Employment Contract in Ireland: Template, Clauses and Local Law (2026)

What is an Irish employment contract, and what does the law require? An Irish employment contract records the terms between an employer and an employee, within a framework set mainly by Irish statute and, behind it, EU law. The central rule is that an employer must give every employee a written statement of core employment terms within five days of starting work, under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 as amended, often called the "Day 5 statement". A fuller written statement follows within one month. On top of that sit the national minimum wage, the statutory leave and working-time rules, and strong protection against unfair dismissal for most employees with a year or more of service. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Pay rates and sector rules change, so confirm the current position with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) before you rely on any figure. Last verified October 2026. ## Irish employment contract template Copy the block below and fill the bracketed fields. Many employers issue the full contract on day one so it covers both the 5-day statement and the one-month statement at once. ```

CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT This Contract of Employment is made on [DATE] BETWEEN: [EMPLOYER NAME], of [address] ("Employer") AND [EMPLOYEE NAME], of [address] ("Employee") 1. PARTIES AND JOB The Employer employs the Employee as [JOB TITLE], with duties of [summary], starting on [START DATE]. [For fixed-term: ending [DATE] / on [event].] 2. PLACE OF WORK The place of work is [location], or [various locations / remote]. 3. PROBATION The probationary period is [N] months (as a rule not more than 6 months under current law). 4. PAY The Employer will pay [AMOUNT] per [period], paid [schedule] by [method], not less than the national minimum wage. 5. HOURS OF WORK Normal hours are [hours] per week. The Organisation of Working Time Act limits average weekly working time to 48 hours and sets rest breaks. 6. LEAVE Paid annual leave is [N] days (at least the statutory minimum of 4 working weeks), plus public holidays and statutory leaves (sick leave, parental, maternity, paternity, etc.) as the law provides. 7. NOTICE The notice each party must give is [detail], not less than the statutory minimum under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY AND IP The Employee will keep the Employer's confidential information secret, and work created in the course of employment belongs to the Employer. 9. TERMINATION AND DISCIPLINE Employment may be ended on notice. The Employer will follow fair procedures. Employees with the required service are protected under the Unfair Dismissals Acts. 10. GRIEVANCE AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE [Reference the procedure, consistent with the Code of Practice.] 11. GOVERNING LAW This contract is governed by the laws of Ireland. Signed for the Employer: __________ Employee: __________ Name / title / date Name / date

- **Pay (clause 4).** Pay must be at least the national minimum wage, which from 1 January 2026 is 14.15 euro per hour for workers aged 20 and over. Lower sub-minimum rates apply to younger workers, and some sectors set higher rates through Employment Regulation Orders. <!-- [VERIFY: confirm 2026 national minimum wage 14.15 euro with WRC; one source gave 14.50] --> Last verified October 2026.
- **Hours (clause 5).** The Organisation of Working Time Act caps average weekly working time at 48 hours and sets rest breaks and daily and weekly rest.
- **Leave (clause 6).** Statutory annual leave is at least four working weeks. There are nine or ten public holidays and a growing set of statutory leaves, including statutory sick leave.
- **Notice (clause 7).** Minimum notice rises with length of service under the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act, from one week up to eight weeks for long service.
- **Dismissal (clause 9).** Employees with at least 12 months of continuous service are generally protected by the Unfair Dismissals Acts, which require a fair reason and fair procedures. Some dismissals are automatically unfair regardless of service. ## Common mistakes to avoid - Missing the five-day deadline for the core written statement, which can lead to WRC awards of up to four weeks' pay.
- Paying below the national minimum wage or a higher sector rate set by an Employment Regulation Order.
- Dismissing a qualifying employee without a fair reason and fair procedures.
- Using out-of-date guidance that says the statement is due within two months; that was the pre-2022 rule.
- Ignoring the 48-hour average weekly working-time limit and rest-break rules. ## A note on jurisdiction and current law - **Written statement timing.** The core statement is due within five days, the fuller statement within one month, under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 as amended in 2022.
- **Minimum wage.** From 1 January 2026 the adult national minimum wage is 14.15 euro per hour, with lower rates for workers under 20 and higher rates in some sectors. Ireland plans to move towards a living wage. <!-- [VERIFY: confirm living-wage transition timeline] --> Last verified October 2026.
- **Unfair dismissal.** Most employees with 12 months of service are protected by the Unfair Dismissals Acts. Fair reasons and fair procedures are both required.
- **EU floor.** Ireland implements EU directives, including the Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive, which drove the move to the five-day statement. ## Where a contract workspace helps A template gets you a sound Irish employment contract. The ongoing work is keeping terms consistent across every hire, making sure each contract meets the 5-day statement rule, the current minimum wage and the notice and leave entitlements, and keeping signed versions and key dates straight as the team grows. One AI workspace tuned to how your company hires can keep that drafting, review and tracking together, so the 5-day statement, the minimum wage and the leave and notice entitlements stay right across every Irish hire, with edits made in plain English. [Adira](https://adiralaw.com) is one workspace of that kind for Irish hiring. This template alone is enough to put a fair Irish contract in place.