When it closed
The Local Enterprise Offices stopped taking Trading Online Voucher applications at 5pm on Friday 13 December 2024. The scheme's official page still carries that closing notice, and the Local Enterprise Office site says nothing about reopening it.
Its replacement was already running by then. The Grow Digital Voucher opened on 4 September 2024, and the Department of Enterprise said that it "replaces the previous Trading Online Voucher".
Applications that were in before the deadline were still dealt with. The Local Enterprise Office Impact Report says 620 of them were approved during 2025.
Cork North and West gave successful applicants six months from approval to claim. If you were approved and never claimed, ask your office where you stand.
Is it still open?
Type a scheme name. Old schemes keep showing up in search results long after they close.
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What the old voucher paid for
It paid half the cost of getting a small business selling online, up to €2,500. It was for businesses with 10 or fewer employees, turnover under €2 million and at least six months of trading, with little or no online selling. A second voucher was allowed for upgrades.
The Cork North and West office listed what the money could go on:
- building or upgrading an e-commerce website
- online payment or booking systems
- internet-related software, or an app
- a digital marketing strategy, and training in trading online
- online advertising, up to 30% of the voucher
- professional photography
It did not pay for a brochure website, meaning one that shows what you sell but cannot take an order or a booking.
What replaced it, and how it differs
If you were planning to apply for the old voucher, the Grow Digital Voucher that took its place is the scheme to look at. It is bigger and open to more businesses, but it is aimed at software for running the business.
| Feature | Trading Online Voucher | Grow Digital Voucher |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Closed since 13 December 2024 | Open |
| Grant | 50% of costs, up to €2,500 | 50% of costs, from €500 to €5,000 |
| Size of business | 10 or fewer employees | 1 to 50 employees |
| Before you apply | An information webinar, in Cork North and West | A free Digital for Business report in the last two years |
| A website built by a developer | Covered, if it could sell or take bookings | Not covered |
| Online advertising | Covered, up to 30% of the voucher | Not on the list of eligible costs |
| Software subscriptions | Internet-related software was covered | Covered for up to a year, if off the shelf and new to the business |
The Impact Report describes the change as moving "beyond website development" to digital systems across the whole business. The Department's own examples are online booking, stock control, customer insights, payroll software and cyber security.
What to do now
- Contact the Local Enterprise Office for your area and say you want to improve how the business works online.
- Apply for Digital for Business. It is free, and the business must have traded for at least six months. A consultant reviews your systems and writes a plan.
- Use that plan to apply for the Grow Digital Voucher. Do not order or pay for anything before the application is in.
- If what you wanted was a custom-built website or an advertising budget, the new voucher does not pay for those. Ask the office about its training and mentoring instead.
The same office runs the €10,000 grant towards equipment that uses less energy, which is also open to shops, cafes and other local businesses.
Budget 2027 on Tuesday 6 October 2026 could change the Grow Digital Voucher that replaced this scheme, so its limits are the ones published before the Budget.
Common questions
Is the Trading Online Voucher still available?
No. It closed to new applications at 5pm on Friday 13 December 2024 and has not reopened. The Grow Digital Voucher is the scheme that replaced it.
Will the Trading Online Voucher come back?
Nothing published says it will. The Department of Enterprise describes the Grow Digital Voucher as its replacement, and that is the digital grant the Local Enterprise Offices now offer.
Can I get a grant to build a website now?
Not for a custom-built one. The Grow Digital Voucher does not support bespoke website development. It can cover an off-the-shelf website or e-commerce platform, as a software subscription that is new to the business.
I had a Trading Online Voucher before. Can I apply for the Grow Digital Voucher?
The published rules for the Grow Digital Voucher do not rule out businesses that had the old voucher. You still have to meet its own conditions, including a Digital for Business report from the last two years. Ask your office to confirm.
How much more does the new voucher pay?
Up to €5,000, compared with €2,500, at the same 50% rate. It is also open to businesses with up to 50 employees, where the old voucher stopped at 10.
Keep reading
Where this comes from
- Local Enterprise Office, Trading Online Voucher Scheme
- Local Enterprise Office, Impact Report 2025
- Department of Enterprise, Grow Digital Voucher announcement, 19 September 2024
- Local Enterprise Office Cork North and West, Trading Online Voucher closing notice
- Local Enterprise Office, Grow Digital Voucher
- Local Enterprise Office, Digital for Business
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.