What the grant paid
The grant was announced in Budget 2024 with a fund of €257 million. It was a one-off payment, set by the size of the commercial rates bill the business got in 2023.
| 2023 rates bill | Grant |
|---|---|
| Under €10,000 | 50% of the bill. A €3,000 bill gave €1,500 |
| €10,000 to €30,000 | €5,000 |
| Over €30,000 | Nothing |
It was not a rates waiver. The councils told businesses to keep paying their rates as normal, and the grant was paid separately into the business's bank account.
In May 2024 the Government added a second payment for businesses in retail and hospitality. A business in those sectors that only registered during the re-opened period got a double payment.
Is it still open?
Type a scheme name. Old schemes keep showing up in search results long after they close.
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When it opened and closed
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 5 December 2023 | The Government signed off the €257 million fund |
| Early 2024 | Councils wrote to ratepayers with a customer number and a PIN, and registration ran on the icob.ie portal |
| 1 May 2024 | The first deadline |
| 15 May 2024 | The Government agreed to re-open registration for 14 days and to add the second payment |
| 29 May 2024 | The final closing date |
| 24 July to 15 August 2025 | An appeal window for retail, hospitality and beauty businesses that had picked the wrong sector |
When the fund was announced, the Minister said it would reach 143,000 businesses. In the end the Department reported payments of over €244 million to just over 75,000, including more than 41,000 in retail, hospitality and beauty.
Who qualified
The scheme was aimed at small and medium businesses trading directly from a premises that was rated by the council. There was no application form and no paperwork to send.
- The council wrote to the ratepayer with a customer number and a PIN.
- The business logged on to the portal and entered those details, a self-declaration and its bank details. The Minister said it took about two minutes.
- The council paid the grant into the bank account.
A business that paid more than €30,000 in rates in 2023 got nothing. A business in rates arrears was told to talk to its council, because it could still be eligible.
What a business can do now
The scheme was followed in late 2024 by the flat €4,000 for retail, hospitality and beauty businesses, which is also closed. We found nothing like either of them open on 3 October 2026. What is open has to be applied for, scheme by scheme.
- Rates. Some councils now run their own schemes: a few per cent back for small ratepayers who pay on time, or most of the first year's rates back for a business that opens in an empty unit. See the rebates and vacant-unit schemes councils run on commercial rates.
- Energy. SEAI pays up to 30% towards heat pumps and insulation, and up to €162,600 towards solar panels. See SEAI's grants for cutting a business's energy use.
- Software. A business with 1 to 50 employees can get half the cost of new software, up to €5,000. See the voucher that pays half the cost of new business software.
- VAT. Since 1 July 2026 the 9% rate applies to restaurant and catering food, hot takeaway food, hot tea and coffee, and hairdressing.
Use the tool on this page to check which schemes are open and which are shut.
Budget 2027 on Tuesday 6 October 2026 is the next point at which a new one-off grant for small businesses could be announced.
Common questions
Can I still apply for the ICOB grant?
No. Registration closed on 29 May 2024, and the Department of Enterprise says all payments were made before the end of 2024. The appeal window in summer 2025 was only for businesses that had picked the wrong sector, and it closed on 15 August 2025.
Did the ICOB grant come off my rates bill?
No. It was a separate payment into the business's bank account. The councils said it was not a commercial rates waiver and that businesses should keep paying their rates as normal.
My 2023 rates bill was over €30,000. Did I qualify?
No. The grant was half the bill for bills under €10,000 and a flat €5,000 for bills of €10,000 to €30,000. A business with a 2023 rates bill above €30,000 was not eligible.
Is there a new Increased Cost of Business grant for 2026?
No. We found no repeat of the scheme on the Department of Enterprise's pages on 3 October 2026. Budget 2027 is on Tuesday 6 October 2026, and any new scheme would come with its own rules.
Keep reading
Where this comes from
- gov.ie, €257 million in grants to help meet increased cost of business (5 December 2023)
- Department of Enterprise, businesses urged to apply ahead of 1 May deadline (30 April 2024)
- gov.ie, Government agrees measures to support SMEs (15 May 2024)
- Kerry County Council, ICOB grant scheme re-opened with a closing date of 29 May 2024
- Department of Enterprise, ICOB and Power Up grant Reclassification Appeal Process
- Department of Enterprise, Annual Report 2024
- Revenue, second reduced rate of VAT
Checked on 3 October 2026. We are an independent guide, not a government service. Rules change, so confirm the detail on the official page before you apply.