Apple paid Ireland roughly £13 billion in corporate taxes in 2025, marking the conclusion of one of the largest corporate tax recoveries ever ordered by the European Union. The figure follows a legal battle spanning more than a decade over how much the company owed the Irish state.
The technology giant had long faced scrutiny over its Irish tax arrangements. The European Union accused the company of exploiting a loophole to reduce its tax liability, despite employing more than 5,000 people in the country. Apple maintains a significant presence in Ireland, including its facility in Cork.
A record tax recovery for Ireland
New filings show that Apple paid approximately £13 billion (around EUR 15 billion) in taxes to Ireland during 2025. The payment represents a substantial contribution to the Irish exchequer and underlines the scale of the settlement reached after years of dispute.
The case had become one of the most closely watched corporate tax matters in Europe, centring on whether the arrangements between Apple and Ireland amounted to unlawful state aid. The resolution brings a lengthy period of legal uncertainty to a close.
Ireland’s share of Apple’s global tax bill
Globally, Apple paid around £33 billion (approximately EUR 37 billion) in corporate taxes across the year. As a result, Ireland accounted for roughly 40 per cent of the company’s total corporate tax bill for 2025, a proportion driven by this one-off recovery.
The concentration of such a large share in a single jurisdiction reflects the exceptional nature of the payment rather than Apple’s ordinary tax distribution. The company continues to operate one of its most important European bases in Ireland, where thousands of staff are employed across its operations.
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Image: appleinsider.com
