How much does a company secretary cost in Ireland? First decide whether you need an eligible appointee, a limited nominee service or a broader company-secretarial engagement. Prices differ because the work differs. Buying a name on the register is not automatically buying every filing, statutory register, minute or piece of compliance advice your company needs.
Direct answer
Published examples checked on 2 October 2026 include a nominee-secretary service at €199 + VAT per year and a named-secretary maintenance package at €595 + VAT per year. They have materially different scopes. These figures are not a national average or like-for-like offers; request a written division of responsibilities and a final annual quote.
Start with the company-secretary requirement
The CRO company-officer guidance distinguishes company types and explains that a single-director LTD must have a separate secretary. A suitable appointment is not optional simply because the company is small. Assess the person or corporate appointee and the resources available for the role, rather than treating it as a signature formality.
Our company-secretary requirements guide covers the role. This article answers the budgeting question: what the fee purchases and what remains with you or another adviser. An unpaid eligible appointment may avoid a provider subscription, but unpaid does not mean free of duties or suitable in every circumstance.
Two published prices, two different service scopes
The table is a dated snapshot, not a ranking. Confirm the exact package, annual period and any company-specific exclusions with the provider. Do not use the lower price as an estimate for work expressly outside that service, or assume the higher package includes financial statements and specialist legal advice.
| Published example | Annual fee before VAT | Scope distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Incorpro nominee company secretary | €199 | A1/B1 countersigning; general filing preparation and secretarial advice excluded |
| Company Bureau maintenance including named secretary | €595 | Broader maintenance offer; obtain the detailed paperwork, filing and exclusion schedule |
Sources: Incorpro's nominee service and Company Bureau's named-secretary maintenance package. A €396 difference between the stated annual fees is arithmetic, not evidence that either offers better value for your company.
Nominee appointment versus preparing the work
A narrow service can provide the registered appointee and particular countersignatures while leaving preparation with the directors or accountant. Identify who gathers information, produces documents, checks the details and makes the submission. A B1 signature is not the same task as preparing accounts or establishing that everything attached is correct.
Incorpro explicitly separates its nominee appointment from general filings and secretarial advice. It also advertises €50 + VAT for other documents requiring a physical signature. That illustrates why you should ask about extra requests before assuming an annual fee covers every signature or courier task. Provider scope is not a substitute for understanding the legal role itself.
Which tasks could require a broader engagement?
List the work you expect over the coming year: officer changes, statutory-register updates, minutes, share transactions, annual-return administration and advice about unusual events. Routine support and transactional work can be priced differently. A company adding shareholders or changing its constitution may need a specific engagement rather than an entry-level renewal.
Ask what the provider can undertake and when another professional must be involved. Do not assume a company-secretarial subscription includes bespoke legal documents, tax planning, audit work or dispute advice. Where a package mentions paperwork generally, request the exact task list and any transaction limit before relying on it for a complex change.
Accounting, address services and CRO fees are separate
The accountant, registered-office provider and company secretary may be the same firm, but they are still different services. Map each responsibility to an engagement. Use our accountant-cost guide and registered-office cost guide to check whether a bundle genuinely covers the scope you need.
The electronic B1 statutory fee is €20 and B10 electronic filing is free on the CRO fee schedule. A professional can charge for preparing or handling either form. Ask whether statutory disbursements are included and avoid counting the same fee again in an accounting and secretarial budget.
A worked annual budget with clearly labelled assumptions
Imagine fictional quotes: a narrow secretary service at €200, two extra administrative tasks at €60 each and an annual-return preparation service at €100. The service total is €200 + €120 + €100 = €420 before applicable VAT. If the €20 B1 statutory fee is separate, the listed components total €440 before VAT on taxable services.
This is not a provider offer or a market average. Replace the tasks and prices with your actual schedule. If your accountant already includes annual-return preparation or the B1 charge, remove the overlapping line. If the secretary package includes those two changes, do not add them separately. A comparison should price one set of obligations once.
Annual payment, VAT and renewals
Write down whether the price is paid annually or monthly. Dividing an annual charge by twelve gives a comparison equivalent, not a promise of instalments. Ask about the service start date, payment timing and the renewal rate. A formation-package inclusion may cover a limited period rather than provide a permanent appointment without future charges.
Confirm the final VAT-inclusive invoice where applicable and do not assume input VAT recovery. Keep statutory charges distinct from professional-service fees. Ask about price changes, notice periods, additional entities and any onboarding work. Budgeting only the first renewal can hide a later extra charge when the company requests work outside the routine scope.
Questions to ask before accepting a quote
- Who will be formally appointed, and when does the appointment begin?
- Which documents are prepared, signed and filed by the provider?
- Who maintains the relevant registers and supplies meeting information?
- Are reminders, deadline tracking and advice included or separate?
- What happens if information arrives late or a proposed filing needs correction?
- Which additional tasks, physical signatures and disbursements cost extra?
Ask for the agreed responsibilities in writing. Directors should not assume that appointing a provider transfers every compliance responsibility away from them. Agree which records the provider needs, who approves changes and how submission evidence will be shared. A clear process is more useful than a marketing claim that everything is handled.
Switching company secretary without losing continuity
Plan the appointment and handover before cancelling a subscription. Establish what changes must be notified, who files them and who holds the current registers and minutes. Our B10 officer-change guide covers the public-register side. Ending a commercial contract and updating an officer appointment are related but not identical actions.
Confirm unfinished work, payment disputes, records export and the new provider's acceptance of the engagement. Avoid a gap in responsibility caused by assuming the old firm and new firm will coordinate automatically. If the appointment or resignation is contested or unusual, seek appropriate advice rather than treating a cancellation email as the entire process.
Sources and editorial review
Reviewed by the Businesses.ie Editorial Team on 2 October 2026 against the linked CRO guidance, fee schedule and provider pages. Prices are dated examples for different scopes, not endorsements. The worked budget is fictional. The AI-generated cover illustrates administrative work; it is not a provider photograph or official document. This is general information, not legal advice. See our editorial policy.