Company secretary prices in Ireland are difficult to compare if one quote covers an annual appointment and another covers only a form. A new founder may also confuse secretarial support with accounting, a registered office or an EEA-resident director. These are different roles and purchases.
This guide explains the cost of appointing a secretary, the difference between a recurring engagement and a one-off change, and how to budget for filing work separately. It is aimed at Irish private limited companies, especially single-director LTDs and overseas founders arranging administration. Published prices and CRO guidance were checked on 2 October 2026.
Company secretary fees: compare the same service
Start with the unit being priced. Is the provider being appointed for twelve months, preparing one appointment form, maintaining records or delivering a larger compliance package? An inexpensive one-off filing price is not a cheaper version of a year-long appointment.
There is no universal commercial fee set by the CRO for employing an external secretary. The appointment terms and workload matter. The table shows the currently published StartCompany.ie services alongside the official filing fee; it is not a market-wide minimum or average.
| Arrangement | Published cost | Main distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Suitable internal secretary | No external subscription if none is agreed | The appointee still needs skills, resources and time |
| StartCompany.ie nominee secretary | €250 per year total | Annual appointment and the agreed secretarial support |
| StartCompany.ie secretary change | €100 service price | One-off change support, not an annual appointment |
| Electronic Form B10 filed with CRO | €0 filing fee | Government filing fee only; professional work is separate |
| StartCompany.ie annual return service | €160 service price | Separate Form B1 preparation and filing support |
Can you appoint a secretary without buying a subscription?
You may have a suitable individual or corporate appointee already available. That can avoid an external secretary subscription, but it does not eliminate the administration. Decide who maintains records, monitors changes, communicates with advisers and helps organise the annual return before calling the arrangement free.
CRO guidance says a secretary of a private company does not need a prescribed formal qualification, but directors must ensure the person has the necessary skills or resources. A single-director LTD needs a separate secretary. A corporate body can act as secretary to another company, but not to itself. PLC requirements are different and should not be assumed from an LTD guide.
A friend or family member should understand the appointment before agreeing to it. Write down the expected work, availability and information flow. The cheapest apparent option can become an expensive reorganisation if nobody knows who is responsible when a deadline approaches.
What an annual professional secretary fee should explain
A useful engagement defines the appointment period and the work performed within it. Ask who is named in the company record, how you contact them and which records they help maintain. Do not assume an annual subscription gives unlimited preparation of every possible company transaction.
StartCompany.ie's published nominee secretary service is an annual engagement. Its described work includes the company secretary service, CRO compliance reminders, officer filing guidance and statutory records guidance. Its service page explains that annual return preparation and filing are separate. Confirm the actual scope for your company before relying on a reminder or a filing being covered.
The company also has to supply accurate information. A provider cannot maintain current officer or share records if changes are not reported. Agree how and when you send resolutions, appointments, resignations and ownership changes, and retain your own copy of important company records.
- A clearly identified secretary appointment and service period.
- A documented method for giving instructions and reporting changes.
- An explanation of reminders, records support and included filings.
- A list of separately charged transactions or additional work.
- Renewal, cancellation and record-handover arrangements.
Annual appointment versus a €100 secretary change
A company might need to replace an existing secretary without buying a continuing external appointment. Alternatively, it may need both a change and a new annual provider. Describe which situation applies when requesting a quote so the adviser does not price a different job.
Form B10 notifies the CRO of officer changes. CRO guidance requires changes to the registered secretary details to be notified within 14 days, and electronic B10 filing has no CRO fee. StartCompany.ie's separately listed €100 secretary-change service is a charge for professional support, not a government appointment fee.
Check whether appointment preparation is already part of a new annual engagement. Do not automatically add a separate change charge because it appears in the service list. The quote should explain what is being done and whether any overlap exists.
Why the secretary is not your accountant or director
A secretary appointment is a company officer arrangement. Accounting work involves preparing books, financial statements or other agreed financial services. A director has a different management role. One person or firm may provide more than one service under separate terms, but the existence of one engagement does not prove that the others are covered.
For an overseas founder, appointing a professional secretary does not satisfy a separate requirement concerning an EEA-resident director or an applicable bond. It also does not provide a registered office merely because the provider has an office of its own. Ask specifically which address and officer services are included.
This distinction matters when comparing a compliance bundle. A broader quote might be useful if you need several workstreams, but it should still identify the appointment, record support, annual return, accounts and address components so you can understand the recurring budget.
Build a realistic annual administration budget
At €250 for a full annual engagement, the approximate monthly budgeting equivalent is €20.83. That calculation helps compare administration costs with expected business income; it does not state that the service is billed monthly. Put the actual annual payment and renewal date in your cash forecast.
If you separately purchased the currently listed €250 secretary service, €160 registered office and €160 annual return service, the three service prices would add to €570. This is an illustrative sum of separately listed services, not a new bundle, a universal annual company cost or a guarantee about your company's quoted scope. Check package inclusions and any overlap before buying all three.
Accounts preparation, bookkeeping, payroll and unusual transactions may require separate engagement and a company-specific quote. A pre-trading company with simple records and an active company with changing shareholders will not necessarily need the same support. Give an adviser a realistic description of anticipated work instead of requesting an all-inclusive price without detail.
What makes secretarial support more complex?
An appointment alone does not tell a provider how much work the company will create. Frequent officer changes, share issues, transfers, changes to the constitution or overdue records can require additional preparation. Group structures and investors may also ask for more formal reporting or meeting records.
Explain the expected company activity when seeking a quote. Tell the provider whether there are existing registers, whether filings are up to date and how many transactions are planned. If a company is transferring from another provider, ask about reviewing historic records before pricing routine ongoing work.
Budget optional work when it becomes a real project rather than assuming every possible filing must be bought at incorporation. Conversely, disclose a planned investment round or substantial restructure early so the company does not choose a basic engagement that leaves the main task unpriced.
Keep responsibilities clear when using a provider
A professional appointment is support, not a reason for directors to stop paying attention. CRO guidance describes directors' duties to ensure company-law compliance and explains that secretarial work is arranged by the directors. Keep a compliance calendar and obtain confirmation when a filing or record update has been completed.
Agree who requests signatures, who checks the source information and who follows up on missing documents. A reminder sent to an unused email address does not solve the company's administrative problem. Use a shared company contact where practical and nominate someone to respond when the main founder is unavailable.
If you change provider, organise both the officer update and the handover of records. Establish the effective appointment dates so the company has a valid secretary throughout the transition. Do not assume cancelling an invoice updates the CRO register or delivers the records to the replacement.
Choose the right secretary arrangement before formation
For a new single-director LTD, decide on the separate secretary before the incorporation details are finalised. If a suitable person is available internally, organise the role and support they need. If not, compare a professional appointment based on total payable price, service period and responsibilities.
For an existing company, provide the CRO number, current officer arrangement and any urgent deadlines. StartCompany.ie can help you distinguish an annual secretary engagement from a one-off change and identify which formation or administration services you actually need. A clear scope is more useful than a low headline number that answers the wrong question.
- Do I need a new appointee, a records service or only a change filing?
- Does the quote cover twelve months and when does it renew?
- Is Form B1 preparation included or separately charged?
- Which company changes are included in the engagement?
- Who supplies the information and checks completion?
- How are appointment details and records handed over on exit?
StartCompany.ie service
Company Secretary Service for Irish Companies
Current listed price: €250 per year total for nominee secretary service
Official information and next steps
General company-administration information, not legal advice. Published fees and CRO guidance were checked on 2 October 2026. Confirm the current engagement terms, especially appointment scope, filing exclusions and renewal.