Construction Accountant — Dublin & Ireland

If you've ever watched a generalist accountant struggle through their first RCT cycle, you'll know construction accountancy is its own discipline. Principal/subcontractor classification, reverse-charge VAT, retention accruals, BIK on commercial vehicles, the interaction with CIS for Irish firms working in the UK — get any of it wrong and Revenue, the CRO, or both will let you know.

We work with Dublin and Leinster construction businesses ranging from solo subbies through to mid-size main contractors and small developers. Most clients come to us already in trouble with an RCT misclassification, a stalled VAT3 or a retention-accounting mess — and stay with us because we keep them out of trouble afterwards.

The construction-specific issues we handle

RCT (Relevant Contracts Tax)

RCT is the single biggest tripwire in construction. As principal contractor you must check each subcontractor's tax rate on every payment via ROS, deduct 0%, 20% or 35% at source, and remit it within 23 days. A single missed deduction triggers an automatic 35% liability on the gross payment — even if the subbie was 0%-rated and would have owed nothing. We handle RCT on-ROS for clients and most never see a penalty notice again.

Reverse-charge VAT

Between principal and subcontractor, most construction services are reverse-charged: the subbie invoices VAT-exclusive and the principal accounts for both output and input VAT. Mistakes happen when a project has multiple tiers, where main and sub roles flip on the same project, or when the principal is below the VAT threshold. We document the chain for every active project so you can prove correct treatment at audit.

Retentions and WIP

Retentions held by main contractors aren't your money yet — accounting for them as receivable too early inflates profit and creates phantom corporation tax. We use a retention-suspense approach with monthly aging so you know exactly what's released, what's overdue and what's at risk.

Vehicles, plant and capital allowances

Commercial vehicles, plant and tools attract accelerated capital allowances and, in many cases, VAT recovery — the rules differ from those for cars and are widely misapplied. We've reclaimed five-figure VAT amounts for clients on vehicles previously coded as non-deductible.

BIK and commercial vehicle private use

The current commercial-vehicle BIK regime (CO₂-based) is a minefield for builders running vans with incidental personal use. Done properly, BIK can be nil; done wrongly, you face a four-year employer-side reassessment.

Construction accounting packages

Who we typically work with

• Solo subcontractors (electricians, plumbers, plasterers, carpenters) from €600 turnover/month
• Main contractors and developers up to ~€10m turnover
• Civils and groundworks firms with RCT-heavy supply chains
• Plant-hire and specialist trade businesses
• Property-development SPVs and joint ventures

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