The Trading Online Voucher, explained.
The Trading Online Voucher is a Local Enterprise Office scheme that puts up to €2,500 towards getting a small Irish business trading online. It is matched funding at 50 percent, so a €5,000 project can draw the full amount. This guide covers what it is, who tends to qualify, what it usually pays for, and how to get the written quote an application needs.
Get a written quote01 What the scheme is
The Trading Online Voucher is run by the Local Enterprise Offices, the network that sits inside the local authorities. It exists to get small Irish businesses selling and being found online, rather than relying on a shop door and word of mouth.
The headline number is up to €2,500. It is matched funding at 50 percent, which means the voucher pays half and you pay half. A €5,000 project therefore draws the full €2,500. A €3,000 project draws €1,500. Spend more than €5,000 and the voucher does not grow, because €2,500 is the ceiling.
Those figures, and every rule underneath them, are set by the Local Enterprise Office and revised from time to time. We are describing the shape of the scheme as it is generally published. Before you plan a budget around it, confirm the current amount and conditions with your own office.
The voucher pays half, up to €2,500. You pay the other half.
The full detail sits on localenterprise.ie, and that page is the one that counts.
02 Who tends to be eligible
The scheme is aimed squarely at small businesses. The tests below usually come up. All are set by the Local Enterprise Office, all change, and none is decided by us.
Small headcount
There is a limit on the number of employees, and it is low. Larger firms are outside the scheme entirely.
Turnover threshold
There is a ceiling on annual turnover too. If the business is above it, the application will not get far.
Trading history
Offices generally look for a business that has been trading for a period rather than one that opened last month.
Limited online trading
The scheme is meant to start or improve online trading, so a business already selling well online may not qualify.
Registered in Ireland
The business has to be based and trading in Ireland, and applications go to the office for your own county or area.
Confirm it, do not assume
Rules move. Ring your Local Enterprise Office and ask before you spend a day on paperwork.
03 What it typically covers
The voucher is for the cost of getting online, not for staying there. The split below is the one offices usually describe. The definitive list is theirs, and worth reading before you write a line of the application.
| Usually covered | Usually not covered |
|---|---|
| Developing or upgrading a website | Ongoing hosting and domain renewals |
| Adding ecommerce or online booking | Work already started or already paid for |
| Digital marketing to launch the site | Staff wages and general running costs |
| Subscriptions to online services | Stock, equipment and premises |
| Training and consultancy on trading online | Anything unrelated to trading online |
The one that catches people is the last line of the second column. A rebrand, a van livery or a new till system will not read as trading online, however much the business needs them.
04 How the application works
The order matters more than anything else on this page. You apply, you are approved, and then you spend. Commit to a build first and you will usually find the work falls outside the application.
The shape is this. You contact your Local Enterprise Office and check you qualify. Many offices ask you to attend a short information session first. You gather written quotes, because the office wants to see what the money buys. You write the business side of the application, a plain explanation of what you sell, who buys it and what being online will change. You submit, you wait, and if it is approved you get written confirmation. Only then does the work start, and afterwards you claim against the invoices.
Approval first, spending second. Never the other way round.
Timelines vary by office, so ask yours what to expect and build that wait into your own plan.
05 Where we fit, and what the numbers look like
An application needs a quote that is specific, written and fixed. That is how we price anyway. Send us the brief and you get a fixed price in writing within two working days, itemised so an assessor can see exactly what is being bought. No charge for the quote and no obligation to go ahead.
Our tiers are published, which also helps. Launch is €5,400 for design and build up to six pages, with hosting for the first year. Grow is €10,800 for up to fifteen pages with SEO research, page build and 90 days of rank tracking. Care is €190 a month afterwards. Most sites launch in 4 to 8 weeks.
| Project | Price | Voucher at 50 percent | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| A €5,000 scoped build | €5,000 | €2,500, the full amount | €2,500 |
| Launch tier | €5,400 | €2,500, capped | €2,900 |
| Grow tier | €10,800 | €2,500, capped | €8,300 |
Read the table as arithmetic, not as a promise. Whether any of it is approved, and how much, is a decision for the Local Enterprise Office. We cannot approve an application and neither can any other studio.
For wider budget context, our guide to what a website costs in Ireland sets out the market ranges, and the pricing page breaks down each tier. There is more under web design and local SEO, and in our work, including Avoca Wicklow Day Tour, Platinum Pilates, Engage Financial, Healy Pentony and Northbrook Clinic. By trade: clinics, financial advisers, law firms and pilates studios.
Common questions about the voucher.
How much is the Trading Online Voucher worth?
The Local Enterprise Office scheme offers up to €2,500 in matched funding at 50 percent, so a €5,000 project can draw the full €2,500. The amount and the terms are set by the Local Enterprise Office and change over time, so confirm the current figure with your own office before you budget around it.
Who is eligible for the Trading Online Voucher?
It is aimed at small businesses, and there are limits on the number of employees and on turnover, along with conditions about trading history and about how much you already sell online. The Local Enterprise Office sets and revises those rules, so treat any list you read online as a starting point and confirm eligibility with your local office.
Can I apply after I have paid for the website?
Generally no. Approval comes before the spend. If you sign off a build and then apply, you will usually find the work is outside the scope of the application. Get the quotes, apply, wait for the written approval, then start.
What does the voucher not cover?
Ongoing running costs are the usual exclusion, along with work already started, staff costs and anything that is not part of trading online. Exclusions are set by the Local Enterprise Office and change, so check the current list with them.
How do I get a quote to put in my application?
Send us the brief and you get a fixed price in writing within two working days, itemised so an assessor can see what the money buys. There is no charge for the quote and no obligation to proceed.
Need a quote for your application? Send the brief.
A fixed price in writing within two working days, itemised for the paperwork. Check your eligibility with your Local Enterprise Office first.