MortgageWise.ie

Buying, selling and switching in Ireland, 2025 to 2026: what changed, what is coming, and what is only announced

Checked 21 Oct 2026the Oireachtas, Revenue, the Central Bank, the scheme operators and the ECB.

Budget 2027, on 7 October 2026, raised Help to Buy to €35,000 for claims from 1 January 2027, cut the capital gains tax rate to 31% for sales from 7 October 2026, raised the rent tax credit to €1,150 a person from 2027, and let the mortgage interest tax credit end after 2026. Earlier in the year the Central Bank took bridging loans out of the loan-to-income limit (8 April 2026), the Local Authority Home Loan income limit rose to €80,000 (1 April 2026), and the First Home Scheme was extended to mid-2027. The stamp duty bands of 2 October 2024 and the 9% VAT on new apartments of 8 October 2025 stand. This page keeps what is in force apart from what is not.

Key dates each year

The Budget
Budget day (early October): Help to Buy, CGT, stamp duty, VAT on new homes, the rent tax credit
New year
1 January: tax-year figures, the Finance Act's commencements, lender rate reviews
The ECB
ECB monetary policy meetings, about eight a year: tracker rates move at once, variables follow
The schemes
The First Home Scheme and Local Authority Home Loan ceilings, reviewed twice a year; the First Home Scheme's end date (1 June 2027) and Help to Buy's (31 December 2029)
Taxes
LPT: liability on 1 November, payment by January; CGT: 15 December and 31 January payment dates, 31 October return

Rates are re-read weekly by the rates routine; everything else quarterly, and on each of the days above.

What changed

  • Capital gains tax 31% on sales from 7 October 2026 (announced) · from 7 October 2026

    Budget 2027 announced a cut in the capital gains tax rate from 33% to 31% for disposals on or after 7 October 2026. It waits on the Finance Act 2026. A home that was always your main residence pays none either way.

  • Help to Buy €35,000 from 1 January 2027 (announced) · from 1 January 2027

    Budget 2027 announced a rise in the Help to Buy maximum from €30,000 to €35,000 for claims from 1 January 2027, with the scheme running to the end of 2029. The 10% of price and four-years-of-tax limits stay.

  • Rent tax credit €1,150 for 2027 (announced) · from 1 January 2027

    Budget 2027 announced a rise in the rent tax credit from €1,000 to €1,150 for a single person and from €2,000 to €2,300 for a couple from 2027. Claims for earlier years are unchanged.

  • Mortgage interest tax credit: 2026 is the last year (announced) · from 7 October 2026

    Budget 2027 did not extend the temporary mortgage interest tax credit, so 2026 interest is the last that can be claimed, up to €625 for the year.

  • Bridging loans taken out of the loan-to-income limit · from 8 April 2026

    From 8 April 2026 the Central Bank's mortgage measures no longer count a bridging loan on a principal home towards the loan-to-income limit, so a mover can borrow to bridge the gap between buying and selling without the 3.5 times cap. The loan-to-value limits are unchanged.

  • Local Authority Home Loan income limit €80,000 · from 1 April 2026

    From 1 April 2026 the gross income limit for a single applicant rose from €70,000 to €80,000; the joint limit stays at €85,000. The county price ceilings were revised on the same date.

  • First Home Scheme extended · from 1 January 2026

    The First Home Scheme, due to end in 2025, was extended to 1 June 2027, with the county price ceilings reviewed twice a year.

  • 9% VAT on new apartments · from 8 October 2025

    From 8 October 2025 to 31 December 2030 the VAT rate in the price of a new apartment is 9% instead of 13.5%, so the stamp duty, charged on the price without VAT, changes too.

What did not change

  • The Central Bank limits: 4 times income for a first-time buyer, 3.5 times for a second or subsequent buyer, 90% loan-to-value for both, 70% for a buy-to-let, with 15% of each lender's new lending allowed above the limits.
  • Stamp duty on a home: 1% up to €1 million, 2% from €1 million to €1.5 million and 6% above, since 2 October 2024, with no first-time buyer exemption.
  • Help to Buy at €30,000 until 31 December 2026, for first-time buyers of a new build or self-build up to €500,000 with a mortgage of at least 70% of the price.
  • Local Property Tax: the 19 bands set on the 1 November 2025 valuation run to 2030, with each council able to move the charge up or down by up to 15%.
  • The Consumer Protection Code's rule that a lender must tell an existing borrower about a cheaper rate it offers, and the switcher's right to a redemption figure within 10 working days.
  • Mortgage protection insurance is required by the Consumer Credit Act 1995, section 126, with narrow exceptions.

What is being tracked

Finance Act 2026: the Budget 2027 tax changes

Announced, not yet law

What it affects: The capital gains tax rate (31%), Help to Buy (€35,000 from 2027), the rent tax credit (€1,150 from 2027) and the end of the mortgage interest tax credit.

  1. 7 October 2026 · Done

    Budget 2027 announced

    The Minister for Finance announced the measures on Budget day.

    gov.ie: Budget 2027

  2. Date not yet known · Now

    Finance Bill 2026 published and debated

    The Bill gives the measures their legal form; the rates can change in the Dáil before it passes.

    Oireachtas: bills

  3. Date not yet known · Ahead

    Finance Act 2026 signed

    Usually before Christmas. The rules config is updated when the Act is signed, with the figures as enacted.

    Irish Statute Book

First Home Scheme price ceilings: next review

Watching

What it affects: The maximum price per local authority under the First Home Scheme, which the scheme reviews twice a year.

  1. 1 July 2026 · Done

    Current ceilings

    The ceilings in lib/counties/ie.config.json were read from the scheme's page on 21 October 2026.

    First Home Scheme: price ceilings

  2. Date not yet known · Now

    Next review

    The scheme reviews the ceilings against the CSO price index; the next change is entered when published.

    First Home Scheme

ECB interest rates

Watching

What it affects: Tracker mortgages move with the ECB rate at once; variable rates follow at each lender's choice; fixed rates are priced ahead of it.

  1. 23 July 2026 · Done

    Deposit rate held

    The ECB's deposit facility rate stands at the level in lib/rules/ie.config.json (market block).

    ECB: key interest rates

  2. Date not yet known · Now

    Next monetary policy meeting

    The decision is entered the day it is published; no page here guesses the direction.

    ECB: monetary policy decisions

Latest developments

The full dated log →

  • 21 October 2026 · Official record

    Site launched with the position at 21 October 2026

    Every rule in the rules config was read from its source on this date: the Central Bank measures as amended in April 2026, Revenue's Help to Buy and stamp duty pages, the First Home Scheme and Local Authority Home Loan terms, the Local Property Tax bands, and the Budget 2027 announcements marked as announced.

    Central Bank of Ireland: the mortgage measures

  • 7 October 2026 · Official record

    Budget 2027: CGT to 31%, Help to Buy to €35,000, rent credit to €1,150

    Announced on Budget day and entered in the rules config as announced figures with their effective dates; the Finance Act 2026 will confirm them.

    gov.ie: Budget 2027

  • 8 April 2026 · Official record

    Central Bank takes bridging loans out of the loan-to-income limit

    A bridging loan on a principal home no longer counts towards the 3.5 times cap for a mover.

    Central Bank of Ireland: press release, 8 April 2026

  • 1 April 2026 · Official record

    Local Authority Home Loan: single income limit to €80,000, new county ceilings

    The single applicant limit rose from €70,000; the joint limit stays at €85,000; the county price ceilings were revised.

    Local Authority Home Loan

Sources: Central Bank of Ireland: the mortgage measures · Revenue: Help to Buy · Revenue: stamp duty on property · First Home Scheme · Local Authority Home Loan · gov.ie: Budget 2027 · ECB: key interest rates

Information, not advice. This page keeps law in force, law passed but not started, and announcements apart; an announcement does not apply to anyone yet. Figures with a date certain are entered in the rules in advance and switch on the day. Last checked 2026-10-21. MortgageWise is an independent site, not connected with the Central Bank of Ireland, Revenue, the Housing Agency, any local authority, any lender or any Government department. It is not a lender, a mortgage broker, a credit or insurance intermediary, a solicitor, a tax adviser or a financial adviser. It covers the Republic of Ireland only. Before you sign anything, talk to a solicitor and, for advice on a mortgage, to an advisor regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.