Gender Pay Gap Reporting Update: New Reporting Requirement Signed into Law

The President has signed the Employment Equality and Institutional Burials (Amendment) Act 2026 (the Act) into law this weekend.

The Act amends the Employment Equality Act 1998 to establish a reporting mechanism under which in-scope Organisations would both publish their gender pay gap information and report it to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.

What is changing?

Mandatory central portal submission

In-scope Organisations (50 Employees or more) will be required to report their gender pay gap information to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality through the Government’s Gender Pay Gap Portal.

Existing publication duties remain

Portal submission does not replace the requirement to publish the report and accompanying explanatory statement on the Organisation’s website, or, where the Organisation has no website, to make it available for physical inspection at its registered office or principal place of business during normal business hours.

Greater accountability for the accompanying statement

In-scope Organisations must include a statement concerning the accuracy of the information supplied, qualified by the wording ‘in so far as’ the Employer is aware.

The Minister may return non-compliant Employer statements

Where an Employer statement does not comply with the applicable requirements, the Act provides that the Minister may return it to the Organisation. The Organisation would then be required to address the identified deficiencies and resubmit the statement in accordance with the applicable requirements.

The Minister may publish and compare the reported information

The Act gives the Minister authority to publish gender pay gap information in line with relevant regulations. It also provides for the use of the information for comparison purposes. Although the operative regulations have not yet been published, it is taken that the Government’s online portal which has been open for voluntary registration since November 2025 will facilitate reporting to the Minister and data comparisons.

What does this mean for in-scope Organisations?

The Act requires a commencement order before coming into operation. The Act also provides that regulations will govern the updated reporting process. The precise reporting requirements will therefore depend on the applicable regulations and commencement arrangements. In-scope Organisations should wait to see the operative regulations and commencement order before reporting their 2026 figures.

The immediate priority is to get the data right, produce an evidence-based explanatory statement to ensure the Organisation can stand over the accuracy of the figures and prepare for central portal reporting without neglecting existing publication duties.

Although the new portal requirement is primarily a change to the reporting mechanism, greater public accessibility and potential comparisons across Organisations and sectors mean that reports should be treated as formal, evidence-backed disclosures not simply an annual compliance exercise.

We will provide further updates when the operative regulations and commencement order are published.

If your Organisation needs advice, support, or guidance about Gender Pay Gap Reporting or any HR issues, please contact Adare by calling (01) 561 3594 or emailing info@adarehrm.ie to learn what services are available to support your business.