Tax credits
The Fisher Tax Credit: €1,270 for 80 days at sea
Last updated 16 October 2026
Full-time and part-time sea fishers who spend at least 80 days at sea in a year can claim a tax credit of €1,270. Who qualifies and how to claim it.
The Fisher Tax Credit reduces the income tax of people who fish at sea for a living, whether employed or self-employed, full-time or part-time. It is worth €1,270 a year and can be set against all your income, not only fishing income.
Who qualifies
- you are resident in Ireland and pay tax through PAYE or self-assessment
- you spend at least 80 days at sea in the year actively sea-fishing
- your vessel is licensed by an EU member state and on the EU fishing fleet register, or on the equivalent UK register
A day at sea means at least eight hours at sea within 24 hours, which can be made up of more than one trip. A trip runs from leaving port to fish until you return; going back to port in distress doesn't end it if you resume.
What counts as fishing
Fishing for any sea fish, including shellfish such as crustaceans and molluscs, counts. Fishing for salmon or freshwater eels, aquaculture, and fishing or dredging only for science, research or training do not.
What it is worth
For an employed fisher earning €38,000 in 2026:
| Income tax without the credit | €3,600.00 |
| Income tax with the credit | €2,330.00 |
| Saving | €1,270.00 |
As a credit, it is worth the same €1,270 whatever your tax rate, as long as you pay at least that much income tax. It doesn't reduce USC or PRSI.
Seafarers' Allowance
You can't claim the Fisher Tax Credit and the Seafarers' Allowance in the same year. The Seafarers' Allowance is for seafarers on voyages to and from foreign ports. Members of the Naval Service have their own Sea-going Naval Personnel Tax Credit.
How to claim
- this year, as a PAYE taxpayer: send a request through MyEnquiries in myAccount
- an earlier year: in myAccount, 'Review your tax for the previous 4 years', then the Income Tax Return, adding 'Fisher tax credit' under your job
- self-employed fishers: claim on Form 11
You can go back four years, so claims for 2022 must be made by 31 December 2026. Keep a record of your days at sea in case Revenue asks.
Work it out
Sources
- Revenue: Tax rates, bands and reliefs (checked 25/10/2026)
- Revenue: Four year rule: claims for 2022 must be made by 31 December 2026 (checked 25/10/2026)
General information, not tax advice. HeyPenny is not a tax agent.