Is €50 really the only fee I have to pay to the CRO?

For the incorporation itself, yes. The Form A1 costs €50 filed online, and paper filing isn't available anymore. If you also register a business name (a trading name different from your company's registered name), that's a separate €20 filing (Form RBN1B). Everything beyond that is a service fee, not a state fee.

Do I need a registered office service?

Only if you don't already have a physical business address in Ireland. Every company must have a registered office in the State, and it has to be a real location, not a PO box. Many accountants and formation agents offer this as an add-on service.

How much does it cost if I file my annual return late?

The CRO charges a late filing fee of €100 plus €3 for every day the return remains outstanding, up to a maximum of €1,200 per return. Filing on time is the cheapest option by far, and your first return is due exactly 6 months after incorporation.

Is the incorporation fee the same for every company type?

This article covers the LTD, a private company limited by shares under the Companies Act 2014, which is the standard choice for most small businesses. The €50 online A1 fee applies to that filing route.

Cost to Set Up a Limited Company in Ireland (2026)

Q: What is the Section 137 bond and do I need it?

You need it if none of the company's directors is resident in Ireland or another EEA state. The company must hold a bond to the value of €25,000, valid for at least two years. You pay a premium for that cover rather than the full €25,000 upfront.

If you've priced out setting up a limited company in Ireland, you've probably seen numbers anywhere from €50 to well over a thousand euro for what sounds like the same thing. That range is confusing on purpose, because most formation packages don't explain what's actually included. Here's the short version: the fee you pay to the state is small and fixed. Almost everything else you're quoted is a service fee, and it varies by provider, not by law.

In short

The only fee you pay directly to the state for incorporation is the CRO's Form A1 fee: €50, filed online (paper filing is no longer accepted)

Registering a business name costs a separate €20, and only applies if you trade under a name different from your registered company name

Formation agents and accountants charge separately for their own service, and those fees vary; there's no fixed market rate

If none of your directors lives in Ireland or another EEA state, you'll likely need a bond, which is a real, recurring cost most people don't budget for

The bigger costs tend to show up after incorporation, not on day one: the first annual return, accounts, payroll, and VAT compliance

The state fees: the cheapest part

Start with what the Companies Registration Office (CRO) and Revenue actually charge you directly. Incorporating a private company limited by shares (an LTD) means filing a Form A1 with the CRO. That costs €50 when filed online through CORE, the CRO's filing system. Paper filing of the A1 is no longer available, so this is effectively your only option.

If you plan to trade under a name different from your company's registered name (sometimes called a trading name), you also need to file a Form RBN1B, within one month of adopting the name. That costs €20 online.

Tax registration with Revenue, through Form TR2 or ROS eRegistration, doesn't carry a CRO-style fee. So when someone quotes you "the cost of incorporation", the actual state fee they're referring to is that €50. Everything above that number is a service you're choosing to pay for. If you're still weighing sole trader against limited company, that's a separate question with its own numbers.

Timeline is a cost too

How fast you need the company matters, because speed changes how you file. The CRO offers two routes for the A1: ordinary online filing, which produces a Certificate of Incorporation within 10 working days, and Fé Phráinn, an expedited scheme that gets you a certificate within 5 working days. If you're working to a deadline (a contract that requires a limited company, or a bank waiting on your registration), it's worth knowing this option exists, even though using it usually means filing through an accountant or formation agent rather than doing it entirely yourself.

Variable one-off costs: where the prices actually differ

This is the part formation packages rarely spell out, because none of it has a fixed price in law. What you pay depends entirely on who you use, and you should always ask for a written quote before committing to anything.

Registered office service. Every company must maintain a registered office in the State, and it has to be a physical location, not a PO box. If you don't have a business address in Ireland, you'll pay a provider (often your accountant) to use theirs.

The Section 137 bond. If none of your directors is resident in Ireland or another EEA state, the company must hold a bond to the value of €25,000, valid for at least two years. You don't pay the full €25,000; you pay a premium to a bond provider, and that premium is only a fraction of the bond's value. Our guide on non-resident directors and the EEA bond covers this in more detail.

Professional fees. Drafting the constitution properly, allocating shares, and handling the tax registrations correctly all take real time. Fees vary widely by provider and by how much complexity is involved, such as multiple shareholders or non-resident directors. Ask for one quote that covers incorporation and the first round of Revenue registrations together, not just the CRO filing on its own.

The costs people forget: what happens after incorporation

A lot of the real cost of running a limited company shows up after the company exists, not before.

The annual return (Form B1). Your first B1 is due exactly 6 months after incorporation, and it doesn't require financial statements. Every B1 after that is due annually, and financial statements are required.

Accounts preparation. Someone has to prepare the company's financial statements every year. That's a recurring professional cost, not a one-off.

Payroll, if a director takes a salary. A company must register as an employer and operate PAYE on a director's income, even if there are no other employees. That means payroll costs from year one if you're paying yourself a salary.

VAT, once you cross the threshold. Once turnover passes €42,500 for services or €85,000 for goods, you need to register for VAT and start filing returns. That's an ongoing compliance cost that begins the moment you cross the line, not something tied to incorporation itself.

The cost of being late. Miss the B1 deadline and the CRO charges a late filing fee of €100, plus €3 for every day it stays outstanding, up to a maximum of €1,200 per return. That's entirely avoidable money.

Once the company exists, budget time as well as money for first-week tasks like RBO registration and opening a business bank account.

What this means in practice

Take two founders incorporating the same type of company on the same day.

An Irish-resident freelancer moving from sole trader to limited company pays the CRO's €50 A1 fee, plus whatever their accountant charges to handle the constitution, share allocation, and Revenue tax registrations correctly. No bond is needed, because the director lives in Ireland. If they trade under a shop name different from the registered company name, add the €20 RBN1B fee.

A UK-resident founder setting up the same type of Irish company pays the same €50 A1 fee, but two extra items usually apply. Since the UK is not in the EEA, they need either an EEA-resident director on the board or the Section 137 bond, so a real, recurring cost enters the picture: the bond premium, renewed at least every two years. Without an Irish business address, they'll also pay for a registered office service. Both of those are priced by the provider, not by the state, so the final number depends entirely on who they use.

Common mistakes

Buying the cheapest formation package and assuming it's complete. Some packages cover only the CRO filing. Tax registrations with Revenue, the Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO) filing, and PAYE setup for a director's salary are often separate, and people find this out after the company already exists.

Forgetting the bond when no director lives in the EEA. This is the biggest surprise cost for founders based outside Ireland. Plan for it before you incorporate, not after the CRO queries your filing.

Treating incorporation as a one-off cost. The €50 A1 fee is the cheapest part of owning a company. Budget for the first B1 at 6 months, ongoing accounts, and VAT once you're trading at real volume.

Skipping the registered office requirement. A registered office has to be a real, physical address. Using a home address you're about to move from, or trying to use a PO box, causes problems later.

Next steps

If you're weighing up doing it yourself, buying a cheap formation package, or bringing in an accountant from day one, talk to us before you file anything. We'll walk through what your specific setup actually needs, including whether you need the bond, and give you one clear number instead of a list of surprises. Get in touch.

This article is general information, not tax advice. Your situation may be different. Talk to a qualified accountant before making decisions based on this.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Set Up a Limited Company in Ireland?