Au Pair in Ireland: The 2026 Guide

Why au pairs are employees in Ireland

In most of Europe an au pair is a cultural exchange with its own rules: pocket money, a capped number of hours, a language course. Ireland is different. Irish law has no separate legal definition of an au pair. If someone lives with a family and looks after the children in return for pay, food and a room, they are a domestic worker, and domestic workers have the same employment rights as anyone else.

This was tested in 2016, when the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) heard the case of a Spanish au pair who had been paid €100 a week plus board and lodging. The WRC found breaches of the National Minimum Wage Act, the Organisation of Working Time Act and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, and awarded her a little over €9,200 in arrears and compensation. Since then, families employing an au pair have the same obligations as any other employer.

The decision started a real debate. Some families and placement organisations argued that the traditional au pair, a young person who helps a little and lives as part of the family, no longer fits Irish law, and a private member's bill in 2016 proposed treating au pairs as cultural exchange participants outside employment law. Migrant rights and workers' groups argued this would remove protection from people doing real childcare, and the bill was opposed across parties in the Dáil. It did not pass. Today the position is settled: an au pair in Ireland is an employee.

What that means in practice is simple. For host families, an au pair in Ireland costs far more than in Germany or Spain, and comes with payroll paperwork. For au pairs, Ireland pays a real hourly wage with payslips, paid holidays and social insurance, which is unique among the major au pair countries.

Who can be an au pair in Ireland

Because an au pair is an ordinary employee, the real question is who can legally work in Ireland:

• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can take any job without a permit. There is no au pair age limit, no language test and no maximum duration in law. Most families still look for au pairs aged roughly 18 to 30 with good conversational English and childcare experience.
• UK citizens can live and work in Ireland under the Common Travel Area.
• Non-EU citizens need an immigration permission that allows work, and as explained below there is no au pair route.

If you are from Latin America and hold a Spanish, Italian or other EU passport, you are an EU citizen for these purposes. If you are under 20, note that Irish minimum wage law still allows lower rates for workers aged 18 and 19 (80% and 90% of the adult rate). Many families pay the full rate regardless, and it is a fair thing to agree up front.

Arriving as an EU au pair, step by step

1. Agree terms in writing before you travel. Hours, hourly rate, the board and lodging deduction, days off and start date. Use our host family contract template as a starting point.
2. Travel with your passport or national ID card. Ireland is not in Schengen, so there are passport checks, but EU citizens do not need a visa and do not register with immigration.
3. Apply for a PPS number. Your Personal Public Service Number is your tax and social insurance number. You apply through MyWelfare (with a MyGovID account) or at an Intreo office, with ID, proof of address (a letter from your host family can help) and evidence that you need it, such as your job offer.
4. Register your job with Revenue. In Revenue myAccount, under Jobs and Pensions, add your host family as your employer. Without this you are taxed on emergency basis until it is sorted.
5. Open a bank account. Families must be able to pay into an EU IBAN, but an Irish account or a digital bank makes daily life easier.
6. Bring your European Health Insurance Card for the first weeks and register with a local GP once you are settled.

For what the first days actually feel like, read our first week survival guide and the day in the life of an au pair in Ireland.

Non-EU au pairs: the honest picture

There is no au pair visa for Ireland, and employment permits are generally not available for work in private homes. That leaves a few narrow routes:

• Working Holiday Authorisation. Young people from Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA can apply (mostly through the Department of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan through Immigration Service Delivery) for up to one year, two for Canadians. Age limits are usually 18 to 30, up to 35 for some nationalities. Places are limited, you cannot apply from inside Ireland, private medical insurance is required, and the authorisation is for temporary work alongside a holiday.
• Stamp 2 students. Students on a full-time course on the official list can work in casual employment up to 20 hours a week during term and 40 hours during holidays (1 June to 30 September and 15 December to 15 January). Babysitting counts towards those hours, and the minimum wage still applies.
• Other permissions that already allow work, for example Stamp 4 as the partner of an Irish or EU citizen.

Anyone from outside the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland staying more than 90 days must register their permission and get an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. The registration fee is €300 unless you are exempt. Never come on a tourist entry and start working: that breaks your conditions, and the risk falls on you. Our au pair visa guide compares countries with real au pair visas.

Pay, deductions and payslips

The national minimum wage from 1 January 2026 is €14.15 per hour for workers aged 20 and over. It is checked as an average over each pay reference period (a week, a fortnight or up to a month), so every hour worked, including evening babysitting, counts.

When the family provides food and a room, a capped amount can count towards the minimum wage. These are the only amounts that can be offset this way, they must be in your contract, and they apply only if the family actually provides them:

• Board (food): €1.27 per hour worked
• Lodgings (room): €33.42 per week, or €4.77 per day

From that, the family deducts income tax (PAYE), Universal Social Charge (USC) and employee PRSI through payroll. With standard tax credits, an au pair on these earnings usually pays little income tax, and employee PRSI does not apply to weekly earnings of €352 or less. Revenue calculates the exact figures from your registered job. You must get a payslip with every payment showing gross pay and each deduction. Paying by bank transfer gives both sides a clear record.

On top of the money you have a private room, meals and household bills. Many families also cover a phone plan, a Leap card for public transport or part of an English course, but those are extras, not part of the minimum wage. Compare Ireland with other destinations in our au pair salary by country overview.

Hours, rest, holidays and sick days

The Organisation of Working Time Act applies in full:

• A maximum of 48 hours a week on average. A live-in au pair job is normally well below this, and the family must keep a record of hours worked.
• 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24 hours and 24 consecutive hours off every week.
• A 15 minute break after 4.5 hours of work and 30 minutes after 6 hours.
• Sunday work earns a premium or paid time off.
• Travelling with the family on holiday to look after the children is working time.

Annual leave: full-time employees get at least 4 working weeks of paid leave a year. Part-time au pairs earn leave pro rata, typically 8% of the hours worked, and you have the right to take two unbroken weeks. Public holidays: Ireland has 10 a year, including St Brigid's Day in February. On each you get a paid day off, an extra day's pay or another paid day off; part-time employees qualify once they have worked at least 40 hours in the previous five weeks. Sick leave: after 13 weeks with the family you are entitled to 5 days of statutory sick pay a year, at 70% of normal daily pay up to €110 a day, with a medical certificate.

Health care and insurance

There is no au pair insurance rule in Ireland, because none is needed: as an employee you pay PRSI, which builds social insurance rights in Ireland and counts alongside contributions from other EU countries. EU au pairs can use their European Health Insurance Card when they first arrive, and once living and working in Ireland you can use public health services like other residents. Visits to a family doctor (GP) usually cost money unless you hold a medical or GP visit card, so ask your family whether they will help with GP fees. Non-EU au pairs on a Working Holiday Authorisation must have private medical insurance.

For families, check that your home insurance covers people employed in your home, and that the au pair is named on your car insurance if they will drive the children. Driving licences from other EU countries are valid in Ireland; remember Ireland drives on the left.

Learning English and studying

Most au pairs choose Ireland to become fluent in English, and living in English all day does most of the work. There is no legal duty for the family to pay for a course, and course fees are not a deduction from the minimum wage. Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick all have many English schools, and evening or morning classes fit around the school run. If you want a recognised certificate, plan your hours so you can prepare for an exam. Our post on why Ireland is the best EU country to learn English as an au pair covers this in depth.

For host families: obligations and real costs

Hosting an au pair in Ireland means becoming an employer. The checklist:

1. Register as an employer with Revenue if you pay €40 or more a week (or have more than one domestic employee), using myAccount or ROS.
2. Run payroll: report each payment to Revenue on or before the day you pay, deduct PAYE, USC and employee PRSI, and pay employer PRSI. Simple payroll software can do this for one employee.
3. Give written terms: five core terms within five days of starting and a full written statement within a month.
4. Issue a payslip with every payment and keep records of hours, pay and leave for three years.
5. Respect the Code of Practice for people employed in other people's homes: a private, secure room, respect for privacy, and never holding on to your au pair's passport or documents.

Estimated monthly cost at the adult minimum wage (weekly figures multiplied by 52/12):

The PRSI range depends on how payroll treats board and lodging, so confirm it with Revenue or your payroll software. Annual leave and public holidays are paid on top of hours worked. Run your own numbers with the au pair cost calculator and see how Ireland compares in our au pair cost breakdown.

Is it worth it? Compared with a full-time nanny or long creche days for two children, a part-time live-in employee can still make sense, and paying properly attracts experienced, motivated au pairs who stay the full year. Great Irish host families keep the agreed schedule, pay on time with clear payslips, include their au pair in family life and give them real time to study and travel. Our host family guide has more on settling in.

Contract, probation and ending early

A written contract protects both sides. It should state the hourly rate, weekly hours and typical schedule, babysitting arrangements, the board and lodging deduction, days off, leave, house rules and notice. Start from the host family contract template or the printable contract, and adapt it to Irish employment law.

A probation period is common; under Irish law it should generally not exceed six months. After 13 weeks of employment, either side must give at least one week's notice, unless the contract gives more. Protection against unfair dismissal generally applies after 12 months, but some protections apply from day one, including dismissal for asserting the right to the minimum wage. If a placement is not working, talk early, agree a leaving date in writing and settle all pay and untaken holiday on the final payslip. As an au pair, you will need somewhere to stay while you look for a new family.

Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick

• Dublin: the most families, the most English schools and a big international community. Living costs and rents are the highest in Ireland, which is one reason a live-in job is attractive. Get a Leap card for Dublin Bus, Luas and DART. Many families live in the suburbs or commuter towns in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, where a car or a good bus connection matters.
• Cork: Ireland's second city, compact and friendly, with a university, a lively food scene and the coast close by. Buses cover the city; families outside it often need a driver.
• Galway: a student city on the west coast with music, festivals and access to Connemara and the Aran Islands. It is small and walkable, but expect wind and rain.
• Limerick: a mid-sized city on the Shannon with the University of Limerick, usually cheaper than Dublin, and close to Shannon Airport for cheap flights home.

Outside the cities, many families live in towns and the countryside, where you will often need to drive. Ask about transport before you accept.

Red flags and what to do

• "Pocket money" of €100 to €200 a week for 30 or more hours. That is below the minimum wage, exactly the situation in the 2016 case.
• Cash only, no payslip, no Revenue registration. You lose PRSI, tax records and proof of your hours.
• Unpaid babysitting or hours that keep growing with no record.
• Deductions above the legal caps, or for things not written in your contract.
• A family keeps your passport or asks a non-EU au pair to work on a tourist entry.

If something is wrong, raise it calmly in writing first. If it is not fixed, the Workplace Relations Commission gives free information and handles complaints; complaints must normally be made within six months. If you ever feel unsafe, leave and contact the Gardaí. Read our safety guide and red flags before saying yes.

Finding a match on DearAuPair

DearAuPair is built for direct matches within Europe. Au pairs join free, with no credit card. Families verify a card (no charge) and choose a one-time membership: €9.99 for one month, €19.99 for three or €29.99 for six, with no auto-renewal and no agency fees. Search by city, start date, languages and experience, chat on the platform, hold a video call and agree an Irish-law contract before anyone books a flight. See the membership plans or create your profile.

Coming from a specific country? Read the guides for au pairs from Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal to Ireland, or the au pair guide. Considering alternatives? Compare Ireland with the Netherlands, Malta or the UK after Brexit.