Payroll Health Score (Ireland)
0 to 100 payroll health score. Pillars: tax-credit utilisation, USC band correctness, PRSI class, pension adequacy and emergency-tax detection.
Region: Ireland (en-IE). Currency: EUR. Rules: Revenue 2026.
Revenue Payroll Notification code from your payslip.
A single number for a mid-year check-up
Aoife is a staff nurse in Galway. She changed ward, picked up extra shifts, and has a nagging feeling her deductions crept up more than they should have — but she has no interest in becoming a tax expert to find out. The Payroll Health Score condenses the question into one number from 0 to 100. Enter your annual gross, the PAYE, USC and PRSI actually taken, your pension contribution, age, marital status and, if you have it, the RPN code from your payslip, and the tool grades how healthy your payroll position looks under 2026 rules.
The five pillars behind the score
- Tax-credit utilisation. A single employee is normally entitled to €4,000 of credits in 2026 — €2,000 personal plus €2,000 Employee (PAYE) credit. PAYE deducted as if fewer credits were applied costs you money every payday.
- USC band correctness. Your USC is rebuilt from the 2026 bands (0.5%, 2%, 3% and 8%, with the 8% rate starting at €70,044) and compared with what was actually charged, including the reduced two-band scale for qualifying medical card holders.
- PRSI position. Employee Class A PRSI runs at 4.2% until 30 September 2026 and 4.35% from 1 October 2026; the expected figure blends both.
- Pension adequacy. Your contribution is set against the age-related tax-relief ceiling — 15% of earnings under 30 rising to 40% from age 60 — so the score shows how much relievable headroom you are leaving unused.
- Emergency-tax detection. Deduction patterns consistent with the emergency basis pull the score down sharply, because that is the costliest, most fixable problem on the list.
Reading the result
Alongside the score you get expected figures for PAYE, USC, PRSI, pension and net pay, plus your effective tax rate. Use the gaps, not the headline number, to decide what to do next: a USC gap sends you to your RPN in myAccount, a PAYE gap to your credit allocation, and a pension gap to a conversation about additional voluntary contributions. Nothing you enter is stored.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a good payroll health score?
A score in the high 80s or 90s means your deductions line up with the 2026 rules for the details you entered and your pension is broadly adequate for your age. Scores in the middle usually mean one pillar is dragging — most often unused tax credits or a light pension. A low score with a large PAYE gap is the classic signature of emergency tax.
How does the tool detect emergency tax?
When your employer has no Revenue Payroll Notification for you, the emergency basis applies: with a PPSN you get the single rate band for four weeks and then 40% income tax on everything, with USC charged at a flat 8%. Deductions far above what your gross and status justify fit that pattern, and the score flags it so you can register the job in myAccount.
Why does the form ask whether I hold a medical card?
Full medical card holders under 70 whose total income is €60,000 or less pay reduced USC — 0.5% on the first €12,012 and 2% on the balance, instead of climbing to 3% and 8%. If that applies to you, the correct USC figure is lower, and the score judges your payslip against the reduced scale.
Is the score financial advice?
No. It is an educational indicator computed from the figures you enter and published Revenue rules. Confirm anything it flags in Revenue myAccount or with your payroll department, and treat pension adequacy pointers as prompts to seek regulated advice, not as recommendations.
Low score? Find the line that caused it
The score tells you something is off; the Irish payslip checker tells you exactly which deduction line is responsible. Upload a payslip and get the itemised comparison.
Run the Irish payslip checker