What emergency tax is and why it happened
You opened your payslip and a significant chunk is missing. You're on emergency tax.
Here's what happened: Revenue taxes you at the higher rate (40%) on your full salary, plus full USC, because your new employer hasn't yet received your tax credit certificate from Revenue. Until Revenue sends that certificate to your employer, they have no choice but to apply the emergency basis — the highest rate, no credits applied.
It's temporary and fully fixable. It typically takes one to three days to sort once you take action.
Emergency tax applies when:
- You start a new job and don't register it with Revenue quickly enough
- You return to work from abroad and Revenue doesn't yet have your details
- You move from a welfare payment (Jobseeker's, maternity leave) back into employment
What emergency tax actually costs you
On a gross monthly salary of €3,000: your normal take-home is roughly €2,400. On emergency tax, you'd receive closer to €1,950–2,000 — a difference of up to €450 per month.
Every additional week on emergency tax is money you're overpaying and will need to claim back. Get it sorted this week, not next month.
How to fix emergency tax
The fix is straightforward and takes about 10 minutes online.
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Log in to myAccount at revenue.ie. If you don't have an account, register at myaccount.revenue.ie — you'll need your PPS number and a MyGovID or verified email to complete registration.
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Go to My Jobs and Pensions in your myAccount dashboard.
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Select Add a New Job and enter your employer's details (name, address, and your start date).
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Revenue issues a Revenue Payroll Notification (RPN) to your employer — this usually happens within 1 working day of you registering the job.
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Your employer receives the RPN and applies your correct tax credits and rate from the next payroll run.
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Your next payslip should show normal deductions. If you were on emergency tax for several weeks, the first corrected payslip will usually include a partial refund for the weeks already over-deducted.
If you started a new job and weren't sure whether to register it — register it. It takes 10 minutes and Revenue handles the rest.
How to claim back emergency tax already paid
If the tax year has ended, or you were on emergency tax for several weeks before registering your job, you may still be owed a refund.
How to claim: Log in to myaccount.revenue.ie → Review your tax → select the relevant year → submit for review. Revenue recalculates your liability for the full year based on your actual income and credits, and pays the difference if you overpaid.
The refund is typically in your bank account within 5 working days.
You can claim back up to 4 years. So if you were on emergency tax in a previous job and never claimed, it's not too late. Check each year individually under "Review your tax."
Emergency tax after welfare or a career break
The same problem applies if you're returning to work after:
- Jobseeker's Benefit or Allowance — Revenue's records show you as out of employment and your credits haven't transferred to a new employer
- Maternity leave — if you were receiving Maternity Benefit directly from the DSP, your employment record with Revenue may not have a live employer linked
- A career break — similar situation; Revenue has no current employer to send credits to
The fix is the same in all cases: register your new job in myAccount → My Jobs and Pensions → Add a New Job. Revenue then issues an RPN to your employer with your correct credits.
If you were on welfare for part of the year and then returned to employment, the unused credits from the period you weren't working may mean you're owed a refund at year end. Worth reviewing in January under "Review your tax."
Starting a new job is the most common time people overpay tax. I can walk you through exactly what to check.
Common questions about emergency tax in Ireland
Why has emergency tax been taken from my wages?▾
Emergency tax is applied when your employer doesn't yet have a tax credit certificate from Revenue for you. This happens when you start a new job without registering it through myAccount. Without the certificate, your employer must apply the highest tax rate (40%) with no credits. Fix it by logging into myaccount.revenue.ie, going to My Jobs and Pensions, and adding your new job. Revenue sends your employer a Revenue Payroll Notification within a day and your next payslip should be normal.
How do I stop paying emergency tax in Ireland?▾
Log into myaccount.revenue.ie → My Jobs and Pensions → Add a New Job. Enter your employer's details and Revenue will send them a Revenue Payroll Notification (RPN) within 1 working day. Your employer applies your correct credits from the next payroll run. That's it — takes about 10 minutes.
How long does it take to get emergency tax back?▾
If you're still in the same job and register it mid-year, the correction usually comes through on your next payslip — within weeks. If the tax year has ended, log into myaccount.revenue.ie, go to Review Your Tax, select the year, and submit. Revenue processes the review and any refund is typically in your account within 5 working days.
Can I get emergency tax back if I paid it last year?▾
Yes. You can claim back up to 4 tax years. Log into myaccount.revenue.ie → Review Your Tax → select the year you were on emergency tax → submit. Revenue calculates what you actually owed versus what you paid and refunds the difference. If you were on emergency tax across multiple years, review each year separately.