Investment return after fees, tax and inflation: practical guide

What to prepare

• Find the relevant statement, payslip or transaction record rather than estimating from a bank balance.
• Identify the tax year, transaction date and whether each amount is gross, net, annual or monthly.
• Separate known facts from assumed rates and check eligibility against the linked official sources.

Understand the inputs

The calculation method

Apply fee after gross return, tax positive net gains, then divide by the inflation factor.

Worked example

Illustrative inputs and their result.

Example inputs

Starting investment (€)

10000

Gross one-year return (%)

7

Fee on ending gross value (%)

1

Tax on positive net gain (%)

33

One-year inflation (%)

2.5

Calculated example result

Real Return Percent

1.4372%

Ending Value

€10,397.31

How to interpret the result

Distinguish a tax saving, a tax bill, cash received and money remaining: they are not interchangeable. An estimate does not establish eligibility, filing compliance or when a refund will be paid.

Compare the same income or transaction under one changed assumption at a time. Keep a record of the year, date and assumptions so a change in the result can be explained.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not mix tax years or apply a newly announced measure to an earlier transaction.
• Avoid counting an allowance, credit, contribution or loss twice.
• Check exclusions and personal circumstances before relying on the headline result.

Assumptions and sources

Enter applicable tax assumptions yourself. Reliefs, deemed disposal, loss relief and timing are excluded.

Related finance & irish taxes guides

• Salary & PAYE: practical guide
• Irish VAT: practical guide
• Capital gains tax: practical guide
• Gift & inheritance tax: practical guide
• Deposit interest & DIRT: practical guide
• Emergency payroll tax: practical guide