Footwear Reimbursement in Ireland: What You Can Claim and How to Get It

When you’re on your feet all day in Ireland’s wet, uneven streets, your footwear reimbursement, a workplace benefit that covers the cost of shoes required for job safety or comfort. Also known as shoe allowance, it’s not a luxury—it’s a necessity for nurses, builders, retail staff, and anyone who walks miles in rain-soaked boots. Most Irish employers don’t automatically pay for work shoes, but many are legally or contractually required to if those shoes are essential for safety, health, or job performance.

It’s not just about buying any pair of boots. The Irish work shoes, footwear designed to meet workplace safety standards in wet, slippery, or high-risk environments you wear need to be appropriate for your role. A nurse in a Dublin hospital needs non-slip, easy-to-clean shoes. A construction worker on a Cork site needs steel-toe boots with ankle support. A barista standing 8 hours in a Galway pub needs cushioned, waterproof shoes. These aren’t optional upgrades—they’re tools of the trade. And if your employer requires you to buy them, you might be entitled to reimbursement.

Some companies include shoe allowances in collective agreements or staff handbooks. Others ignore it until someone gets injured. The Health and Safety Authority in Ireland says employers must provide protective equipment, including footwear, if risks can’t be controlled another way. That means if your job puts you on wet tiles, muddy fields, or icy sidewalks daily, and your shoes are part of the solution, you have a case. It’s not about fashion—it’s about preventing slips, back pain, and long-term foot damage.

You won’t find a national law that says every employer must pay for shoes, but you will find plenty of real cases where workers got reimbursed after proving their shoes were job-critical. Nurses in the HSE, warehouse staff in logistics firms, and even teachers in rural schools have successfully claimed costs when their footwear was directly tied to workplace safety rules. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible—and it’s happening right now across Ireland.

What you’ll find below are real stories and practical guides from Irish workers who’ve navigated this system. From which brands are trusted by nurses in Limerick, to how to write a reimbursement request that actually gets approved, to why some shoes are banned outright in Irish workplaces—you’ll see exactly what works. These aren’t theoretical tips. They’re from people who’ve been there, bought the boots, and fought for their money back.