Accounting Software Ireland Setup, Training and Support for Irish Businesses

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The Accounting Software We Work With

TAS Consulting works across all major cloud accounting platforms used by Irish businesses. Each one has different strengths, and the right choice depends on your business type, transaction volume, and the level of involvement you want in your own bookkeeping.

Xero

Xero is the most widely used cloud accounting platform among Irish SMEs and professional accountants. It offers automated bank feeds, strong invoicing tools, real-time dashboard reporting, multi-currency support, and a large library of app integrations. It connects seamlessly with Dext and Hubdoc for automated receipt capture, and with payroll tools for PAYE Modernisation compliance.

Best for: SMEs, e-commerce businesses, multi-currency businesses, and companies that want strong reporting and a wide integration ecosystem.

Irish-specific strengths:

• Irish VAT rate support including 23%, 13.5%, 9%, and 0%
• Bank feeds from all major Irish banks including AIB, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, and Revolut Business
• EU VAT and OSS reporting support
• Widely used by Irish accountants your TAS Consulting team works in Xero daily

QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is a strong competitor to Xero with a clean interface that many business owners find easier to navigate independently. It has good VAT handling, solid payroll integration, and strong cash flow and reporting tools. It is particularly popular with sole traders and smaller SMEs who want to stay involved in their own financial management.

Best for: Sole traders, small limited companies, and businesses that want a user-friendly interface with strong reporting.

Irish-specific strengths:

• Good income and expense tracking for income tax self-assessment
• Irish VAT rate configuration
• PAYE payroll integration
• Bank feeds from major Irish banks

Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage has a long history in Irish accounting and its cloud version maintains a strong presence particularly among retail businesses, established SMEs, and companies transitioning from legacy Sage desktop installations. It has robust multi-user functionality and strong inventory management, which makes it well-suited to businesses with stock.

Best for: Retail businesses, medium-sized SMEs, businesses with existing Sage history, and companies with inventory management needs.

Irish-specific strengths:

• Good compatibility with EPOS (point of sale) systems used in Irish retail
• Strong Irish VAT compliance tools
• Inventory and stock management
• Multi-user access with granular permissions

FreeAgent

FreeAgent is designed specifically for contractors, freelancers, and sole traders. Its interface is deliberately simplified it focuses on invoicing, expense tracking, VAT return preparation, and income tax self-assessment rather than complex double-entry bookkeeping. Many sole traders and IT contractors manage their own FreeAgent accounts with minimal external support.

Best for: IT contractors, sole traders, freelancers, and professionals running small Personal Service Companies (PSCs).

Irish-specific strengths:

• Straightforward expense management
• Self-assessment income tax support
• Simple VAT return preparation
• Clear invoicing with payment tracking

Dext (formerly Receipt Bank)

Dext is not a full accounting system it is a document capture and automated data extraction tool that works alongside Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage. You photograph receipts and supplier invoices using the Dext mobile app. Dext reads the supplier name, amount, and VAT from the document and pushes the data automatically into your accounting software eliminating manual data entry.

Best for: Any business with a high volume of receipts and supplier invoices. Particularly valuable for construction, hospitality, and retail businesses.

Hubdoc

Hubdoc serves a similar purpose to Dext, with particularly strong capability in automatically fetching bank statements, utility bills, and supplier documents directly from online portals. It is included free with Xero subscriptions and integrates seamlessly with both Xero and QuickBooks.

Best for: Businesses that receive a high volume of recurring bills from the same suppliers utilities, telecoms, subscriptions.

Surf Accounts

Surf Accounts is an Irish-developed cloud accounting platform built specifically for the Irish market. It supports Irish VAT rates, integrates with Revenue Online Service (ROS), and includes invoicing, inventory, payroll, and CRM in a single platform. Because it is built for Ireland, it handles Irish-specific accounting requirements without the configuration that sometimes applies to international platforms.

Best for: Irish SMEs that want a platform built natively for the Irish tax and compliance environment particularly businesses that value ROS integration and local support.

Big Red Cloud

Big Red Cloud is another Irish-developed accounting platform with a long track record in the Irish SME market. It is a desktop-based system with cloud connectivity, which makes it familiar to businesses that prefer a more traditional accounting environment while still having online access. Strong in payroll, invoicing, and VAT.

Best for: Irish SMEs that prefer an Irish-developed platform with a familiar desktop-style interface and strong local support.

What TAS Consulting Does for You

Buying an accounting software licence is straightforward. Getting it set up correctly, configured for Irish VAT and payroll, integrated with your bank, and used consistently that is where most businesses need support.

Here is what TAS Consulting provides:

Software Selection Advice: We review your business type, transaction volume, sector, team size, and budget and recommend the most appropriate platform. We do not push any single product we recommend what genuinely suits your situation.

Setup and Configuration: We set up your chart of accounts, configure your Irish VAT codes (23%, 13.5%, 9%, 0%), connect your bank feeds, and ensure your payroll integration is compliant with Revenue’s PAYE Modernisation system. Getting the initial configuration right is the most important step incorrect setup causes errors that compound over time.

Data Migration: If you are moving from another platform or from spreadsheets, desktop software, or paper records we manage the migration of your existing data, opening balances, and historical records.

Training: We train you and your team to use the software correctly processing invoices, reconciling banks, running VAT reports, and producing management accounts. Training is tailored to your actual day-to-day workflows, not generic software tutorials.

Ongoing Support: If a VAT code is not working correctly, if a bank feed disconnects, if you are not sure how to record a specific transaction your TAS Consulting team is available to answer the question quickly and correctly.

Bookkeeping and Accountancy Integration: For clients who use TAS Consulting for bookkeeping, accounting, or tax services, your accounting software is fully integrated with our work we access your records directly, process your VAT returns and payroll, and produce your management accounts and year-end trial balance from the same system you use every day.

Irish-Specific Features Every Business Needs

When evaluating accounting software for an Irish business, these are the specific features that matter for Revenue compliance:

Irish VAT Rate Configuration: Ireland uses multiple VAT rates 23% standard, 13.5% reduced (construction, fuel, tourism, some professional services), 9% second reduced (hospitality food, tourism accommodation in qualifying periods), 0% (most food, children’s clothing, books, medicines), and exempt. Your software must correctly apply and report each rate. Misconfigured VAT rates produce incorrect VAT returns.

Bank Feeds from Irish Banks: Automated bank feeds pull transactions directly from your bank into your accounting software eliminating manual data entry and ensuring records are always current. All major platforms support feeds from AIB, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, KBC, Revolut Business, and most other Irish banks.

PAYE Modernisation (PMOD) Compliance: Since January 2019, Irish employers must submit payroll data to Revenue in real time. Your payroll software must be capable of generating a Payroll Submission Request (PSR) on or before each payment date. Most major cloud platforms have integrated or connected payroll that is PMOD-compliant but it must be correctly set up.

Revenue Online Service (ROS) Integration: VAT3 returns and other Revenue filings should be made through ROS. Some Irish accounting platforms particularly Surf Accounts have direct ROS integration. Others require manual export and upload. Your TAS Consulting team handles Revenue filings regardless of which platform you use.

Multi-Currency Support: For businesses trading in GBP, USD, EUR from a non-Euro base, or any other currency, multi-currency support is essential. Xero and QuickBooks Online both provide strong multi-currency functionality.

Frequently Asked Questions