🧾 Contractor Take-Home
What does a day rate leave me with?
A €600 day rate looks like €156,000 and is not. Take off the days you do not bill, the expenses, the employer PRSI or the umbrella fee, and then income tax — and the figure that reaches your account is a different conversation.
Figures reviewed September 2026. Free, no signup, nothing stored on our servers.
What this means
The retention percentage is the number to carry around. It is what proportion of everything you invoice reaches you, and for most Irish contractors at a decent day rate it lands somewhere between 50% and 60% once expenses, employer PRSI and income tax are accounted for.
Billable days do more damage than tax does. The difference between 220 and 190 billable days at €550 is €16,500 of revenue — larger than most tax decisions available to you. A contract rate has to price in the gaps, the holidays and the illness that a salary covers without being asked.
The structure matters less than people expect at the point where money reaches you. An own limited company avoids employer PRSI and the umbrella’s fee, which is real, but it adds accountancy, filing obligations and administration that the comparison table does not price.
What affects the result
- Billable days. This is the input with the largest effect and the one most often assumed rather than counted.
- Whether you are a proprietary director paying Class S PRSI, or an employee of an umbrella on Class A with employer PRSI charged on top.
- What you can legitimately claim as a business expense. Revenue's rules on this are specific and an accountant is worth the fee.
- Pension contributions made by the company, which are not taxed as income and are the largest lever most contractors have.
- Whether profit is taken as salary or left in the company, where it is taxed at 12.5% but may face a surcharge if retained too long.
What does a day rate leave me with?
What the rate has to cover that a salary does not
Annual leave, public holidays, sick pay, the employer’s pension contribution, the gap between contracts, and the fact that Class S PRSI buys fewer benefits than Class A. That is why a day rate that divides out to the same annual figure as a salary is not the same offer. Compare the take-home from this tool with what the same figure as a salary would leave you, and then add back what the employed version includes for free.
Irish day rates by role
If you are trying to work out whether the rate on offer is competitive rather than just what it nets, dayrate.ie tracks Irish contractor rates by role, and the salary benchmark gives the permanent-employment comparison.
Important assumptions
Every figure on this page rests on these. Where one does not match your situation, the answer moves — sometimes a great deal.
- Income tax, USC and PRSI at Irish 2026 rates as published by Revenue.
- Limited company: you are a proprietary director paying Class S PRSI at 4.2%, with no employer PRSI charged.
- Umbrella: Class A employee PRSI, with employer PRSI at 11.15% paid from the invoiced rate before salary.
- Corporation tax on retained profit at the 12.5% trading rate. The close company surcharge on undistributed income is NOT modelled and can apply.
- VAT is excluded throughout. Most contractors above the registration threshold charge it and remit it, so it passes through rather than being income.
- No benefit in kind, company car, or directors' loan.
Official sources
Where this tool applies a published rule, this is where the rule comes from. Check the source before acting on anything that matters.
- Revenue — starting and running a business
The registration, corporation tax and expense rules that apply to a contractor operating through a company.
- Revenue — PRSI classes and contributions
Which PRSI class applies to a proprietary director and what an employer pays on Class A employment.
- Citizens Information — self-employment and PRSI
What Class S PRSI entitles a self-employed person to, and what it does not cover.
Common questions
What day rate matches a given salary?
A rough working rule is that a day rate of around 1/200th of the equivalent salary leaves you similar after allowing for holidays, sick leave, pension and the gaps between contracts. A €70,000 salary is roughly a €350–400 day rate before anyone has priced in the risk. Run both sides through this tool and the take-home calculator rather than relying on the rule.
Limited company or umbrella?
An umbrella is simpler and costs a fee plus employer PRSI out of your rate. An own company avoids both but carries accountancy fees, annual returns and directors' duties. Below roughly a year of contracting, the umbrella usually wins on effort; above it, the company usually wins on money. An accountant will give you a straight answer for your own numbers.
How many billable days should I assume?
Around 220 is a common planning figure for a full year — it allows for public holidays, some annual leave and a small amount of illness or gap between contracts. First-year contractors often bill considerably fewer.
Is a pension contribution the best use of company profit?
For many contractors it is the most efficient, because an employer pension contribution is not taxed as income at all and company contribution limits are generous compared with personal ones. It is money locked away until retirement, which is the trade-off. The pension gap calculator sizes how much you need.
What to check next
What do I actually take home?
Income tax, USC and PRSI on an Irish salary, with credits and pension relief applied.
Take-Home Pay CalculatorNewWhat is that pay rise actually worth?
Turn a gross increase into the extra euro that lands in your account each month.
Salary Increase CalculatorNewWill my pension be enough?
Project your pot to retirement and compare it against the income you want.
Pension Gap CalculatorNewWhat am I actually worth?
Everything you own minus everything you owe, with the breakdown that explains the number.
Net Worth CalculatorNext steps across CheckIreland
Picked for what you just worked out — not a list of everything we make.
- Fund the pension the employer is not fundingCompany contributions are the largest lever a contractor has, and nobody is making them for you.
- Size the gap between contractsNo redundancy, no sick pay, and Class S PRSI buys less than Class A.
- What the rate should beIrish contractor rates by role, so you know whether the offer is competitive before you cost it.dayrate.ie · ours
CheckIreland is independent and is not affiliated with the Irish Government or any public body. This tool is general information built on published rules and typical costs — it is not financial, tax or legal advice, and it does not account for your individual circumstances. Confirm anything that matters with the relevant body or a qualified adviser before acting on it.