The Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor in September 2027, and homeowners across Clare, Limerick and the wider Mid-West are already hearing some big numbers for their houses that week: €20,000, €30,000, even €50,000 has been mentioned.
Before you say yes to any of it, there are two things to sort out first: can you actually insure the house for paying guests, and how much of that headline figure will you have left once tax’s taken out? Because €20,000 for your house doesn’t mean €20,000 in your pocket.
Sort your insurance before anything else
Before you agree a price, take a deposit, or spend a cent getting the house ready, ring your insurer. Your normal household policy almost certainly doesn’t cover you for moving your family out and handing the whole house over to paying guests, including liability cover if someone’s hurt while they’re staying. The fact that it’s your family home the other 51 weeks of the year won’t matter if there’s a hazard on the property and somebody gets injured because of it.
Yes, it’s taxable
It doesn’t matter that it’s your family home, your principal private residence, that you’re only out of it for a week, or that you’re only doing it once: the income is taxable, and it has to go on your tax return. There’s no Ryder Cup exemption.
Rent-a-room relief doesn’t cover it either. Most people know about the €14,000 tax-free allowance for renting a room in your home, and it’s a great scheme where it applies but it specifically excludes short-term guests, and generally doesn’t apply to lettings of 28 days or less. A week’s booking for Ryder Cup guests doesn’t qualify, no matter how much you’re paid for it.
Casual income, not an Airbnb business
Here’s a useful distinction. If you normally live in the house and you’re moving out for the one week, letting to visitors, then moving back in that’s once-off, occasional income (Case IV), not a trade. Revenue treats ongoing short-term letting businesses (an Airbnb, a B&B) differently, as Case I trading income. If you already run one of those, this article isn’t really aimed at you.But for the homeowner doing this once for Ryder Cup week, it’s occasional income, and that’s actually the simpler category to be in.
What you can (and can’t) claim
The deductions available are narrower than most people expect. Revenue allows costs directly tied to providing the accommodation itself such as booking platform commission, cleaning, breakfast if you’re providing it, and a fair share of the electricity and heating the guests actually use.
What you can’t claim is everything you spend getting yourself out of the house: repainting, new furniture, general repairs, landscaping, storage, or putting your own family up elsewhere for the week. Normal annual costs like insurance and maintenance aren’t deductible against this income either. It feels unfair given the effort involved, but that’s the rule.
What €20,000 actually leaves you
Say someone offers €20,000 for the week. That’s taxable income, and if you’re already on the higher rate, you’ll likely face 40% income tax, up to 8% USC, and possibly PRSI depending on your circumstances. Between those and the limited expenses you can offset, a €20,000 headline figure could realistically leave you closer to €10,000 in hand.
So the real question isn’t “would I take €20,000 for my house for a week?” It’s “would I move my family out, prepare the house, take on the risk, move everything back in, and deal with the tax for what’s actually left after that?” Worth working out before you agree a price, not after.
You’ll likely need to file a Form 11 for the first time
Whatever your PAYE history, once your taxable non-PAYE income goes over €5,000 net or €30,000, Revenue wants you registered for self-assessment and filing a Form 11. At the figures being talked about for Ryder Cup week, most homeowners will clear that easily. Income received in 2027 goes on the return you file in 2028.
If you’ve only ever had a payslip, this is a bigger step than it sounds but it’s manageable, and it’s exactly what our PAYE with extra income page and first Form 11 guide are there for.
Worth knowing too: if you book through an online platform, they’re required under EU rules (DAC7) to report seller details and payments to Revenue. Declare it properly regardless and don’t assume it’s invisible.
Preliminary tax: in your first year of self-assessment, you can base it on 100% of last year’s liability which, if that was nil, can mean nothing extra to pay up front. The exact figure depends on your situation, so it’s one to get right when you’re filing rather than guess at.
Keep records from day one
Booking agreement, dates, who booked it and through what platform, the amount received, commission charged, and receipts for anything you’re claiming. Don’t wait until 2028 and try to remember.
If you’re offered more than €42,500
At the very top of the range being discussed, VAT comes into play, the registration threshold for services is €42,500. If someone’s offering you a figure near or above that, get the VAT position checked before you agree the price, not after.
One more thing worth knowing
Ireland’s bringing in a national Short-Term Letting Register through Fáilte Ireland, for stays of 21 nights or fewer. It hadn’t opened as of late 2026, but the rules are expected to be live well before Ryder Cup week so worth checking closer to the time.
Put the money aside as soon as it lands
If €20,000, €30,000 or €50,000 hits your account, don’t treat it all as spending money. Set aside a solid chunk for tax straight away.
Before you say yes
- Check you can actually get insurance for paying guests.
- Remember it’s taxable, no exemptions.
- Know that a once-off letting is Case IV income, with limited expenses to offset.
- Work out roughly what you’ll owe, and what you’ll spend getting the house ready and your family sorted elsewhere.
- Expect to be filing a Form 11 if you clear €5,000 in taxable non-PAYE income.
- Check the VAT position if you’re near €42,500.
- Keep records, and put the tax money aside the day it lands.
FastTax.ie is here to help. We’re built to help someone who’s always had straightforward PAYE income suddenly needing to know what to declare and how. Have a look at our Form 11 page, or see how we compare to doing it yourself on ROS or paying an accountant here.
General guidance based on the rules in force in September 2026. Rates, Revenue guidance and short-term letting requirements may change before September 2027 — check your own circumstances before accepting a booking or filing a return.
