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Pay transparency in Ireland

Pre-existing regime Last verified 7 August 2026 High confidence

  • Pay information requests Pending

    Employees can ask for their own pay level and the averages for colleagues doing equal or equal-value work, broken down by sex.

  • Salary history questions are banned

    Applicants learn the pay range before the interview, and employers may not ask what they earn today.

Ireland already has a mandatory gender pay gap reporting regime, built on the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 and updated by regulations including S.I. No. 212/2025. Employers with more than 50 employees must report their gender pay gap annually. This is a pre-existing national law, not something created by the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

The broader Directive obligations, things like salary range disclosure in job ads and a ban on asking about salary history, are covered by a separate General Scheme of Equality Acts amendments. That General Scheme is a published draft. It is not yet law, so none of its proposed duties bind employers today.

In short: Ireland’s status is mixed. One part of the picture is settled and in force, the other part is still being drafted.

The measure

Law or measure
Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 and regulations, including S.I. No. 212/2025; General Scheme of Equality Acts amendments for recruitment transparency
Core obligations start
Pending
Who is covered
Existing gender pay gap reporting applies to employers with more than 50 employees; broader Directive duties remain pending

What the law requires

  • Pay range before the interview
  • Salary history questions banned
  • Gap reporting from 50 employees

1 further dimension is still being verified against official sources.

How Ireland differs from the Directive

Ireland's gender-pay-gap reporting threshold is 50 employees under S.I. No. 212/2025. Reports are annual and must be published within five months of the June snapshot. Broader Directive transposition remains incomplete.

On at least one point the national rules go beyond the Directive minimum, so preparing to the EU baseline alone is not enough here.

What this means for employers

If you employ more than 50 people in Ireland, your annual gender pay gap reporting obligation is already real and ongoing. It runs on a June snapshot, with publication due within five months of that snapshot. This part of your compliance calendar does not change while the Directive legislation is still being finalised.

The proposed recruitment transparency measures, salary ranges in job postings and a ban on salary history questions, would add new duties if the General Scheme becomes law as drafted. They are not obligations yet, but they are worth preparing for now rather than waiting for a final text. There is also a right for employees to receive certain pay information, though the details of that right have not yet been confirmed.

  • Keep your existing gender pay gap reporting on track at the 50-employee threshold, on the usual annual cycle.
  • Watch the reporting portal guidance closely. As of May 2026, legislation to make the government portal mandatory for the 2026 cycle was still being drafted.
  • Start reviewing job advertisements and hiring practices against the proposed salary range and salary history rules, so you are not starting from zero if they pass.
  • Track the General Scheme’s progress through the legislative process, since it will also introduce equal-value and joint pay assessment processes once finalised.
  • Note the two Irish authorities involved: the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Workplace Relations Commission, alongside the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission as equality body.

Enforcement and open questions

Competent authority
Department of Children, Disability and Equality; Workplace Relations Commission
Equality body
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
What could still change
Official guidance updated 13 May 2026 stated that legislation was still being drafted to make use of the government portal mandatory for the 2026 reporting cycle.

Common questions

Does Ireland already require gender pay gap reporting?

Yes. Under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 and regulations including S.I. No. 212/2025, employers with more than 50 employees must report their gender pay gap annually. Reports are due within five months of the June snapshot date.

Are salary ranges required in Irish job ads yet?

Not yet. A rule requiring salary range disclosure is included in a General Scheme of Equality Acts amendments, but that is a published draft, not law. Employers should watch its progress rather than treat it as a current obligation.

Is asking about salary history banned in Ireland?

A salary history ban is proposed as part of the same General Scheme covering recruitment transparency. It is not yet in force, so there is no legal ban on asking candidates about salary history today.

What is the employee threshold for Ireland's pay reporting law?

The existing gender pay gap reporting law applies to employers with more than 50 employees. This threshold is set by the pre-existing national regime, separate from the still-pending Directive transposition.

Who enforces pay transparency rules in Ireland?

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Workplace Relations Commission are the competent authorities. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission acts as the national equality body.

What should employers in Ireland do next?

Continue your existing annual gender pay gap reporting at the 50-employee threshold and keep an eye on remaining Directive legislation. Guidance updated in May 2026 noted that rules to make the government reporting portal mandatory for 2026 were still being drafted.

Author

Julius Aho

Co-founder, CTO

Julius Aho is the co-founder and CTO of Evenpay. At Evenpay he is responsible for product, engineering and AI, building the tools that make fair pay the default.