Single people can claim up to €1,000 a year in the credit, and couples who are jointly assessed can claim €2,000.
But there was a big drop-off in rent tax claims made last year, and there is a slow uptake so far this year, a Dáil reply to Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin shows.
Average rents nationwide are approaching €2,000 a month and new rents in Dublin are approaching €3,000 a month.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe told Mr Ó Broin that 289,700 claims were made last year, with an average value of €1,030. This was down from the 2023 total of 307,270 claims – a fall of 17,570.
So far this year, 73,600 claims have been lodged, according to the Dáil answer.
Initial estimates from the Government were that up to 400,000 renters would be eligible to claim the rent tax credit.
Mr Ó Broin claimed the Government and Revenue were doing little to promote the tax refund. He said he suspects many renters still don’t know it exists.
Revenue should also be promoting the credit in the press and on social media
“The Government is simply not doing enough to promote the renters’ tax credit. The fact that the number of renters claiming the credit fell between 2023 and 2024 is a cause for concern,” he said.
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday, July 29
He said the Government should request Revenue to work with the Residential Tenancies Board to write to all renters each year notifying them of the credit and encouraging them to apply for it.
“Revenue should also be promoting the credit in the press and on social media,” he added.
Mr Ó Broin said that at a time when average rents were approaching €2,000 a month, the least the Government should do was ensure all eligible renters were aware of and availing of the tax credit.
In last year’s budget, the rent tax credit increased by €250, bringing it to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a jointly assessed couple for this year.
The increase announced last October was backdated to cover last year.
Revenue said it had engaged with other public bodies, including the Residential Tenancies Board and the Department of Housing, to help promote awareness of the tax credit.
It said it had “published clear guidance on the eligibility criteria and claiming process”.
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