Written answers

Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Employment Rights

Photo of Donna McGettiganDonna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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538. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will introduce legislation to compel employers to pay employees at weekly or fortnightly intervals at most, to ensure employees can manage their finances more easily; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11908/25]

Photo of Alan DillonAlan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has a robust suite of employment rights legislation in place to protect and support workers.

The Payment of Wages Act 1991 establishes a range of rights for all employees in relation to the payment of wages. The Act regulates modes of payment (e.g. by cheque or electronic fund transfer) as well as what deductions from wages can be made. Under this Act, employers must also provide a payslip showing gross pay and the relevant deductions.

Additional transparency and protection was provided for employee’s tips and gratuities in 2022 with the Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Act 2022.

The Terms of Employment Information Act 1994 (as amended) provides that an employer must provide an employee with a written statement of certain particulars of the terms of employment, including “the length of the intervals between the times at which remuneration is paid, whether a week, a month or any other interval”.

However, payment intervals are not regulated. This matter is essentially a matter of contract between an employer and an employee. Some employers may chose to pay salaries on a monthly basis for numerous reasons. Monthly payroll reduces the frequency of processing payments which may lower administrative, accounting, and banking costs for employers. While our suite of employment rights legislation is kept under ongoing review, I do not intend to introduce further amendments to the Payment of Wages Act at this time.

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