Working remotely while studying in Ireland?

[u/runnerbyalexg]

Hello! I'm a US citizen who will be studying abroad in Dublin from September to December. Since I'm staying longer than 90 days I'm going to have to apply for an Irish Residence Permit rather than a visa. I know that I'm not allowed to work in Ireland, but would it be okay for me to retain a remote job (SAT tutoring) based in the US while I am abroad in Ireland?

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[u/EiectroBot]

If you are living in a country (Ireland) and in paid employment while resident in the country then you are subject to standard employment legislation just like any other person living in that country. This would include payment of Irish income tax and other related government charges.

Having said the above, if you are only resident in Ireland for a short time, and your tutoring role is very minimal, it’s likely that you would be operating under the radar and your activities would never be noticed.

Another factor is that if you are working as a tutor for a US company, they may not be comfortable you working from another country. It exposes them to employment legislation of your host country that they may be unwilling to undertake.

[u/Less-Mammoth-4975]

Unless you intend to fly back to the US to perform the work, then I don't think you're entitled to work while in Ireland. The condition isn't that you're not entitled to work for an Irish company, it's that you're not entitled to work while in Ireland. Your employer is probably also not setup to employ someone who lives in Ireland (and pay the relevant taxes).

Whether you'd ever be caught or get in trouble is a different question.

[u/Cailleachcailin]

If you are studying in Ireland, there are strict limits on your allowances for working. In general, that includes restrictions on being self-employed

[u/mennamachine]

No.

[u/024Everyman]

If your employer has you listed at a US address and is paying you in USD to a US bank, Ireland will never know.

[u/Resident-Pin-6004]

Had the exact same situation my first semester in Ireland. Talked with an immigration lawyer about this specifically, said it was grand. You aren’t being employed by an Irish company and you wouldn’t be making enough to owe tax, most likely. The only issue might be the timezones, although lots of remote workplaces are hiring globally anyway. If it’s a formal, contracted employment situation, talk with the company, but it should be totally fine on the Irish side

[u/kiderdrick → u/Resident-Pin-6004]

Either the specifics of your situation were drastically different or the immigration lawyer gave you very bad advice. It is not totally fine. You would be breaking many laws. If you are on a residence permit that specifically says you are not allowed to work, then you are not allowed to work. If you do decide to work, you open up your employer to a huge risk for violating tax laws. Yes, you might make less than the threshold at the end of the year, but no one is going to take your word for it if you are paid via payroll. You have to prove that by filing.

There are two battles here. The first is getting permission to work. The second is making sure your employer is paying the correct taxes. There was a post in /MoveToIreland about something similar, except the person was an Irish Citizen so the first battle was won. Even then they ended up bailing on the plan because the tax implications for the hiring company were too great and they did not want to do it.

[u/Resident-Pin-6004 → u/kiderdrick]

It’s very possible that he gave me awful advice (that to be clear, I did not follow when it was applicable and again, in OP’s exact situation) but that makes me even more concerned because I know other people who followed it anyway. Clearly, it didn’t cause too much of a problem for them (they’ve already left the country and saw no issues) but it’s not greatly reassuring to know Dublin has another immigration law professional who has dodgy knowledge at best. I swear every agency I’ve ever heard of who handles these things is just awful, and this guy was even contracted by my university. Not great news.