Budget Planner for Ireland

The Irish Salary & Budget Planner — 2026

Every budget template I could find was American. 401(k) contributions, no USC, no PRSI, and a cell marked "tax" that you're expected to fill in yourself, which is the one number nobody actually knows.

So I built my own.

Type in your gross salary, your age, and what you put into your pension. It works out your income tax, USC and PRSI on 2026 rates, shows you exactly what lands in your account each month, and then gives you twelve columns to spend it down to zero.

It's the same spreadsheet I use for the budgets in my reels. If you've watched one and thought fine, but what does that look like on my salary, this is how you find out.

What's inside

A take-home pay calculator built on 2026 rates: standard rate band, tax credits, USC bands, PRSI, and the age-related cap on pension relief.

A pension section that answers the question free calculators don't. What your contribution actually costs you after relief. How much room you have left before you hit your age limit. What your next €100 into a pension really costs.

A twelve-month budget, so annual bills sit in the month they actually land instead of being smeared across the year. Motor tax in March, insurance in June, Christmas in December. That's what a sinking fund is for and it's why most budgets fail in month two.

A summary showing where every €100 of gross pay goes, your savings rate, and your effective rate against your marginal rate, two numbers people constantly conflate.

Every rate sits on its own sheet. Nothing is locked, nothing is hidden. If Revenue changes a rule you can change one cell and the whole file follows.

What it won't do

It's a planning tool, not tax advice, and not a payroll system. It won't file anything for you and it won't tell you what to do with your money. It assumes PAYE employment — if you're self-assessed or you have rental or foreign income, this isn't built for that.

Built on 2026 rates. Budget Day is 6 October — if anything changes, you'll get the updated file free.

Excel 2016 or later required.

General info, not financial advice.