How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Company in Ireland in 2026?

Ask ten people what it costs to set up a company in Ireland and you’ll get ten different numbers.

That’s because most quotes only tell you half the story — the upfront formation fee — and quietly leave out the running costs that arrive a few months later.

Here’s the full, honest picture so there are no surprises.

The one fixed cost everyone pays: the CRO fee

Every company incorporation is filed with the Companies Registration Office.

The standard electronic filing fee is around €50.

That’s the government’s charge — it’s the same whether you file yourself or use an agent, and it’s genuinely the only unavoidable state cost to get incorporated.

Formation service fees

Very few people file entirely alone, because a rejected submission, usually over a name clash or a paperwork error, costs you days.

A formation agent prepares your constitution, checks your name, handles the directors’ and secretary’s details and files everything correctly.

Our fixed-price formation packages roll the CRO fee and the paperwork into one transparent figure, and our entry-level formation is built for founders who just want the essentials done properly.

The costs people forget to budget for

Here’s where the “cheap” quotes catch people out.

A compliant company usually also needs:

• A registered office address — if you don’t want your home address on the public register. Typically from around €30 per month for a registered office.
• A company secretary — legally required, and if you’re a sole director, it must be a separate party. A professional company secretary service starts from a few hundred euro a year. Here’s why you can’t skip this.
• Your annual return (B1) — every company files one every year with the CRO. A B1 filing service keeps you compliant and out of penalty territory. Miss it and the fines start at €100 and climb — the full deadline guide is here.
• Accountancy — for your annual financial statements and tax returns. This varies with your activity, so get a quote from an accountant.

Situational costs

Depending on your business, you might also budget for VAT and tax registration, driven by turnover — see our VAT guide.

If your directors live outside the EEA, you may need a Section 137 Bond as part of non-resident formation.

So what’s the realistic all-in number?

For a standard, single-director Irish company that wants to be properly compliant — formation, registered office, company secretary and its first annual return handled — most founders should budget a few hundred euro to get set up and a similar modest annual figure to stay compliant.

The exact total depends on which pieces you handle yourself and which you outsource.

The trap to avoid is chasing the lowest headline formation price and then getting stung by the running costs nobody mentioned.

A transparent package that shows you the full year-one cost upfront is almost always better value.

Want a clear quote for your exact situation?

Talk to us and we’ll lay it all out.