Grow Digital Voucher: up to €5,000 towards business software

Who qualifies

• A small business with between 1 and 50 paid employees, with turnover or balance sheet of €10 million or less.
• Has completed a Digital for Business project within the previous two years.
• Trading for at least six months, registered, and operating in the area of the Local Enterprise Office you apply to.
• Solvent, with current tax clearance.
• Not a client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA.
• Companies, sole traders and partnerships can apply.

What it pays for

• Subscriptions to new, off-the-shelf business software, for up to one year. For example online shops, CRM, online booking and payments, stock or order management, cloud accounting or payroll when you move to the cloud, cyber security and analytics.
• A website, but only as a new software subscription on the same terms (for example a website platform you subscribe to).
• Training and IT configuration needed to set up and use the new systems. Together these can be no more than half of the total project cost.

What it does not pay for

• Custom or bespoke software.
• Bespoke website development.
• Systems for regulatory compliance.
• Extra licences on software you already use.
• Hardware is not listed as eligible, so check with your Local Enterprise Office before counting on it.

How to apply, in the right order

1. Talk to your Local Enterprise Office about Digital for Business.
2. Complete Digital for Business with an approved consultant. The report sets out the tools that suit your business.
3. Get quotes for the tools in the report.
4. Apply for the Grow Digital Voucher before you order, sign up for or pay for anything. Spending first can make the project ineligible.
5. Once approved, buy the software, pay the annual cost, and claim the grant.

What happened to the Trading Online Voucher?

The Trading Online Voucher closed to new applications on 13 December 2024. The Grow Digital Voucher replaced it with a larger grant and a wider choice of software.

• Old scheme: up to €2,500, for businesses with up to 10 employees.
• Grow Digital Voucher: up to €5,000, for businesses with up to 50 employees, covering tools such as online booking, stock control, AI, payroll and cyber security.

Common mistakes that cost people the grant

• Buying or signing up before applying.
• Choosing a custom build instead of an off-the-shelf subscription.
• Claiming for tools that are not in the Digital for Business report.
• Letting training and setup costs go over half of the project.
• Adding seats to software you already pay for, which does not count.

How AppAdvisor helps

AppAdvisor is an approved Digital for Business consultant on twelve Local Enterprise Office panels: Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Donegal, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Longford, Laois, Galway, Leitrim and Cavan. We review how your business runs, recommend the right tools independently (we do not sell software or take commissions), and guide you through the Grow Digital application so the report and the grant line up.

Questions