Gender Pay Gap Reporting Ireland: A Complete Guide for Employers (2026)

Gender pay gap reporting in Ireland is now a mandatory requirement for a significantly wider group of employers than when the legislation first came into force. Under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, Irish law requires organisations to collect, calculate, and publicly publish gender pay gap data on an annual basis.

These reporting obligations apply to all employers with 50 or more employees as of 2025, making compliance a pressing priority for hundreds of additional companies across the country. This guide walks through the key reporting requirements in Ireland step by step - from choosing your snapshot date to submitting your report via the government portal - so your organisation can meet its deadlines with confidence.

We are halfway through 2026, meaning that organisations with at least 50 staff on their payroll will need to choose their snapshot date for Gender Pay Gap reporting.

The Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 requires organisations to report on the gender pay gap in Ireland across various metrics. Since 2022, companies with over 250 employees began reporting their gender pay gap. As of 2024, this requirement was extended to organisations with 150 employees or more.

From 2025, the reporting requirement has been further extended to include organisations with 50 employees or more, a reporting threshold which has brought potentially hundreds more companies into the reporting net.

What is required?

The gender pay gap is the difference in the average hourly wage of men and women across the workforce.

Organisations must choose their “snapshot” date in June 2026. The reporting deadline is five months after that date, in November 2026. The reporting period is the 12-month period immediately preceding and including the snapshot date.

For example: An organisation chooses Friday 26 June 2026 as its snapshot date. Its reporting deadline is 26 November 2026, and its reporting period is 27 June 2025 to 26 June 2026.

Companies calculate the pay gap by comparing the average hourly earnings, including bonus pay, of male and female employees. Regulations have been published which set out the detail on how these calculations should be made.

How is the gender pay gap reported?

In November, organisations must submit their report via the government portal, which is now live at the following link: Gender Pay Gap Portal.

This online reporting system consists of a central portal where all employer reports are to be uploaded and can be accessed publicly.

Employers will still be required to publish a report on their website, detailing their hourly gender pay gap. The report should cover various metrics, providing transparency on pay disparities within the organisation. Employers will have to explain any gap that emerges and outline intended measures to bridge it.

At present there is no specified format for the gender pay gap information and relevant report to be published by the employer for the 2026 reporting cycle, other than that the gender pay gap information must be published on the employer’s website and be accessible to all its employees and to the public, for a period of at least three years beginning with the date of publication.

Step-by-Step: How to Complete Gender Pay Gap Reporting in Ireland

Meeting your gender pay gap reporting obligations in Ireland involves several distinct stages. Following this process will help ensure your organisation remains compliant with Irish law.

Step 1 - Choose your snapshot date.

Employers must select a snapshot date in June 2026. This is the reference point from which your 12-month reporting period is calculated. Your chosen snapshot date triggers all subsequent deadlines.

Step 2 - Gather your payroll data.

Over the 12 months immediately preceding and including your chosen snapshot date, collect hourly pay data for all employees required to be included under the legislation - typically all employees on payroll, including part-time and temporary staff.

Step 3 - Calculate the required metrics.

Employers in Ireland are required to calculate the mean and median hourly gender pay gap, bonus pay gaps, and the proportion of men and women in each pay quartile, among other figures. The published regulations set out the precise methodology to be followed.

Step 4 - Publish your report.

Employers must publish gender pay gap information on their website in a format accessible to all employees and to the public. The report must remain live for a minimum of three years from the date of publication.

Step 5 - Submit via the Government Portal.

Organisations must also upload their report to the Ireland Government’s Gender Pay Gap Portal by the reporting deadline - five months after the chosen snapshot date. For a June 2026 snapshot, this means a November 2026 submission deadline.

How do Irish companies compare to national and EU averages?

Ireland’s latest available national gender pay gap was 9.6% in 2022 according to the CSO, while in the EU the average is 12.7% (Eurostat, 2024). Irish companies are making gradual progress but gaps remain persistent.

The most significant gender pay gaps are in the legal profession (35.1%) and the aviation sector (33.5%), followed by insurance (22.9%), construction (21%) and banking sectors (18.9%). The sectors with the lowest pay gaps are education (2.7%) and the public/health, retail and admin sectors.

High paying, male dominated sectors will have the largest gaps, with studies suggesting that the root cause is underrepresentation of women in senior roles and a lack of diversity and inclusion, and not necessarily unequal pay for equal work.

The EU Pay Transparency Directive: What Irish employers need to know

In addition to existing domestic reporting obligations, Irish employers must be aware of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which EU member states are required to transpose into national law by June 2026.

This directive goes beyond current Irish law in several important respects, introducing requirements around pay transparency and pay bands for job applicants, the right for employees to request information about pay levels, and the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value through gender-neutral job evaluation.

The directive also sets out enhanced gender pay gap reporting requirements for larger organisations, with mandatory joint pay assessments triggered where a pay gap of 5% or more cannot be objectively justified.

Ireland’s implementation of the directive will sit alongside the existing Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021, and employers should monitor updates from the Workplace Relations Commission and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as transposition guidance is published.

Organisations that invest in robust pay equity analysis now will be better positioned to comply with both the current Irish law requirements and the incoming EU-driven changes.

Consequences of non-compliance

Employers in Ireland should be aware that failure to meet mandatory gender pay gap reporting obligations can have tangible legal and reputational consequences.

While the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 does not currently prescribe specific financial penalties for non-compliance, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has powers to examine employer reports and to request further information where reporting appears incomplete or inaccurate.

Employees or trade unions can also refer complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission where an employer has failed to publish gender pay gap information as required by Irish law.

Beyond regulatory risk, failure to publish or the publication of inaccurate data poses a significant reputational risk, particularly as Ireland's transparency expectations from employees, investors, and clients continue to rise. Organisations are therefore strongly advised to treat gender pay gap reporting not merely as a compliance checkbox, but as part of a broader commitment to workplace equality, pay equity and workforce transparency.

Next steps for your organisation

Gender pay gap reporting is now a legal requirement in Ireland for any organisation with 50 or more employees, and the 2026 reporting cycle is already underway.

The single most important action for employers right now is to select and record your snapshot date in June 2026, as this anchors every subsequent deadline.

Once your snapshot date is chosen, organisations should begin auditing their payroll data, including overtime, reviewing their calculation methodology against the published regulations, and preparing to publish gender pay gap information on their website and via the Government portal by November 2026.

If your organisation reported in a previous cycle, take this opportunity to review whether your previous report remains accessible on your website - a requirement under Irish law for a minimum of three years. For organisations new to reporting, this is requirement one: understand what data you need and how to collect it accurately.

If you need guidance on your specific gender pay gap reporting obligations in Ireland, or assistance with interpreting the data, our team is here to help.

How we can help

The Regulations provide the legal basis for reporting; however, the calculation can be complex. Contact us here at Azets Ireland for assistance with your organisation's gender pay gap reporting: