Seán Canney TD, Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports and Leader in Cabinet of the Independent Ministers, has welcomed the launch of a targeted appeals process for businesses that were incorrectly classified under the first phase of the Increased Cost of Business (ICOB) scheme.

The new process, which opened last week, will allow eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality, and beauty sectors—who received ICOB 1 but were subsequently ruled out of ICOB 2 and Power Up—to appeal their classification and access support payments.

“This is a positive step for those small businesses who missed out through no fault of their own,” Minister Canney said. “The Government made a commitment to address this issue in the Programme for Government, and I’m pleased to see it being delivered.”

The appeals portal will remain available until August 15th. All affected businesses will receive both a letter and an email from their Local Authority outlining the appeal process and confirming that they may be eligible for additional support if they were misclassified.

Key Details:

• Appeals process applies to businesses in retail, hospitality, and beauty services who received ICOB 1 but not ICOB 2.

• Businesses must upload an updated tax clearance certificate and confirm they are still trading and that bank details remain unchanged.

• Eligible businesses will receive a flat rate of €4,000 plus 50% of their 2023 commercial rates bill.

• Payments will begin issuing from August 8th, with a commitment from Local Authorities to complete all payment runs by September 15th.

Minister Canney said: “This is about making sure support gets to those who need it. I encourage any eligible business to engage with the appeals process.”

ENDS