Our Thriving Stories series dives into the real-life experiences of members in our profession and what they do to prioritise their wellbeing. Here, we hear from Meabh Cahill, Tax Associate at Grant Thornton NI Director and chair of the Institute's student society, CASSI. How do you prioritize your mental health, and what helps you manage stress? Mental health is an important topic to me as I believe it affects us as much as our physical health. I prioritise my mental health by using practices in my life that help me to be mindful such as yoga, being outside or even reading a book. Taking some time away from the stresses of life to be away from stressing thoughts or away from a screen is really key for me to manage stress. What role does physical activity play in your daily routine, and how do you stay motivated to maintain it? Physical activity plays a big part in my daily routine. I enjoy being outdoors whether this is walking, running, alone or in company, even a 20-minute period spent outside can have a big impact on feeling energised and reset. I play team sports such as tag and touch rugby which help me to get out of my head and think about something other than work or study for a few hours. Motivation is hard so I would say focus on how you will feel after getting out, count to 5 and get out the door! You will never regret doing it but you might regret it if you don’t. What are some self-care practices you incorporate into your life, and how do they benefit you? It might sound odd but the biggest self-care practice I do for myself is to plan and follow a routine where possible. I know I feel at my best when I am in a routine, and I give myself time to enjoy the little things in life like watching a move in the evening. If I know I need to do something the worst thing I can do for my self-care is procrastinate and put the task off as this causes two issues: the actual task and now the guilty feeling about not having done the task! By planning and sticking to a routine I can spend time doing things I love like sport or seeing my friends and not feel guilty about the tasks I should be doing. What do you think are the biggest barriers we face when it comes to discussing their health and wellbeing? I think we often don’t want to burden others with our problems, so we don’t share how we are feeling, or we feel embarrassed about our feelings. We might find that if we share more often, the reverse might be true in that people can relate with what we are feeling and it might give a friend or family member to confide in you and open up more about their own feelings. What are some areas of your health and wellbeing that you’d like to focus on or improve in the coming year? I would like to try and focus on trying some new activities and having new experiences in 2025. I believe that trying new things and putting yourself outside of your comfort zones can teach you how to deal with difficult feelings and overcoming fear. Sometimes it is easier said than done but that is the plan!

The Chartered Accountants Ireland second level 2025 “Boot Camp” schools’ programme has drawn to a close, with almost 10,000 students participating nationwide since its launch in 2019. Students from around the country gathered in Chartered Accountants House this week where the winners of the “Be the Boss” challenge, the culmination of Boot Camp, were announced. “Be the Boss”, sponsored by GRID Finance, is a gamified business simulation exercise in which entrants take on the role of CEO of their own fictitious company. They must tackle a business crisis by applying the learnings from Boot Camp, including interpreting financial statements, problem solving, collaboration and leadership skills to develop a solution to overcome the challenge and justify their rationale. Commenting, Boot Camp programme creator Brian Feighan said “The real learning in Be the Boss comes not from working out specific answers but from the decision-making journey. Be the Boss challenges students to research and evaluate information, assess risks and benefits and then think critically about the results. They need to be creative in how they solve problems and exercise good judgement and commercial awareness. “Boot Camp and Be the Boss show what it’s like to run a real business – you must both work with others and think independently. Crucially, you must also be confident in your information. As the world becomes ever more complex, these essential business skills set great business leaders apart and they will serve all these great students well in their lives and professional careers.” Presenting the prize, Immediate Past President of Chartered Accountants Ireland Sinead Donovan said “I congratulate the more than 60 entrants to this year’s challenge. The talent and knowledge evidenced in all these submissions show the students’ vitality and enthusiasm, nurtured by their teachers and schools who are so important in supporting this profession. This opportunity to see the next generation of leaders at work is inspiring, and equally, it gives them the opportunity to see what being a Chartered Accountant is all about. “With the future of the profession in mind, Chartered Accountants Ireland, under the auspices of the CCAB-I, recently contributed our views to the public consultation on the new specification for Leaving Certificate Accounting currently being developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). The publication of a revised specification marks an important step forward in modernising the teaching of accounting at second level and contains a series of new themes in the areas of sustainability, digital technology and ethics that more closely align the curriculum’s subject matter with the work of the modern accountant. The students at our awards ceremony this week truly represent the future of the profession.” Boot Camp can be taken by full class groups or solo students, either independently or with teacher guidance. It can be taken as an introduction to accounting in TY or as revision in 5th and 6th year. Several large employers who take work experience students in their firms have also used Boot Camp as an introduction to their work. Boot Camp is open for enrolment - https://chartered-bootcamp.teachable.com or contact Veronica.Byrne@charteredaccountants.ie Finalists First prize: The winning team were from transition year in Edmund Rice College in Carrigaline, who entered the competition having completed the Boot Camp online course with support from their teacher. Second prize: Kristiana Bogdonova from Mercy College Coolock who completed the challenge with support from her teacher, Rachel Shaughnessy.   Third prize: Olivia Fahey from The Teresian School in Dublin 4 who completed the challenge independently as a solo student. Commendations Jack White, Matteo Binay and Timon Kozlovs – Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline Shreya Rajesh and Martina Gibas – St Mary's,Edenderry Molly Hennessy Murphy – St Mary's, New Ross Jamie Kennedy – Glanmire Community College Nil Sevin – Loreto College, St Stephen's Green (Work experience participant with Grant Thornton) Tristan Sextan, Jacob Molloy and Molly McElroy – Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline You can view photos from the awards event here.

Chartered Accountants Ireland is excited to announce that the search for the next Chartered Star is now on! Open to members and students, Chartered Star celebrates the amazing work done by the Chartered community in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whether that’s by volunteering in your personal life, driving change in your workplace or through leveraging your ACA qualification in some way. As well as being awarded the prestigious ‘Chartered Star’ title and joining an incredible community, the winner will get the once in a lifetime chance to attend the One Young World Summit in Munich, Germany this November (3 – 6 November 2025), representing Chartered Accountants Ireland and Chartered Accountants Worldwide.  The One Young World Summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact, through four transformative days of speeches, panels, workshops and networking.  Learn more about Chartered Star here.

In Irish news this week, Revenue has published its Annual Report for 2024 and the rescheduled commencement date for auto-enrolment has been announced. In UK news, last week’s Spring tax update announced a range of measures including a one year delay to mandatory payrolling of benefits-in-kind and HMRC has announced the closure of a range of online forums. In International news, the OECD has published its annual report of taxes paid on wages in OECD countries. Ireland 1. Revenue has released its Annual Report for 2024 together with relevant research and statistical papers.  2. The new start date for auto-enrolment has been confirmed as 1 January 2026. UK 3. Read about the tax announcements in last week’s Spring 2025 tax update including the one year delay to April 2027 for mandatory payrolling of benefits in kind. 4. HMRC has announced the closure of its agent and taxpayer online forums. International 5. The OECD has published its annual report of taxes levied on wages in member countries. 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. You can also read this week’s EU exit corner here.  

Last week, the Institute was proud to win Best Learning and Development Programme at the Irish HR Champion Awards for its innovative virtual reality (VR) experience. This groundbreaking combination of the latest technologies and traditional learning provides learners of audit with a unique perspective that can set them apart. The programme - developed with the Metaverse team at Sia and funded by Skillnet Ireland - addresses the very real challenge of equipping junior and trainee auditors with Professional Scepticism (PS) skills. The VR simulation puts learners into the role and persona of a junior auditor conducting an external audit, allowing them to practice PS in realistic scenarios that mirror the complexities of real-world audit environments.  Presenting the Award, Maurice Whelan, Founder and CEO of Unleash Potential Ireland, said:  “Tonight’s Learning and Development Award celebrates a programme that didn’t just raise the bar — it completely reimagined it. This organisation tackled one of the most complex challenges in professional education head-on, fusing cutting-edge Virtual Reality technology with real-world expertise to deliver a truly immersive, transformative learning experience. By embracing bold innovation and setting a global first in their field, they have not only elevated their own members’ development but captured the attention of top universities and industry leaders alike. They’ve shown that when technology meets vision and collaboration, the results can be nothing short of groundbreaking”.  

With exam season kicking off this month, it can be an extremely overwhelming and pressured time for students. Dee France, Thrive’s Wellbeing Lead, shares her advice on handling exam stress and anxiety  It is a perfectly normal experience to feel worried and stressed when faced with impending exams or any type of performance situation.  A healthy and ordinary amount of stress can even be good for you, giving you the motivation to push through and keep you focused. However, when worry, self-doubt, fear of failure and the pressure to perform well become too intense, they can interfere negatively with exam preparation and performance.  As feelings of stress push past optimal levels, it can have a devastating effect on our concentration, and our ability to learn, remember and demonstrate what we know.  Causes of exam anxiety  To effectively manage anxiety, it is important to understand why you are feeling this way. There are many variables that may contribute to and relate to these feelings:  Past experience with exams;  Poor preparation, inexperience undergoing exams and unfamiliarity with exam and study techniques;  Poor self-care, such as bad sleep habits, unhealthy eating, lack of exercise and limited relaxation time; Intrusive and unhelpful thinking patterns such as saying to yourself, “I can’t do this” or “I’m going to fail”;  Strong sense of failure; or  Extreme pressure to achieve placed on you by yourself or others. Tips for handling exam anxiety  How you spend your time leading up to your exams can have a huge knock-on effect on your anxiety and stress levels.  Routine  Essential to managing anxiety and stress when faced with exams is creating a study routine early in the year as opposed to haphazardly cramming a year’s worth of learning into a few days.  Design a study schedule and map out how you will spend your days.  Schedule your study time in short, succinct time blocks with a 10-minute break for every hour.  It is important to have a hard stop each evening to allow some time to unwind, and block out a day each week that is revision free. By carving out a comprehensive and realistic schedule, you will focus better, feel in control and be less likely to procrastinate.  Being prepared will help you feel more relaxed and confident and goes a long way to easing stress levels and keeping your nerves in check. Mind and body  When we are busy, other parts of our life can be easily neglected, and we can forget to take care of ourselves.  When it comes to managing anxiety and stress, nourishing your mind and body should not be underestimated.  It is important not to push yourself too hard or overlook your needs.  Regular exercise, eating well and sleeping properly are some of the most effective stress relievers at our disposal and are essential for being at our best physically, mentally and emotionally.  Incorporating fundamental self-care practices into your study routine can ease the pressure of trying to balance your time with other vital activities. Relax  To relieve symptoms of anxiety and stress, practise deep breathing or other relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or yoga to help calm the body, alter the body’s response to anxiety and release tension.  In general, relaxation techniques are about refocusing your attention and increasing awareness in the body. It is a good idea to engage in these activities when you are relaxed and practise regularly to reap the benefits.  Ask for help  If you are overwhelmed by upcoming exams, you might find it helpful to share how you are feeling.  At Thrive, we witness a spike in students contacting our services at this time of year regarding exam stress and anxiety, which is one of the most common concerns students are dealing with.  Thrive is the Institute’s dedicated well-being hub, which is freely accessible to all students.  The hub provides a wide range of services tailored to our students' well-being, such as wellness coaching and professional counselling. All services are delivered in complete confidence and are available at any stage of your journey with the Institute.  For more advice or information, check out Thrive’s dedicated wellbeing hub.  Alternatively, you can contact the Wellbeing team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or phone: (+353) 86 0243294

Revenue has updated the its guidance on Section 31D - Cancellation schemes of arrangement to reflect the increase provided by Finance Act 2024 in the Stamp Duty rates relating to the acquisition of residential property.

Revenue has updated its guidance on investment undertakings to confirm that a refund of tax is available where the income arises or is derived from the investment of a relevant payment by a relevant woman as defined in section 2 of Cervical Check Tribunal Act 2019. The manual has also been updated to include reference to the guidance on the Tax Treatment of CervicalCheck Payments.

Last week’s Spring 2025 tax update, badged by HMRC as the TUSAR (‘Tax Update on Simplification, Administration and Reform’), included a range of measures and also announced that the mandatory payrolling of benefits-in-kind (BIKs) is being delayed one year to commence from the revised date of April 2027. This follows concerns expressed by stakeholders, including this Institute, that there was insufficient time to prepare. Chartered Accountants Ireland is represented on the HMRC Employer and Payroll stakeholder forum which discusses such matters. Below we outline some of what was announced last week in the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s Written Ministerial Statement. Information on all the TUSAR measures announced can also be found in the Tax update 2025 page on GOV.UK.   Mandatory payrolling of BIKs HMRC has published an updated technical note which provides more operational information on how employers can work towards adapting to these changes in time for April 2027.  Valuation Office Agency   Functions of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) will be integrated with HMRC by April 2026. According to the Government, moving the VOA’s functions into HMRC will help to improve the experience of taxpayers. This change also aims to deliver change more quickly and effectively, by combining the expertise and experience of both organisations in policy, valuations and programme delivery.   Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA) criteria changes As previously announced, the Government intends to change ITSA income reporting thresholds within this parliament. This will change how taxpayers report income below the thresholds to HMRC. The £1,000 tax-free trading income allowance will remain the same. This change will align three ITSA reporting thresholds for income at £3,000 (gross) each by:  increasing the ITSA reporting threshold for gross trading income from £1,000 to £3,000, increasing the reporting threshold for other taxable income from £2,500 to £3,000, and creating a single reporting threshold for property income at £3,000 gross (currently £2,500 profit or £10,000 gross income). The Capital Goods Scheme (CGS) Legislation will be introduced to increase the VAT CGS threshold for land, buildings and civil engineering works from £250,000 to £600,000 (exclusive of VAT). Computers will no longer be CGS assets. These changes will take effect at a later date within this parliament. Tax Administration Framework Review (TAFR) As part of the TAFR, the Government also published a summary of responses to the October 2024 consultation on new ways to tackle non-compliance which the Institute responded to in January 2025. This consultation explores ways to simplify and modernise HMRC’s approach to correcting taxpayer inaccuracies. The response document sets out the government response and next steps for HMRC which includes further considering reform of revenue correction powers, approaches to taxpayer self-correction and longer-term work to develop and test policy options to harmonise and simplify compliance powers across tax regimes. Combined with the newly launched consultation on improving HMRC’s approach to dispute resolution, the Governments says that the publication of these documents, along with other announced last week, represent a significant milestone in TAFR policy development. HMRC is holding a launch event for the above two documents at 10:00 – 10:45 on Thursday 15 May. This will provide a brief overview of the contents of the documents, how you can get involved and provide feedback. If you would like to attend, please email tafrcompliance@hmrc.gov.uk. HMRC will also be holding two online workshops on improving HMRC’s approach to dispute resolution, over the consultation period. Dates and further details about the workshops will be available soon. A range of consultation outcomes, new consultations and reviews were also announced details of which are summarised here (the information herein is taken verbatim from HMRC email and publications).

Revenue has published a new Stamp Duty manual Section 8C – Expression of Doubt which provides guidance on the expression of doubt facility. An expression of doubt can be submitted where there is a genuine doubt about the Stamp Duty treatment of an instrument. Where an expression of doubt is considered valid and genuine, and it subsequently transpires that Stamp Duty was underpaid in relation to the matter to which the expression of doubt relates, interest will not be applied to the underpaid taxes. The guidance outlines the steps involved in making a valid expression of doubt and the circumstances in which an expression of doubt will not be considered genuine by Revenue.

The Tax Appeals Commission (TAC) published its Annual Report for 2024, which provides details of the appeals processed in 2024. The TAC closed 1,711 appeals last year, valued at €355 million, noting that for the sixth year running the Commission closed more appeals than it received, reducing the number of appeals on hand from 1,141 to 711. Of the 1,711 appeals closed during 2024, 595 were settled, 628 were withdrawn by the appellant and 268 cases were either refused, dismissed or merged. 180 determinations were issued in relation to the remaining cases with a value of €34 million. Income tax appeal cases gave rise to 45 percent of the total appeal cases, with capital gains tax and VAT accounting for 13 percent and 11 percent respectively. The duration of the hearings ranged from a half day to three weeks, with 59 hearings scheduled remotely in 2024 compared to 162 in the previous year. During 2024 the Appeal Commissioners signed 11 cases stated pursuant to section 949AQ TCA 1997 to enable determinations to be appealed to the High Court. Of these 11 cases, 8 were requested by Appellants and 3 by the Revenue Commissioners. Commenting on the report, Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe welcomed its publication and acknowledged the vital service provided by the TAC as providers of a fair and accessible alternative to the courts for tax appeals.

From 30 June 2025, HMRC will be closing its online forums for both agents and taxpayers. Following discussions with stakeholders, including this Institute, and a review of both the agent and taxpayer online forums, HMRC has taken the decision to close both with effect from this date. According to HMRC, this decision reflects the increasing popularity of “newer, superior digital support channels and a move to modernise and improve the online services we offer”. In preparation for the closure, the forums will stop accepting new queries from early June 2025. Agent online forum As an alternative to the agent online forum, HMRC is reminding agents that a range of digital support channels are available which aim to offer tailored support to agents: Webchat - an agent only channel which aims to offer a faster alternative to phoning, @HMRCCustomers on ‘X’ (formerly twitter) - for help with general queries, Talking Points webinars - for information on a range of subjects with opportunities for participants to submit questions, The tax agents’ handbook – contains information to help tax agents and advisers find guidance, use HMRC services and contact HMRC, The HMRC service dashboard – provides information on current service levels for post and online queries, and The Agent Update - a monthly online publication of information specifically for the agent community. Taxpayer online forum Taxpayers can direct queries to the alternative digital support channels listed below. These also aim to offer a range of tailored support for queries. To ask a question: Visit contact HMRC, select the area you would like to contact and click ‘Ask HMRC online’. HMRC’s digital assistant can help with a variety of self-assessment and tax payment queries. If your query cannot be answered by the digital assistant, it will be escalated to an advisor, Contact @HMRCcustomers on X. For guidance and information: GOV.UK provides comprehensive written guidance and interactive products and guides, Access a range of recorded webinars and signup to receive notification of future webinars, Use the HMRC App as a quick and easy way to get information about your tax, and National Insurance, and Watch HMRC’s YouTube videos. According to HMRC, the closure of the forums aligns with HMRC's Digital Channel Strategy and will also allow HMRC to redirect resource to support its most popular channels and develop technologies that meet current and future needs.