24 March 2020 – Established a wage subsidy

Level of Jurisdiction: National

Overview: The Irish Government created a temporary wage subsidy that will be available to employers who keep employees on payroll throughout the pandemic.

The policy is intended to preserve links between employers and employees for when business picks up after the crisis. It is part of the government”s €6.3 billion stimulus package.

The subsidy scheme will refund employers up to a maximum of €410 per each qualifying employee. Employers should pay no more than the normal weekly net pay of the employee. Employers make this payment to their employees through their normal payroll process.

Employers will then be reimbursed for amounts paid to employees and notified to Revenue via the payroll process.

In April, the scheme will move to a subsidy payment based on up to 70 percent of the normal net weekly pay for each employee to a maximum of €410.

To be eligible for the scheme the business must be experiencing significant negative economic disruption due to Covid-19, be able to demonstrate at least a 25 percent decline in turnover, be unable to pay normal wages and normal outgoings fully and retain their employees on the payroll.
Full details here: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/2e9fde-government-announces-national-covid-19-income-support-scheme/