The short answer
With 15 years' service you're entitled to 31 weeks' pay: two weeks for every year of service, plus one bonus week. Statutory pay counts your gross weekly wage up to a €600 cap, so the most you can get is:
Earning less than €600 a week? Your figure is lower, because it's based on your actual pay. The table below shows the range.
What 15 years is worth at different pay levels
31 weeks × your gross weekly pay, with anything above €600 a week ignored for this calculation:
| Your gross weekly pay | Statutory redundancy (31 weeks) |
|---|---|
| €400 | €12,400 |
| €500 | €15,500 |
| €600 | €18,600 |
| €750 (capped at €600) | €18,600 |
This is the legal minimum. It is tax-free, and your employer must pay it if you have at least two years of continuous service.
Work out your exact figure →Notice you're owed after 15 years
Separate from redundancy pay, the law sets a minimum notice period based on service. After 15 years you're entitled to 8 weeks of notice, paid as normal. Your contract may promise more, and it always wins if it's better. If your employer wants you to leave straight away, they can pay you in lieu of notice instead.
During the last two weeks of notice you also have the right to paid time off to look for work. Full detail on everything you're owed.
Tax after 15 years of service
Your statutory redundancy is tax-free, always. If your employer adds an ex-gratia payment on top, that part is tax-free up to whichever relief gives you most. With 15 years of service:
| Relief | Tax-free amount with 15 years |
|---|---|
| Basic Exemption (€10,160 + €765 × 15) | €21,635 |
| Increased Exemption (+€10,000, conditions apply) | €31,635 |
| SCSB, average pay €40,000 (€40,000 × 15 ÷ 15) | €40,000 |
| SCSB, average pay €60,000 (€60,000 × 15 ÷ 15) | €60,000 |
Revenue lets you use the highest of these. Only the ex-gratia above that amount is taxed, at income tax and USC rates, never PRSI. With 15 years behind you, the SCSB is often the winner, especially on a higher salary. See the full workings on the tax page.
Example: 15 years on €800 a week
Say you earn €800 a week (about €41,600 a year) with 15 years' service, and your employer offers an ex-gratia of 4 weeks' pay per year of service on top of the statutory minimum. Here's how it lands:
| Statutory redundancy (€600 cap × 31 weeks) | €18,600 · tax-free |
| Ex-gratia from employer (€800 × 4 × 15) | €48,000 |
| Best tax relief: SCSB | €41,600 |
| Taxable part of the ex-gratia | €6,400 |
| Income tax 40% + USC 3% | −€2,752 |
| Total in your pocket | €63,848 |
Even with a generous offer, most of it stays tax-free: only €6,400 of the €48,000 is taxed. Your own figures will differ, so run them through the calculator.
Redundancy pay for other service lengths
Not 15 years exactly? Pick the closest: