The Law Society of Ireland has announced that its new online portal for Reporting Accountants to upload an annual or closing reporting accountant’s report for a Solicitor client on to the Law Society’s system is at an advanced stage and is nearly ready to launch.  Readers can learn more on this new portal on the Law Society’s news page, Chartered Accountants Ireland understands that the Law Society will begin to directly contact all Reporting Accountants over the coming days with details on how they can register for this new Portal. This information is provided as resources and information only and nothing in these pages purports to provide professional advice or definitive legal interpretation(s) or opinion(s) on the applicable legislation or legal or other matters referred to in the pages. If the reader is in doubt on any matter in this complex area further legal or other advice must be obtained. While every reasonable care has been taken by the Institute in the preparation of these pages, we do not guarantee the accuracy or veracity of any resource, guidance, information or opinion, or the appropriateness, suitability or applicability of any practice or procedure contained therein. The Institute is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of the resources or information contained in these pages.  

On 11 November, the Ulster Society hosted the second in a series of financial wellbeing webinars in partnership with Legacy Wealth Management, aimed at helping members to boost both their advisory capabilities and their own personal financial wellbeing. This session offers a practical refresher on Inheritance Tax (IHT), covering current thresholds, exemptions, and reliefs. It explores how lifetime gifts and various trusts can help mitigate IHT liabilities, while highlighting common pitfalls and the importance of regularly reviewing wills and estate plans to stay aligned with changing tax rules and personal circumstances. A recording of this webinar is available to view, for free and on demand, HERE A pdf copy of the slides used in this presentation is available HERE

In Irish news, Revenue has issued updated guidance on the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP) and the Fiscal Monitor for October 2025 has been released. In UK news today, HMRC launches its refreshed mobile app as part of last week’s Talk Money Week and we bring the usual miscellaneous updates, as well as our regular cross-border developments and trading corner. In International news this week, the EU heads of tax administration reaffirm their commitment to cooperation between Member States. Ireland 1. Revenue has recently published updated guidance on the Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP) clarifying the limits applicable to a qualifying share option.  2. The Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have published the Fiscal Monitor for October 2025 which confirms an Exchequer deficit of €0.9 billion to the end of October. UK 3. HMRC has introduced an updated mobile app which taxpayers are being encouraged to use to access information on tax, National Insurance, and state pensions. 4. Read about recent cross-border developments and other miscellaneous updates. International 5. The annual summit of EU Tax Administrations was held last week and attended by representatives from EU member states. Keep up to date with all the latest Irish, UK, and international tax developments through Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Tax Newsletter. Subscribe to the Tax News by updating your preferences in MyAccount.

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has issued International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (UK) 5000, “General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements”, which provides UK companies, investors and assurance providers with a consistent, internationally aligned assurance standards for voluntary use in sustainability assurance engagements. ISSA (UK) 5000 is a UK version of the global benchmark standard for sustainability assurance, developed by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). Its introduction for use in the UK demonstrates the FRC’s continued support for globally aligned assurance standards that underpin quality assurance engagements. The Standard provides comprehensive requirements for conducting sustainability assurance engagements, applicable to both limited and reasonable assurance, and is designed to be profession-agnostic. The UK Standard is intended for voluntary use by UK assurance providers and aligns with the international standard.

Revenue has updated guidance on Relevant Contracts Tax for Principal Contractors to include links to related resources to assist in the determination of the employment status of subcontractors.

Revenue has updated guidance on PAYE settlement agreements  to include a new section  relating to the repayment of overpaid income tax, PRSI and USC in respect of prior years. Where the taxpayer (in this case, the employer) has overpaid an amount of tax under the settlement agreement a claim for repayment can be made subject to the four-year time limit. Revenue intends contacting taxpayers who entered into settlement agreements for the tax years, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Employers seeking a refund must review the correspondence received from Revenue, write to the appropriate Revenue division in line with the instructions included in the correspondence and include all requested documentation. Each refund claim will be assessed individually based on its specific facts and circumstances and if a refund is approved, Revenue confirms in the guidance that interest of 0.011 percent per day will be paid from the date the tax was originally paid until the refund is issued under Section 865A(1) TCA 1997. The example in the guidance has also been updated to reflect PRSI rates applicable from 1 October 2025.

Revenue has updated its guidance on income tax relief for health insurance covering medical and /or dental benefits to outline an administrative practice that will take effect from 1 January 2026.  From this date, Revenue will accept that the standard rate of tax, currently 20 percent, will apply to all health insurance policies providing medical cover. This rate will be applied to the lesser of the premium paid or the applicable cap. Prior to 1 January 2026, where a health insurance policy covers both eligible and ineligible benefits for income tax relief purposes under section 469 TCA 1999, a blended rate of tax relief is applied. The pre-1 January 2026 position will continue to apply to health insurance policies providing dental cover. The guide provides examples of the pre and post 1 January 2026 position in section two. From an administrative perspective, the guidance has been renamed and details relating to the tax treatment of premium refunds made due to Covid-19 has been removed as it is no longer relevant. Revenue contact details in respect of claims by authorised insurers has also been updated in the guidance.

In this week’s cross-border trading corner, we bring you the latest guidance updates and publications. The most recent Trader Support Service bulletin is also available, as is the latest Brexit and Beyond newsletter from the Northern Ireland Assembly EU Affairs team. Miscellaneous guidance updates and publications This week’s miscellaneous guidance updates and publications are as follows: CDS Declaration Completion Instructions for Imports Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme registered businesses list External temporary storage facilities codes for Data Element 5/23 of the Customs Declaration Service Data Element 2/3: Documents and Other Reference Codes (Union) of the Customs Declaration Service Check if a business holds Authorised Economic Operator status Additional Information (AI) Statement Codes for Data Element 2/2 of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) Reference Documents for The Customs Tariff (Preferential Trade Arrangements) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 Check if you can claim a waiver for goods brought into Northern Ireland HMRC email updates, videos and webinars for VAT Designated land, sea and air ports for trading or moving CITES-listed endangered species

The Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have published the Fiscal Monitor for October 2025 confirming an Exchequer deficit of €0.9 billion to the end of October. This compares to a surplus of €1.3 billion recorded for the same period last year and is impacted by receipts arising from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in the Apple State Aid case. When these receipts are excluded from total receipts in 2024 and 2025, an underlying deficit of €4.2 billion was recorded which represents a deterioration of €2.3 billion on the same period last year. Tax receipts collected to the end of October were €78.8 billion, which was €2.4 billion higher than the same period in 2024. Excluding the once off receipts from CJEU judgement in the Apple State Aid case, total receipts amounted to €77.0 billion, an increase of €3.8 billion on the corresponding period in 2024. Income tax receipts for the month of October were €2.9 billion which was a reduction of €0.2 billion on receipts collected in October 2024. On a year-to-date basis, receipts to the end of October of €28.7 billion were up by €1.1 billion, when compared to end of October 2024. Corporation tax receipts of €1.1 billion were collected in October, a decrease of €2.4 billion on the same month in 2024. On a cumulative basis, receipts of €21.1 billion were down by €0.3 billion on the same period last year. When the once-off CJEU receipts are excluded, cumulative corporation tax receipts to October 2025 amounted to €19.4 billion, up on the same period last year by €1.1 billion. October is not a VAT due month, with modest VAT receipts collected of €0.3 billion. Cumulative receipts of €19.1 billion were ahead by 4.3 percent on end of October last year. Commenting on the figures, Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe said: “Today’s figures are broadly consistent with the updated fiscal projections published as part of Budget 2026. Those projections, which I published on Budget Day, incorporated a substantial upward revision to revenues, mostly on corporation tax.”

In this week’s detailed miscellaneous updates which you can read more about below, we bring you updates on guidance for contractors and subcontractors within the Construction Industry Scheme, the updated VAT registrations manual, and HMRC’s agent escalation and resolutions service. HMRC email updates, videos and webinars for the Construction Industry Scheme HMRC has updated its guidance on paying tax and record keeping for the Construction Industry Scheme for contractors and subcontractors. You can subscribe to receive email updates, view webinars on various matters, and find information on fraud in the labour supply chain. HMRC updates its VAT registration manual HMRC has updated its guidance on VAT, including information on whether someone must register VAT, when they may register for VAT, and how to deal with changes to details held on the VAT register. HMRC agent escalation and resolution services HMRC has provided updated guidance on its agent services. You can read information on tracking the progress of a query and when you can expect a reply, how to use the HMRC service’s dashboard, the Agent Account Managers service, and other tools.

Finance Bill 2025 has completed its third stage through the Oireachtas with the Bill being reviewed section by section as part of the Committee Stage. The amendments arising from this review were published last week in the Finance Bill 2025 Committee Stage Amendments. The Institute, under the auspices of CCAB-I, have been actively engaging with the Department of Finance and Revenue on proposed changes and clarifications to the Finance Bill. The Committee Stage amendments provide the opportunity to address some of the concerns raised and provide additional details on proposed changes.

Last week, HMRC launched its refreshed mobile app (available on Android and iPhone) as part of Talk Money Week. HMRC encourages taxpayers to use the app to support financial conversations and get information about your tax, National Insurance and State Pension forecast. The theme of this year’s Talk Money Week was ‘start the conversation’ and the app can provide the starting point for these discussions. The app has been used by more than 5.6 million since 6 April 2025 and the most popular services used are: Checking pay before it lands in the bank account and other Pay As You Earn (PAYE) information Viewing the annual tax summary – 1.94 million users Viewing or saving their National Insurance number or checking contributions Checking their State Pension forecast Viewing the Self Assessment summary and making payments.