Guides for Ireland
Straight answers for people who run pubs, restaurants and cafés in Ireland.
Rosters and the Organisation of Working Time Act, annual leave and public holidays, minimum wage, tips, FSAI food safety rules, written allergen information and HSE EHO visits. Written by the ShiftComplete team, checked against Irish official sources: the WRC, Citizens Information, the FSAI, the HSE, Revenue and the Irish Statute Book.
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Calculators for Irish rules: annual leave, public holidays, labour cost, tips and service charges, menu prices with Irish VAT and working time.
Free toolsAnnual leave calculator for hospitality staff in IrelandFree annual leave calculator for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafés: work out leave under all three methods (1,365 hours, 117-hour months, 8%) in seconds.Free toolsLabour cost calculator for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafésFree labour cost calculator for Irish hospitality: wages, Sunday premium, employer PRSI at 9.15% or 11.40%, annual leave and public holidays, as a % of sales.Free toolsMenu price calculator with Irish VATFree menu price calculator for Irish restaurants, cafés and pubs: set a target GP and get a menu price with the right Irish VAT rate, 9% food or 23% drinks.Free toolsPublic holiday entitlement checker for IrelandFree checker for Irish pubs, restaurants and hotels: see who qualifies for the next public holiday, what they're owed if they work it, and the 2026-27 dates.Free toolsTips and service charge split calculator for IrelandFree calculator to split card tips and service charges fairly by hours in Irish pubs, restaurants and hotels, with a statement line per person under the 2022 Act.Free toolsWorking time and breaks checker for Irish rostersFree checker for Irish hospitality rosters: enter a week of shifts to see total hours and spot missing breaks, short rest gaps and long weeks under the OWTA.
Rosters, pay & staff
The Organisation of Working Time Act, annual leave, public holidays, minimum wage, sick pay, Sunday premium, tips and WRC records.
Rosters, pay & staffA bar staff roster app for late closes, late licences and busy weekendsA bar staff roster app for Irish late bars: closing times, late licences, 11-hour rest after a late finish and fair weekend shifts. €1.99 per staff.Rosters, pay & staffA café roster app for early opens, small teams and student staffA café roster app for Irish cafés: early opens, school-age and college staff, part-time leave and public holidays, on every phone. €1.99 per staff.Rosters, pay & staffA pub roster app for Irish pubs, built around the Sunday tradeA pub roster app for Irish pubs: staff set availability on their phones, you get a fair draft roster around Sundays and match days. €1.99 per staff.Rosters, pay & staffAnnual leave for hospitality staff in Ireland: entitlement, holiday pay and worked examplesAnnual leave for Irish hospitality staff: the 1,365-hour, 117-hour and 8% methods, part-timers and casuals, holiday pay and worked examples in euro.Rosters, pay & staffEmployer PRSI for hospitality in 2026: rates, the €552 threshold and worked examplesEmployer PRSI for Irish pubs and restaurants: 9.15% and 11.40% from 1 October 2026, the €552 weekly threshold, worked examples for bar staff and chefs.Rosters, pay & staffEmploying under-18s in licensed premises in Ireland: hours, breaks and the code of practiceEmploying under-18s in an Irish pub, hotel or restaurant: hours, the 11pm rule, breaks, the licensed premises code, the €9.91 rate and register to keep.Rosters, pay & staffForm OWT1 and working time records: what Irish hospitality employers must keepForm OWT1 and the working time records Irish pubs and restaurants must keep: hours, breaks, leave and public holidays, how long to keep them, clocking in.Rosters, pay & staffFree pub roster template for Ireland, built around licensing hoursA free pub roster template for Ireland, built around licensing hours, with late-close to early-open rest gaps, under-18 limits and a copyable weekly table.Rosters, pay & staffFree weekly staff roster template for Irish hospitalityA free weekly staff roster template for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafés, with start, finish and break columns, a Sunday marker and an 11-hour rest check.Rosters, pay & staffHotel staff roster software for every department, from breakfast to the night porterHotel staff roster software for Irish hotels: reception, housekeeping, kitchen, bar and night porters on one roster, with night work rules in view.Rosters, pay & staffLabour cost percentage for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafés: how to work it outWork out labour cost % for an Irish venue: wages, employer PRSI, annual leave, public holidays and Sunday premium against sales ex VAT, with € examples.Rosters, pay & staffMinimum wage 2026 in Ireland: what hospitality employers must payIreland's minimum wage is €14.15 an hour from 1 January 2026. Age rates, board and lodgings, what counts as pay, and worked examples for pubs and cafés.Rosters, pay & staffPublic holidays in Irish hospitality: dates, entitlements and what to payIrish public holidays for pubs, restaurants and hotels: the 10 dates for 2026 and 2027, the four options, part-timer rules and what to pay staff who work.Rosters, pay & staffRestaurant roster software for Irish kitchens, floors and split shiftsRestaurant roster software for Irish kitchens and floors: split shifts, 11-hour rest and breaks you can see at a glance. €1.99 per staff, 60 days free.Rosters, pay & staffRoster notice in Ireland: the 24-hour rule, reference hours and changing shifts fairlyHow much roster notice Irish hospitality staff must get: the 24-hour rule, reference hours and days, changing shifts and when staff can refuse.Rosters, pay & staffSick leave for hospitality staff in Ireland: statutory sick pay explainedStatutory sick pay in Ireland for pub, restaurant and hotel staff: 5 days at 70% up to €110 a day, 13 weeks' service, medical certs, records and cover.Rosters, pay & staffSplit shifts and rest breaks in Irish hospitality: what the law allowsSplit shifts in Irish hospitality: how breaks, the 11-hour rest rule and compensatory rest work across a split, with worked kitchen and bar rosters.Rosters, pay & staffSunday premium in Irish hospitality: what the law requires and how to roster SundaysSunday premium in Irish hospitality: what section 14 of the Organisation of Working Time Act requires, building it into pay, and rostering Sundays fairly.Rosters, pay & staffThe 5-day statement of terms: what every new bar and kitchen starter must getThe 5-day statement of core terms for Irish pubs, restaurants and hotels: the full list including tips, the one-month statement, changes, and a checklist.Rosters, pay & staffThe Christmas roster in Irish hospitality: public holidays, leave and rest over the busiest fortnightPlan your Christmas roster in Ireland: the three festive public holidays, what staff who work them get, leave requests, rest rules and key 2026 dates.Rosters, pay & staffThe Organisation of Working Time Act in hospitality: breaks, rest, the 48-hour week and recordsThe Organisation of Working Time Act for Irish pubs, restaurants and hotels: breaks, 11 hours' rest, the 48-hour average, night work and records to keep.Rosters, pay & staffThe Tips and Gratuities Act: what Irish pubs, restaurants and hotels must doThe Tips and Gratuities Act 2022 for Irish pubs and restaurants: card tips, service charges, the displayed notice, tips statements and how tips are taxed.Rosters, pay & staffWRC inspections in hospitality: what happens and how to prepareWhat a WRC inspection looks like for an Irish pub, restaurant or hotel: the records inspectors ask for, announced and unannounced visits, and what follows.Rosters, pay & staffZero-hours contracts and banded hours in Irish hospitalityZero-hours contracts in Ireland: when they're banned, the 25% or 15-hour payment, €42.45 when sent home, casual staff and banded hours A to H explained.
Food safety & allergens
FSAI rules, HACCP and Safe Catering, temperatures, written allergen information and HSE EHO inspections.
Food safety & allergensA food safety records app for Irish kitchens, pubs and cafésA food safety records app for Irish kitchens: temperature logs, daily checks and Safe Catering style records on a phone, ready when the HSE EHO calls.Food safety & allergensAllergen matrix template for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafésFree allergen matrix template for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafés: the 14 allergens in the FSAI's order, a worked menu, and the customer-facing wording.Food safety & allergensAllergen rules in Ireland: what restaurants, pubs and cafés must tell customersAllergen rules for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafés: written info for each dish under S.I. 489 of 2014, the 14 allergens, QR codes, drinks, online orders.Food safety & allergensAn allergen app for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafésAn allergen app for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafés: every dish mapped to the 14 allergens and searchable by floor staff, alongside S.I. 489/2014.Food safety & allergensEHO inspection checklist: how to prepare for an HSE food inspection in IrelandHow HSE EHO inspections work in Ireland: what they check, the records to have ready, how visits are graded, and what follows, from advice to closure.Food safety & allergensFood handler sickness exclusion in Ireland: reporting, the 48-hour rule and returning to workSick food handlers in Ireland: reporting vomiting or diarrhoea by law, FSAI's 48 hours symptom-free rule, the SC7 fitness to work form and a safe return.Food safety & allergensFood safety training in Ireland: the legal duty, the FSAI levels and keeping recordsFood safety training for Irish restaurants and pubs: the legal duty, FSAI Level 1, 2 and 3 skills, induction before staff handle food, training records.Food safety & allergensFridge temperature rules in Ireland: 5°C for chilled food, -18°C for freezersFridge and freezer temperatures for Irish food businesses: FSAI's 0°C to 5°C and -18°C, how often to check, probe or display, and what to do when it's out.Food safety & allergensFSAI enforcement orders explained: closure orders, prohibition orders and compliance noticesFSAI enforcement orders explained: closure, improvement and prohibition orders, compliance notices, how long they're listed, 2025 totals, how to avoid one.Food safety & allergensHACCP for restaurants in Ireland: the legal duty, the seven principles and Safe CateringHACCP for Irish restaurants: the legal duty, the 7 principles in a small kitchen, the FSAI Safe Catering Pack and what an HSE EHO checks on a visit.Food safety & allergensHot holding, cooling and reheating: the FSAI temperatures for Irish kitchensFSAI temperatures for Irish kitchens: cook to 75°C, hot hold above 63°C or use within 2 hours, cool into the fridge within 2 hours, reheat once to 70°C.Food safety & allergensKitchen cleaning schedule template for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafésFree kitchen cleaning schedule for Irish restaurants, pubs and cafés, based on FSAI guidance: six stages of cleaning, and daily, weekly and monthly tasks.Food safety & allergensThe Safe Catering Pack record sheets: SC1 to SC9, on paper or digitalThe FSAI Safe Catering Pack record sheets, SC1 to SC9: what each one records, keeping them on paper or digitally, and what an app can and can't replace.
Opening a venue
Notifying the HSE, opening a restaurant or café, and pub licensing basics in Ireland.
Opening a venueHow to open a café in Ireland: a copyable opening checklistA copyable checklist for opening a café in Ireland: Revenue, HSE notification, HACCP, allergens, staff paperwork, café VAT rates and temperature records.Opening a venueHow to open a restaurant in Ireland: the legal and practical steps, in orderHow to open a restaurant in Ireland in order: Revenue and company set-up, HSE notification, HACCP, allergens, licences, staff contracts and 9% VAT.Opening a venueHow to register a food business in Ireland: notifying the HSE before you openHow to register a food business in Ireland: notify the HSE before you trade, what the form asks for, when approval applies and what happens next.Opening a venuePub licences and opening hours in Ireland: what the law says in 2026Pub licensing in Ireland explained: publican's licences, court certificates, renewal, legal opening hours, special exemption orders, under-18s and MUP.
Running the venue
Checklists, VAT, safety statements, accident reporting, inductions and GP on drinks.
Running the venueAccident and incident reporting to the HSA for Irish pubs, restaurants and hotelsWhen an accident in an Irish pub, restaurant or hotel must be reported to the HSA: the 3-day rule, members of the public, deadlines, IR1 and a record log.Running the venueEmployment permits and the right to work in Irish hospitalityWho can work in an Irish pub, restaurant or hotel without a permit: EEA, Swiss and UK citizens, Stamp 4, student hour limits, chef permits and the records.Running the venueGP on drinks in an Irish pub: how to work it out, with euro examplesWork out GP on drinks in an Irish pub: take off 23% VAT, cost each serve, and check pints, spirits and wine by the glass against minimum unit pricing.Running the venuePub opening and closing checklist for Irish pubsA free, copyable pub opening and closing checklist for Ireland: legal closing times, under-18s, allergens, temperatures, tips policy, cash-up and lock-up.Running the venueSafety statements and risk assessments for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafésSafety statements and risk assessments for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafés: what the 2005 Act requires, the free BeSMART.ie tool, hazards and reviews.Running the venueStaff induction checklist for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafésA free staff induction checklist for Irish pubs, restaurants and cafés: 5-day statement, PPS number, Revenue, tips policy, safety, food safety and breaks.Running the venueVAT rates for hospitality in Ireland: food, drinks, takeaway and roomsVAT rates for Irish hospitality since 1 July 2026: 9% on food, hot takeaway and coffee, 23% on drinks, 13.5% on rooms, with worked till examples in euro.Running the venueWhat is ShiftComplete? A plain-English guide for Irish venuesWhat ShiftComplete is for Irish pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels: rosters, temperature logs, allergens and checklists, €1.99 per staff member.