allowed to be domiciled outside our stated country of employment, and I don't think they let you transfer to a country where there isn't a legal entity for you to be attached to either, even if your manager is OK you to move

Sounds like a good option. Clare is the very best place to live in Ireland. Wish I could live there. I go there lots to hike and swim. (must plan my next trip!)
The other thing to think abourt is hat there are lots of jobs now in Ireland and remote is pretty much built into a lot of them. So changing job might be an option in time.

Other option is to set up a Ltd company and use that - I've done it before in UK (dissolved now as Covid and IR35 tanked it) and see if current employer would let me work as a consultant through it - they do this with others based abroad....

I work in HR and my company doesn't allow this. There may be a Permanent Establishment risk - i.e your activities in Ireland can result in a taxable presence there for the UK company. You need to check with your employer.

Or leave. Set up as a consultant here and pay corporation tax at 12.5%. Your ex employer is your client.

The tax implications are largely for your employer which is why employers are often cautious about overseas remote working.

If you go self employed working from a non UK location you are providing services from overseas, if you go self employed in UK employing yourself from overseas you are employing overseas workers.

The tax situation can be complex - I would find out first if your employers allow it or are willing to discuss the situation.

I know someone who works for a UK company and lives in California, so the concept is OK.

BTW my Irish relatives, who all understand politics perfectly well (and discuss them a lot!) happily refer to the Republic of Ireland, which is the country's name. They also do what the Offended of Mumsnet say that no Irish people do and refer to The North and The South if they are differentiating between the two countries.

Of course you refer to it as North and South. Thats what the areas are. Like Scotland and England.
Referring to it as 'The Republic' would indicate you are either out of touch, very old, a mad republican (lots of those) or a tourist. Nobody would say it but its quietly noted.

AFAIK If you are doing the work from Ireland, you will be tax resident in Ireland, so if you continue to work as an employee your company will have to find a way to faciliate that and pay your social contributions and tax to the Irish State. I've done if for France and it was pretty straight forward to set up a
representative of the company in France - the problem with France was
that the UK employer didn't want to pay the increased social charges,
but I think Ireland is a bit more in line with UK employment costs.

Or you set up as a contracter in Ireland and invoice.

Give the Irish tax office a call as well as they can confirm your obligations as a resident.

Also keep in mind that the Common Travel area between the UK and Ireland is only for movement of Irish and British citizens - so UK is still a 3rd country for business purposes.

Would you consider NI? I have family who moved there and love the quality of life.

Would you consider moving to Northern Ireland instead? Much simpler for tax purposes and also some very beautiful rural areas. A friend of mine lives on the shores of Strangford Lough and continues to work remotely for her company in the UK.

You won't be able to maintain any UK based benefits, there may be payroll issues and you will have a tax nightmare, particularly if your employer does not work out of Ireland because they need to pay over social security and may have a permanent establishment risk.

No one can answer this question for you apart from your employer, as it may well be a flat 'no' for the reasons above (if you remain an employee)

My nephew is a scientist and getting married to an Irish girl. Their work is based in Oxford but they mostly live in Ireland. They’re very happy and live great lives out there, so it can be done.

We had a mail round recently stamping down on this sort of thing because of tax. You can move countries with us, but contracts need updating so you change your country of domicile/employment, and thus tax, employment rights etc. Permanent moves are manageable (we have offices all over the place,) but there are issues around people working from holiday homes or a long time from their boyfriend's or girlfriend's house who lives in another country, or went back to family in another country during covid.

I didn't note the details, because I'm not planning on moving.

We had a mail round recently stamping down on this sort of thing because of tax.

We had a similar one around a year ago. It was a big problem for some of my colleagues.

Honestly, moving to NI would a hell of a lot easier. There's the tax stuff, but also housing is more affordable, cost of living is more reasonable, still have access to the NHS (for what it's worth...) and your salary will go much, much further and you won't need to worry about currency fluctuations or topping up NI contributions or anything. Look at Fermanagh, would probably tick a lot of your boxes.

Not only for tax reasons, but IT reasons as well. Typically, Licences for certain applications will only be available in the home country. Also, access to information via your systems will be subject to different regulation depending on the jurisdiction you access it from.