#catering
Bookkeeping, grocery COGS, job costing, and tax rules for personal chefs, private caterers, and food-service sole proprietors
Since 1 July 2026 food, catering, and hairdressing in Ireland are taxed at 9% VAT instead of 13.5% — worth about €3.63 per €100 of sales if prices hold. Alcohol stays at 23% and accommodation at 13.5%, so this guide covers the pricing decision, till and tax-code updates, deposits that straddle the change, and how to split mixed bills correctly.
How wedding photographers, caterers, and planners can price sub-50-guest micro-weddings profitably — a contribution-margin floor formula that separates fixed event costs from per-guest costs, package structures with explicit minimums and add-ons, and bookkeeping that keeps deposits, earned revenue, sales tax, and direct costs visible per booking.
How personal chefs and private caterers separate client grocery COGS from household spending, claim the home-kitchen deduction under the exclusive-use test, and job-cost every booking — with target food-cost ranges of 28–38% for weekly meal prep and 25–35% for private dinners.
