Christmas 2026 order deadlines for staff gift cards

Last updated 30 October 2026.

CleverCards staff gift cards are digital Visa cards sent by email, so there is no postal deadline. Once your account is funded, cards are issued the same day, and employees can use them within minutes. The dates that matter are when your payment reaches your account, the bank holidays, and 31 December, the last day to use your 2026 tax-free allowance.

Our recommendation: order and fund by Friday 18 December so every employee has their card before the Christmas week.

Key dates for Christmas 2026

How to have cards with your team in time

1. Check each employee's 2026 total. Each employee can receive up to €1,500 tax-free across up to five benefits in the year. Subtract anything you have already given them in 2026, and count how many benefits they have had.
2. Order in the Business Portal. Set the value for each employee and add them one by one, or upload your whole team in one file.
3. Fund your account. Cards are issued the same day once your account is funded.
4. Report to Revenue. Report the date and value of each card to Revenue on or before the day it is given. The Business Portal shows both for every card.
5. Employees get their card. Each employee receives an email, turns it into a digital Visa card in about two minutes, and can add it to Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Tax points for Christmas rewards

December or January: which year's allowance?

The allowance runs per tax year, which is the calendar year. A card given on or before 31 December 2026 counts towards the employee's 2026 allowance. A card given on or after 1 January 2027 counts towards 2027. Unused 2026 allowance does not carry over.

Reporting December rewards

From 1 January 2027, employers can choose to report small benefits by a later date. That option does not apply to rewards given in December 2026: report those on or before the day you give them.

Keep each reward within the limits

A single reward over €1,500, or one that takes the employee's 2026 total over €1,500, is taxable in full. A sixth reward in the same year is also taxable.

Step-by-step reporting guide: How to report tax-free rewards to Revenue

Full rules: Small Benefit Exemption 2026: the employer's guide

Why staff gift cards from CleverCards

• Digital, so no postage. Cards arrive by email, including for remote staff and people on leave.
• Employees choose where to spend. Spend wherever Visa is accepted, online or in store, in Ireland and abroad.
• Tax-free up to €1,500 per employee under Revenue's Small Benefit Exemption.
• Reporting details for every card. Date and value, ready for your ERR submission.

More than 20,000 businesses in Ireland use CleverCards.

Order your team's Christmas cards.

Cards are issued by Stripe Technology Europe Limited, an electronic money institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (C187865), under licence from Visa Europe Limited.

References

1. Irish Immigration Service Delivery: Public and bank holiday list 2026 (January 2026)
2. Revenue: Small Benefit Exemption (published 1 January 2025)
3. Revenue: Enhanced Reporting Requirements (ERR), Overview (published 22 January 2026)
4. Arthur Cox: The Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, what you need to know (23 October 2026)
5. Revenue: Tax and Duty Manual Part 05-01-01e, The Small Benefit Exemption (updated February 2025)