Wealth Planning for Remote Workers Who’ve Relocated to the West

Remote and hybrid work has changed how people build their lives in Ireland. Many professionals are now based across Mayo and the wider West while working for employers in Dublin, elsewhere in Ireland, or overseas.

For plenty of households, the move is about quality of life. Shorter school runs. More space. Less time in traffic. A steadier week.

Once the move is done, a different reality often follows. Spending patterns shift. Travel becomes less frequent but more expensive when it happens. Some people add contract work on the side. Others change employers and keep the same location.

Work can stay steady, while a financial plan quietly stops matching the new shape of life.

Wealth planning, in this context, is not about dramatic change. It is about keeping long-term decisions aligned as the practical details change around them.

1) Start with the new cashflow, not the old one

Remote working often reduces the obvious costs, then introduces quieter ones.

Commuting may drop. Lunches out may drop. At the same time, household bills can rise. Broadband matters more. Heating is on more often.

The car may also be used differently. Fewer short trips, but longer journeys for office days, client visits, or team meet-ups.

A simple way to sense-check spending is to separate it into three categories:

That last category is where many remote workers get caught out. The spikes are not constant, but they are predictable. If they are not planned for, they tend to be paid for at the wrong time.

If income includes bonuses, commissions, or foreign-currency pay, it also helps to decide what level of income is safe to rely on for monthly commitments, and what should be treated as variable.

2) Know what you can claim and what you cannot

Remote workers sometimes assume there is nothing to review once they are on PAYE. In reality, a few smaller items can add up over time.

Remote Working Relief can be available for certain additional household costs linked to working from home. Revenue sets out how to claim and what evidence is required.

Revenue also sets out the rules for an employer-paid remote working allowance. Up to €3.20 per day can be paid tax-free for days worked from home. Amounts above that are treated as taxable.

If an employee claims Remote Working Relief, any employer payment towards those costs must be taken into account in the claim.

Revenue guidance also explains how the allowable amount is calculated from electricity, heating and broadband costs, based on days worked remotely and any employer contribution. The relief is given at the claimant’s highest rate of tax.

The practical takeaway is simple. Check what is already being paid through payroll, what is claimable, and what paperwork is needed. That avoids missed reliefs and avoids accidental double-counting.

3) Keep pensions from drifting

Relocation can be the moment when pension saving quietly slows down. People focus on the move, the house, the new routine, and pension contributions become “something to review later”.

Later can turn into two years.

Remote workers tend to fall into a few common scenarios:

A basic check is often enough to start.

Are contributions consistent? Are employer contributions being captured correctly? Is the plan still suitable for timeframe and risk tolerance?

If work has become more flexible, the plan needs to cope with that.

4) Treat irregular travel costs like a fixed line item

Hybrid work can create a false sense of savings. You may not travel daily, but when you do, the costs can be meaningful.

Fuel. Tolls. Parking. Rail fares. Occasional overnight stays. Eating out on office days.

It can help to treat “office travel” as a monthly line item, even if travel only happens once or twice a month.

When it is planned, it is less likely to eat into savings or create last-minute cash pressure.

5) Protection is part of wealth planning, especially in flexible roles

A move west often comes with a larger mortgage, a different household structure, or a change in how income is earned.

Even where earnings are solid, reliance on one income can increase. That is common if one partner changes roles or reduces hours.

For remote workers who also do contract work, reliance on the ability to work can be even more pronounced.

This is where protection planning sits. Not as a sales topic, but as a practical safeguard.

The question is simple: if illness or injury disrupted income for months, what would happen next?

It is not the most enjoyable part of financial planning. It is often the part that prevents the biggest knock.

6) Build a plan that can handle change

Remote work tends to stay fluid.

People start fully remote, then shift to hybrid. They change employer. They negotiate a different benefits package. They add freelance income. They take a career break. They return to work on different terms.

A plan that assumes everything stays steady is rarely the right fit now.

That is why reviews matter. Not weekly tinkering, but periodic check-ins that look at:

Small adjustments made early usually beat big corrections made late.

How financial advice can help

For many remote workers in the West, the challenge is not a lack of income.

It is that money is now coming from a slightly different mix, with different costs attached, and long-term planning can become vague without anyone noticing.

A structured review can help bring clarity back. It can set out what should be kept accessible, what should be allocated for longer-term goals, how pension saving fits alongside other investing, and how to keep plans aligned as work patterns evolve.

Rockwell Financial provides financial advice to professionals and business owners, including wealth management and longer-term financial security.

Keep the move from becoming financial drift

Relocating to the West can be a brilliant decision. The lifestyle gains are real.

The risk is that long-term planning becomes less deliberate while life feels more settled.

A steady approach is usually straightforward: update the cashflow to reflect the new reality, keep pensions and protection aligned with current commitments, and review the plan often enough that it stays connected to how you actually live and work now.