Bonus vs. Basic Pay: Why Your €45k Total Compensation Package Might Fail the Irish Visa Audit
Getting a job offer in Dublin with a €45,000 total compensation package feels like a win. But if that package is structured the wrong way, the Irish Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment will reject your CSEP application outright. Here is exactly how DETE calculates your Minimum Annual Remuneration — and how to negotiate your contract so it passes. Tech employers in Dublin love the total target compensation pitch. They'll present you with a package built from base salary, a sign-on bonus, annual performance incentives, RSUs, employer pension contributions, and private health insurance, add them all up, and present the headline number. It sounds clean. It isn't, for immigration purposes. DETE's Minimum Annual Remuneration (MAR) definition strips out every component that isn't contractually guaranteed before assessing whether your package clears the threshold. For the 2026 standard CSEP, that threshold is €40,904. A package that reaches €45,000 through variab...