Guide for Irish small businesses
Website grants in Ireland: the Grow Digital Voucher
If you searched for the Trading Online Voucher, here is the short version: it has closed. The Grow Digital Voucher replaced it, and the rules are different. This page explains them in plain English.
The Grow Digital Voucher pays back 50% of eligible costs, from €500 up to €5,000. You apply to your Local Enterprise Office before you spend anything, and it does not pay for custom-built websites.
The Trading Online Voucher has closed
The Trading Online Voucher closed to new applications in December 2024. It paid up to €2,500, covering 50% of the cost of trading online, for example online booking or payments on a website. Many websites still advertise it, but you cannot apply for it now.
Source: Local Enterprise Office Monaghan notice.
The Grow Digital Voucher: the scheme that replaced it
The Grow Digital Voucher is run by the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), not by Enterprise Ireland. You apply to the LEO for the area where your business is registered and operates.
- It pays back 50% of eligible costs.
- The smallest grant is €500 and the largest is €5,000 per application.
- You can do up to two projects, but the total grant across both is capped at €5,000.
- So you pay at least half yourself: a €5,000 grant means at least €10,000 of eligible spend.
Source: localenterprise.ie/growdigital.
Who can apply
- Businesses with 1 to 50 paid employees that meet the EU definition of a small or medium business.
- Trading for at least 6 months.
- Registered and operating in the area of the Local Enterprise Office you apply to.
- Current tax clearance from Revenue.
- Companies, sole traders and partnerships can apply.
- Not a client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.
- Not in an excluded sector, such as primary agriculture, fishing, gambling or tobacco.
There is one more condition that catches people out: you need a completed Digital for Business project with your LEO from the last two years. That is a LEO programme that looks at how your business could use digital tools. Talk to your LEO about it first.
Sources: Grow Digital Voucher, Digital for Business.
What it pays for, and what it does not
Can be eligible
- Subscriptions to off-the-shelf business software that is new to your business, for up to one year. You pay the annual subscription before the grant is paid.
- The LEO's examples include e-commerce, website development (but not bespoke), online booking, payments and appointments, customer records (CRM), stock control, accounting and payroll, and cyber security.
- Training and setup (IT configuration and integration), as long as together they are no more than half of the project cost.
Not eligible
- Custom-built (bespoke) software. The LEOs say plainly: "The Grow Digital Voucher does not support bespoke website development."
- Anything you spend, or any work that starts, before you apply.
Hosting, domain names, SEO, ongoing upkeep and advertising are not named either way in the official pages we read. Check with your Local Enterprise Office before you count on any of them.
Source: LEO Clare, Grow Digital.
How to apply, step by step
- Contact your Local Enterprise Office and ask about the Grow Digital Voucher.
- Complete a Digital for Business project with the LEO, if you have not done one in the last two years.
- Get quotes for the software and setup you want. Ask your LEO how many quotes they need.
- Apply, and wait for approval. Do not buy anything or start any work before you apply.
- Buy the software and setup, and pay the full amount yourself.
- Claim 50% back from your LEO. Ask them early which documents the claim needs.
Rules on quotes, invoices, VAT, deadlines and suppliers can change and can differ between offices. Where this page does not give an answer, check with your Local Enterprise Office. They make the decision, not us.
Where Burrohost fits
Burrohost builds, hosts and looks after websites and booking pages for small businesses, on a monthly or yearly plan. We are not on any approved-supplier list, and we cannot tell you that our plans qualify for the voucher. Your Local Enterprise Office decides that.
What we can do:
- Give you a written quote with each item on its own line, so you and your LEO can see what is what.
- Charge the same price whether you use a grant or not.
- Wait until you are approved before we start any work you want to claim for.
Ask your LEO about supplier rules, such as where a supplier must be registered, before you choose any supplier, including us. If the voucher does not fit, our plans start at $59 a month, and you see your site before you pay.
Questions
Is the Trading Online Voucher still open?
No. It closed to new applications in December 2024. The Grow Digital Voucher, run by the Local Enterprise Offices, replaced it.
Is the website free with the voucher?
No. The voucher pays back 50% of eligible costs, so you pay at least half yourself, and you pay the full bill first before you claim.
Can I start the work now and claim later?
No. You must apply before any money is spent or any work starts. Spending before you apply is not eligible.
Does it pay for a custom-built website?
No. The Local Enterprise Offices say the Grow Digital Voucher does not support bespoke website development. It pays for new, off-the-shelf software subscriptions for up to one year, plus some training and setup.
Can Burrohost apply for me?
No. You apply to your own Local Enterprise Office. We can give you a written quote with each item on its own line, and you decide with your LEO what is eligible.
Is Burrohost an approved supplier?
We are not on any approved-supplier list, and we cannot promise that our plans qualify. Ask your Local Enterprise Office about supplier rules before you pick any supplier, including us.
Official pages read on 8 October 2026. This is general information, not financial advice.