DIRT and Broker Interest in Ireland
Understand why broker cash interest is not automatically Irish DIRT, how foreign deposit interest can differ, and which records to review.
Reviewed 19 July 2026 · 7 min read
Important: Interest shown by a broker is not automatically Irish DIRT income. Treatment can depend on the institution paying the interest, its country and banking status, whether tax was withheld, your residence and domicile, and whether the return is filed on time.
Start with the payer, not the broker label
DIRT is tax deducted at source by relevant deposit takers. A brokerage app can route cash to a bank, money-market fund, affiliated entity, or another product, so the app name or IBAN alone does not establish the Irish tax treatment.
Obtain the statement or terms identifying the legal payer, source country, gross interest, currency, and any tax deducted. Recheck that evidence when the broker changes its cash programme.
Rates and return location can differ
Revenue currently states a 33% DIRT rate where DIRT applies. Its foreign-interest guidance distinguishes EU deposit interest from non-EU deposit interest and applies different consequences to late returns. Income already subject to DIRT is exempt from USC, while PRSI may still apply.
Irish deposit interest and DIRT deducted are reported separately from foreign deposit interest on the current Form 11. Use the current form and helpsheet rather than a permanent field-number assumption.
Records to retain
- The payer's legal name, country, banking or product description, and the relevant account terms.
- Gross interest, payment date, currency, euro conversion, and tax withheld.
- Annual interest or tax statements and any evidence that the amount was already subject to DIRT.
- Your residence, domicile, filing status, and other income inputs relevant to marginal-rate or PRSI review.
How Irish Investor helps — and the current limit
Irish Investor can import supported interest records, preserve gross amounts and withholding, and let you classify Irish, EU/EEA, non-EU/EEA, or non-deposit treatment from payer evidence.
The calculator never infers legal treatment from broker or source country alone. Unclassified interest, unknown foreign-return timing, and foreign withholding that needs credit review are marked incomplete and excluded from a complete tax total and filing path. Supported Irish and foreign deposit-interest branches are USC-exempt; PRSI may still require review. Non-deposit interest requires separate review.
Practical review steps
- Reconcile gross interest and withholding against the annual statement.
- Confirm the actual payer and source country for each cash programme.
- Separate Irish DIRT, foreign deposit interest, money-market distributions, and crypto Earn rewards.
- Check the current Revenue form, filing date, USC treatment, and possible PRSI before using the total.
Primary Sources
Also review the Tax Rate Sources page for dated product rates and model scope.
Related Guides
Reconcile interest before choosing a tax treatment
Import supported records, identify the legal payer and source country, and compare the estimate with Revenue's current Irish and foreign-interest guidance.
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