Thank you to Amicus: Search and Recruitment for Sponsoring this episode. To find your next Finance or Accounting Role, head to https://amicus.ie/ and tell them that we sent you!

In this episode, I’m tackling one of the examiner’s favourite topics: Pensions. While you won’t see them coming up as a full 20-mark question, they appear often enough and can carry a sizeable number of marks. That means they’re well worth your time to understand.

I walk you through the examinable areas around both pension investment and withdrawal, explaining the tax treatment, the limits you need to remember, and the pitfalls to watch for in exam questions.

Main Topics Discussed:

• The difference between personal pensions and occupational pensions – and why it matters in exam questions.
• How tax relief works on personal contributions, including the age-related percentage table and the €115,000 cap.
• Why employer contributions to occupational pensions are so tax efficient – and how this could influence the incorporation decision for high earners.
• What happens on pension withdrawal: lump sums, ARFs, and annuities, plus how they’re taxed.
• How to spot the pension type you’re being asked about and where to find the key tables in your tax tables booklet.

If you’re preparing for ATX, pensions are a topic you really can’t afford to ignore. I’ll help you cut through the detail so you can answer with confidence on exam day.

Thank you for listening to Study For Tax in your Coffee Break! If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review on your Podcast platform and share it with others to let them know you enjoyed the podcast.

To improve your study for the ACCA ATX Exams this year, head to Paula Byrne's website to purchase the ACCA ATX IRL Revision Book for Exams in 2025 and Tax Conditions - the Spoken Word for audio-based revision.

Thank you to Matthew Bliss for editing and production of this episode. If you'd like him to edit your podcast, send an email to business@mbpod.com or head to https://www.mbpod.com/.

Thank you to Amicus: Search and Recruitment for Sponsoring this episode. To find your next Finance or Accounting Role, head to https://amicus.ie/ and tell them that we sent you!

This is a replay of a previous episode in the feed. We will be back to normal broadcast next in September 2025.

In this episode, Paula talks about the different tax considerations related to Share Buybacks for companies, and the reliefs available when a company deftly manages whether CGT or Income Tax is required in each scenario.

Topics Covered:

Overview of Share Buyback

• General explanation of share buyback.
• Context in exams - a case study where a company buys back shares.

Income Tax vs. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Treatment

• Default treatment as an income tax event under schedule F.
• Preferable treatment as a CGT event and why (lower tax rate at 33%, CGT reliefs).

Conditions for CGT Treatment

• The company must be a trading company or a holding company of a subsidiary.
• Shares must be in an unquoted company.
• Shares must have been held for five years by an Irish resident individual.
• Redemption must be for the benefit of trade.
• Substantial reduction in the shareholder's interest (25% reduction, shares 30% or less post-redemption).

Examiner's Indicators

• Recognizing share buyback questions in exam cases (e.g., shareholders not getting along, detrimental to the company).

Tax Reliefs for Qualifying Shareholders

• Entrepreneurial relief and retirement relief.
• Potential to pay no tax on share buyback.

Treatment for Non-Qualifying Shareholders

• Taxed under schedule F.
• Tax calculation: agreed buyback price minus nominal value of shares.
• Rate of tax at marginal rate.
• Withholding tax at 25% by the company.

Special Considerations

• Distinction from close company transactions.
• Capital loss for those taxed under income tax.

Company's Perspective on Share Buyback

• Potential stamp duty liability.
• No stamp duty if shares are converted to redeemable preference shares first.

*****

Thank you for listening to Study For Tax in your Coffee Break! If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review on your Podcast platform and share it with others to let them know you enjoyed the podcast.

If you'd like to purchase the books from which the content of this podcast is made, head to https://paulabyrne.ie/tax-books/.

Thank you to Matthew Bliss for editing and production of this episode. If you'd like him to edit your podcast, send an email to business@mbpod.com or head to https://www.mbpod.com/.

Thank you to Amicus: Search and Recruitment for Sponsoring this episode. To find your next Finance or Accounting Role, head to https://amicus.ie/ and tell them that we sent you!

In this episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Shauna Doherty: winner of the Advanced Tax Prize for Ireland in the December 2024 sitting! 🏆

Shauna joined my course late (just after sitting SBL in September!) and still managed to secure the highest mark in the country for ATX. An incredible achievement and she’s kindly come on to share exactly how she did it.

We chat all about:

• How she balanced studying for two professional papers at once
• Why she gave 90% of her time to ATX—and still had a social life!
• Her bulletproof routine and planning approach
• How working with others and asking questions made a huge difference
• The mindset shift from "just pass it" to actually enjoying tax

Shauna’s strategy is full of smart, sustainable study tips and if you’re feeling overwhelmed, this episode will calm the chaos and give you a real-world roadmap from someone who’s been there and won the big prize!

Thank you for listening to Study For Tax in your Coffee Break! If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to leave a rating and review on your Podcast platform and share it with others to let them know you enjoyed the podcast.

If you'd like to purchase the books from which the content of this podcast is made, head to https://paulabyrne.ie/tax-books/.

Thank you to Matthew Bliss for editing and production of this episode. If you'd like him to edit your podcast, send an email to business@mbpod.com or head to https://www.mbpod.com/.