I started my business in 2024. Do I need to file a tax return now?

If you make any money outside of your normal PAYE income from your job then you need to file a self-assessment tax return each year.

Some common reasons you may need to file a tax return include; you are self-employed, work freelance or as a contractor, you are a landlord or make money using Airbnb, you are the director of a company, you own shares, you have sold a personal asset or sold all or part of your business, you have inherited money, you make some extra cash doing nixers.

For those that use Revenue Online Services (ROS) the pay & file deadline is Thursday 14 November 2024.  

The form you fill in to file a self-assessment tax return in Ireland is called a Form 11. People use the terms tax return and Form 11 interchangeably.

You can file a Form 11 tax return yourself with Revenue online using Revenue Online Services (ROS) or you can engage an accountant to file on your behalf. 

An allowable expense is an expense that is directly related to the running of your business. For example goods that you buy for resale, employees' payment, rent and bills for your business premises, interest payments for money you borrowed to finance your business.

Tax Credits reduce the amount of tax that you pay. The tax credits you are entitled to are dependent upon your personal circumstances.

Another great way to save money on your tax bill is to pay into a pension. The government offers generous tax relief at your highest tax rate. 

Here are 10 ways to save money on this year’s tax return.

You can pay the tax you owe online through ROS with a debit or credit card.

In order to fulfil your preliminary tax obligations for 2024, a payment should be made along with the filing of your 2023 tax return. Preliminary tax is an estimate of the tax you will owe on next year’s tax return.
 
You have three options when deciding what level of preliminary tax you should pay:

• Based upon 100% of your 2023 tax charge.
• Based upon 90% of your 2024 tax charge (this will need to be an estimate at the time of filing the return).
• 105% of your final tax charge for the pre-preceding tax year (2022). This option is only available where preliminary tax is paid by monthly direct debit.

If you miss the tax return deadline there are a number of consequences. You will be charged interest and a late filing surcharge.
Filing late can increase the likelihood that you will be chosen to be audited by Revenue and uou could lose your entitlement to government grants and subsidies as businesses must be entitled to a tax clearance certificate to qualify for these schemes. If you have missed the deadline the most important thing is to get the return filed as soon as possible.