“Secretarial services Ireland” can describe several different products: providing the named company secretary, maintaining statutory records, preparing board documents, tracking CRO deadlines or completing individual company changes. Those services are related, but they are not interchangeable.
Before choosing a provider, identify which legal requirement or administrative problem you need to solve. The cheapest quoted fee can become expensive if the annual return, registered office, officer changes or share records you expected are outside the contract.
What Irish law requires
CRO guidance confirms that every Irish company needs a secretary. An LTD may have one director, but that sole director cannot also act as secretary. A suitable individual or eligible body corporate can hold the office, while directors must ensure the secretary has the skills or resources needed for the role.
Company secretary appointment versus secretarial support
The company secretary is an officer recorded for the company. A company secretarial service is the work a provider agrees to perform. Some providers supply both the formal appointment and administration. Others advise the secretary already appointed by the company or handle only specific filings.
This distinction is especially important for a single-director LTD. The founder needs a separate secretary appointment, not only reminders or filing software. Read the CRO's official company secretary guidance and our separate company secretary duties guide for the legal and practical role.
Services that may be included
| Service | What to confirm | Common misunderstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Named secretary | Who is appointed and for what term | Advice alone does not fill the office |
| Compliance reminders | Which dates are monitored and how notice is sent | A reminder is not the filing itself |
| Statutory records | Which registers, minutes and share records are maintained | CRO records are not the complete internal register |
| Annual return | Whether B1 preparation, filing fee and accounts are included | Secretary appointment does not automatically include B1 filing |
| Company changes | Fees for directors, shares, name and address changes | Transactional filings are often charged separately |
What is usually outside a basic engagement?
Never assume the following are included unless the proposal says so: bookkeeping, financial statements, tax returns, legal opinions, employment advice, RBO updates, annual-return filing, registered-office mail handling, share allotments or transfers, changes of director, company-name changes, bank-account applications or document apostilles.
The provider should also explain what happens when information arrives late. A secretary cannot keep records accurate if directors do not report a new address, share transaction or resignation. The engagement should set a notification process and identify who authorises filings.
How much do secretarial services cost?
Prices depend on whether the provider is merely supporting an existing secretary or becoming the named secretary, the complexity of the company and the work included. Compare the annual price and the event-based fee schedule rather than one headline number.
At the date of this guide, the StartCompany.ie company secretary service lists a free requirement check, an annual nominee secretary service at €438, and secretary-change support at €100. The annual nominee service lists the appointment, compliance reminders, officer-filing guidance and statutory-record guidance. Annual-return filing and registered-office services should be checked separately.
Questions to ask every provider
- Will you become the named company secretary or only support our appointee?
- What is the start date, renewal date and notice period?
- Which statutory registers and board documents will you maintain?
- Are the first and later annual returns included, and are financial statements included?
- What are the fees for Form B10, B2, B5, share transfers and other changes?
- Is a registered office or mail-handling service included?
- How quickly must directors report changes, and how are instructions approved?
- What happens to records and CRO appointments if the service ends?
- Who provides legal, tax and accounting advice when specialist advice is required?
Secretarial support for non-resident founders
An overseas board may value an organised Irish contact, but the secretary does not create Irish tax substance, replace an EEA-resident director, guarantee banking or provide immigration permission. Those are separate questions. Review the non-resident formation route and Section 137 bond guide alongside the secretary appointment.
Choose scope before price
The best comparison is a written responsibility schedule. List the company officer, annual calendar, records, recurring filings and likely first-year changes, then mark each item as included, excluded or separately priced. That gives the directors a usable service rather than a title with unclear expectations.