Your Sligo business team for books, VAT and company set-up, fully online

Looking for accountants in Sligo who take the paperwork off your desk? staxo is the complete team behind the bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll and year end of small businesses in the town, from festival-season cafés to engineering suppliers and tech start-ups. We also handle company formation in Sligo, preparing the CRO forms online and filing nothing until you approve them. We work fully online from Ireland, day and night with AI, so there is no office to drive to.

Sligo is the largest town in Connacht, home to 20,608 people in April 2022. The Department of Enterprise's regional plan names it, with Letterkenny, as a growth centre for the North-West, and IDA Ireland keeps an office here. Life sciences, ATU Sligo, the university hospital and a full festival calendar all feed local trade. Whether you are a sole trader in Sligo or a growing limited company, we keep the books current and tell you plainly what is due and when.

20,608 people lived in Sligo in April 2022 (CSO Census 2022)

Business in Sligo

Life sciences and advanced manufacturing lead the Sligo economy, and the Department of Enterprise's North-West Regional Enterprise Plan counts 7,129 people directly employed by IDA client companies across Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim. Around that sit ATU Sligo, Sligo University Hospital, a council-run port, a group of digital firms and a tourism trade built on food, surf and music. The N4 runs to Dublin, the N17 to Galway and the N15 into Donegal, which suits firms trading across several counties. For a small business here, that means large customers, seasonal staff and, for some, sales abroad.

Life sciences and medical devices

Abbott (Ireland) is named among the largest employers in Sligo, and the regional plan places the strengths of the North-West in advanced manufacturing and medical devices. Large sites buy in maintenance, engineering, cleaning, catering and transport, and a supplier whose invoices carry the right VAT treatment gets paid faster.

Education and research at ATU Sligo

ATU Sligo sits on Ash Lane and became part of the Atlantic Technological University in 2022. The regional plan, written when it was still IT Sligo, records research centres in precision engineering materials, social professions and environmental research. Researchers who turn a project into a business face the first big choice early: sole trader or limited company.

Digital, fintech and gaming

The regional plan records IDA-supported announcements in Sligo by Advantio (40 jobs), Hypercurrent (40 jobs) and Eliatra (15 jobs), an IDA Advance Building Solution planned for the town and funding for a 12,000 sq ft Strand Campus for digital gaming at Strandhill. A studio billing a business in another EU country needs the reverse charge and a VIES check from the first invoice.

Tourism, food and festivals

The plan names the Sligo Food Trail cluster and lists the surf centre, a new cultural plaza in the town and the beach facilities at Rosses Point among local tourism assets. The Sligo Jazz Project in July, the Festival of Baroque Music in late September and Sligo Live in October bring extra shifts and extra takings for cafés, pubs and B&Bs.

Health, the port and public services

Sligo University Hospital provides hospital services to much of the North-West. Sligo Port, run by Sligo County Council since 2006, handles light freight and tourism traffic and is described as the only working cargo port on the north-west coast between Galway and Derry. Clinicians going private, care providers and hauliers each need their own tax registration and books.

What staxo does for a Sligo business

staxo is the complete team behind the management, bookkeeping and accounting of a small business in Sligo. We work fully online from Ireland, day and night with AI, and nothing goes to Revenue or the CRO until you approve it.

Bookkeeping in Sligo, kept current every week

Cronin Electrical Ltd, our example electrical contractor, might wire a shop fit-out in town one week and a farmhouse near Collooney the next. Wholesaler receipts, van fuel and stage payments pile up fast. We match every item to the bank feed, chase missing receipts, keep the RCT deductions on subcontract work straight and show the director a clean ledger each week.

VAT returns for a busy festival season

Harbour View Café, our example café, has its biggest weeks when the Sligo Jazz Project fills the town in July and Sligo Live arrives in October. Meals, drinks and retail lines can carry different VAT rates on one till. We split the sales by rate, claim back the VAT on supplies and equipment, prepare the VAT3 and send it to you to approve before it goes to ROS, always ahead of the deadline.

Payroll when the team grows

Blackrock Physio, our example clinic, adds a receptionist and a part-time physiotherapist as referrals come in from around the region. We register the business as an employer, report each pay date to Revenue, send the payslips and keep the records for holiday pay and sick leave. When a Sligo employer takes on summer staff, the same routine handles short contracts and leavers.

Year end, CT1 and the CRO annual return

A Sligo limited company has three year-end jobs: the financial statements, the CT1 for Revenue and the annual return to the CRO. Because the books were kept all year, we prepare them early, show you the corporation tax figure before preliminary tax is due, and file only after you sign off. A design studio near Strandhill and a haulier at the port get the same calendar, set out months ahead.

Monthly numbers you can act on

Every month you see sales, costs, cash in the bank and what you owe Revenue on one page. If Cronin Electrical is waiting on a large site to pay, or Harbour View Café is planning winter hours after the summer trade, the numbers show it early enough to act. Questions go to the team at any hour, and the answer comes back in plain English.

Company formation in Sligo, online from name check to certificate

Set up a limited company online with staxo from €199 ex VAT, or register as a sole trader from €49, without leaving Sligo. For a company, the CRO needs a name that passes its checks, at least one director with a PPSN, a company secretary, a registered office in the State, a constitution and the Form A1, plus the CRO's €50 online fee. The registered office can be your home address in Sligo, so no office lease is needed. On the CRO's ordinary online scheme, an A1 currently takes about two weeks.

We check your name against the CRO register and reserve it if you want to hold it.
You send the director and secretary details, and each director's PPSN goes onto the Form A1.
You pick the registered office: your home in Sligo or any physical address in the State, no PO boxes.
You approve the constitution and the Form A1, and we file them with the CRO online.
When the certificate arrives, we register the company with Revenue for corporation tax, and for VAT or as an employer if needed.

Once the company exists, its beneficial owners go on the RBO register within five months. Revenue registration follows for corporation tax, and for VAT and PAYE when they apply. A company trading under another name registers that business name with the CRO. The first annual return falls due six months after incorporation, and we diarise every one of these dates for you.

New companies in Sligo can book the Start Your Own Business programme and a one-to-one clinic at Local Enterprise Office Sligo in City Hall, then apply for a Feasibility or Priming grant if they qualify. The Innovation Centre at ATU Sligo has housed early-stage firms on the Ash Lane campus, and Sligo Chamber, listed by Chambers Ireland, is the town's chamber of commerce.

How company formation works in Ireland · Register a business online

Local Enterprise Office and supports

Local Enterprise Office Sligo is in City Hall on Quay Street, Sligo, F91 PP44. It runs the Start Your Own Business programme, one-to-one clinics, business advice clinics, mentoring and Women in Business, and it handles Feasibility, Priming and Business Expansion grants. Established firms can apply for Digital for Business, Grow Digital, Lean for Business and Green for Business. Phone 071 914 4779 or email localenterprise@sligococo.ie.

Local Enterprise Office Sligo · Sligo Chamber · Innovation Centre, ATU Sligo

Rates, the council and Revenue

Commercial rates in Sligo are set by Sligo County Council. The bill is the valuation of the property, set by Tailte Éireann, multiplied by the council's Annual Rate on Valuation. Tailte Éireann's 2026 table gives Sligo an ARV of 0.2536, unchanged from 2025, and Ocean FM reported in November 2025 that rates would stay flat for 2026. Check the council's rates page and the unit's valuation before you sign a lease.

Revenue answers Sligo business tax questions through its national business helpline, 01 7383630, open 09:30 to 13:30 Monday to Friday, and through MyEnquiries in ROS or myAccount. Its public office on Cranmore Road sees people by appointment only. Sole traders register online through ROS or myAccount, and a company with a tax agent is registered by the agent through ROS.

Nearby towns we also serve

The same team and the same books follow you if you trade across County Sligo or open in a second town.

All towns we serve

Guides

Plain guides for Irish owners on the filings that come up most.

Accountants in Sligo: your questions

Do I need an accountant with an office in Sligo?

No. staxo works fully online from Ireland and serves Sligo businesses without a local office. You upload receipts and invoices from your phone, we keep the books and prepare the VAT, wages and year-end filings, and you approve each one before it goes to Revenue or the CRO. For face-to-face help you can still book a LEO clinic in City Hall.

Which council sets commercial rates in Sligo, and what is the 2026 rate?

Sligo County Council sets the Annual Rate on Valuation, and Tailte Éireann sets the valuation of each property; the bill is one multiplied by the other. Tailte Éireann's national table gives Sligo an ARV of 0.2536 for 2026, the same as in 2025. Check your unit's valuation before you commit to premises.

Where is the Local Enterprise Office for a business in Sligo town?

Local Enterprise Office Sligo is in City Hall on Quay Street, Sligo, F91 PP44, phone 071 914 4779. New owners can join the Start Your Own Business programme or book a one-to-one clinic, and the office assesses Feasibility, Priming and Business Expansion grants for firms that qualify.

Is there a Revenue office in Sligo I can visit?

Revenue has a public office in the Government Offices on Cranmore Road, Sligo, F91 V83R, open by appointment only. Most business queries go through MyEnquiries in ROS or myAccount, and the national business helpline on 01 7383630 takes calls from 09:30 to 13:30, Monday to Friday. When staxo prepares your returns, you approve them first and they are then filed through ROS.

How long does it take to register a company in Sligo, and do I need an office?

On the CRO's ordinary online scheme an A1 currently takes about two weeks, and the queue moves, so we never promise a date. You need no office: the registered office can be your home address in Sligo, provided it is a physical address in the State. staxo prepares the forms from €199 ex VAT plus the CRO's €50 fee, and you sign off before anything is filed.

Should I start a business in Sligo as a sole trader or as a limited company?

Sole trader registration with Revenue is the simpler start, and staxo handles it from €49. A limited company keeps your personal assets separate from the business and can suit you once profits grow or when larger customers prefer to deal with a company. The Start Your Own Business programme at LEO Sligo covers the choice, and we can show you the figures for your own case.

Sources and last reviewed

Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Rates, grants and hub details change, so check the source before you act on a figure.

Start or run your Sligo business with staxo

Company formation in Ireland · Online accounting · Sole trader accounting · Limited company accounting · VAT returns · Pricing