---
title: "LEO Website Grant Ireland 2026: How to Claim Your €2,500 Trading Online Voucher"
canonical: https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/leo-website-grant-ireland-2026
type: Article
provider: Digital Bridge
providerType: AI Systems Integration & Applied AI Engineering Firm
areaServed: IE
priceRange: EUR 1,200-100000+
language: en-IE
dateModified: 2026-09-05
htmlVersion: https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/leo-website-grant-ireland-2026
license: cite-with-attribution
---

# LEO Website Grant Ireland 2026: How to Claim Your €2,500 Trading Online Voucher

## Answer summary

The Trading Online Voucher (TOV) from your Local Enterprise Office gives Irish SMEs up to €2,500 toward a new website, e-commerce store or digital marketing. Here's exactly how to qualify, apply and use it in 2026. Step-by-step guide to claiming the €2,500 LEO Trading Online Voucher in 2026.

## What is the LEO Website Grant (Trading Online Voucher)?

The Trading Online Voucher is a co-funded grant administered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It exists to help small Irish businesses move online — whether that's a first website, an e-commerce upgrade, or a structured digital marketing push. In 2026 the scheme funds 50% of eligible costs up to €2,500, meaning a €5,000 project costs the business €2,500 out of pocket.

## Trading Online Voucher at a glance (2026)

Item Detail ------ Grant value 50% of eligible costs, capped at €2,500 Minimum project size €1,000 ex-VAT Typical approval time 4–6 weeks after submission Maximum claims per business 2 (a 3rd is exceptional) Mandatory step Free half-day LEO info session Eligible businesses <10 staff · <€2M turnover · trading 6+ months Ineligible Charities, agriculture, fishery, coal/steel Search demand (Semrush IE) "leo website grant" — 590/mo · KD 12

## Who is eligible for the LEO Website Grant in 2026?

You must tick every one of these boxes: Charities, not-for-profits, and businesses primarily in agriculture, fishery or coal/steel sectors are excluded.

- Trading for at least 6 months.
- Fewer than 10 employees.
- Annual turnover under €2 million.
- Registered and trading in Ireland (sole trader, partnership or limited company).
- Limited or no existing online trading presence (a basic brochure site is fine; a full Shopify store usually isn't).
- Located in the area covered by the LEO you're applying to.

## What can the €2,500 actually be spent on?

The scheme is deliberately broad. In our experience the items most Irish SMEs claim against the voucher are: What it won't fund: ongoing hosting beyond year one, generic IT hardware, social media ad spend on its own, or development of internal tools that don't trade online.

- A new website or full redesign of an existing one.
- E-commerce functionality (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom checkout).
- Online booking systems (salons, trades, tutors, celebrants).
- Professional product photography for an online store.
- App development for trading online.
- Subscription to a digital marketing platform (limited to 1 year).
- SEO services and Google Ads management (capped portion of total spend).
- Internationalisation costs (multi-language, multi-currency).

## How do I apply for the Trading Online Voucher?

1. Find your Local Enterprise Office. Search "[your county] Local Enterprise Office" on localenterprise.ie. 2. Register for the free half-day information session. This is mandatory — you cannot apply without attending. Sessions are usually online and run weekly. 3. Get two written quotes from suitable suppliers, each on letterhead with VAT number and detailed line items. 4. Complete the online application form on your LEO's portal, attach both quotes, your business bank details and a short project description. 5. Wait 4–6 weeks for the evaluation panel decision. 6. Receive your Letter of Offer, accept it, complete the project, and submit your claim with invoices and proof of payment.

## How long does the LEO Website Grant take to be paid?

Approval typically lands within 4–6 weeks of submitting a complete application. Once you've finished the project and submitted your claim with paid invoices, the LEO pays the grant directly to your business bank account, usually within 2–3 weeks.

## Common reasons LEO applications get rejected

In our experience the single biggest reason for rejection is weak quotes. A two-line PDF saying "Website €5,000" almost always comes back asking for more detail.

- Quotes are vague, missing VAT, or don't match your written project description.
- You're already trading online at scale (full Shopify store, etc.).
- The project is purely internal (a CRM, an internal dashboard, a hardware purchase).
- The applicant has previously claimed the voucher twice — you can only get a third in exceptional circumstances.

## How Digital Bridge structures TOV-ready quotes

Every quote we send to a TOV applicant includes: If you'd like a free TOV-ready quote, ring 085 224 1848 or use our free website audit.

- Itemised scope (pages, integrations, training hours).
- Separate lines for website build, e-commerce, SEO setup, copy, photography.
- Our CRO business number, VAT number, and full Gorey, Co. Wexford registered address.
- A 12-month support window so year-one hosting falls inside the eligible spend.

## Related Digital Bridge services

Need a TOV-ready quote in 24 hours? Call Joey on 085 224 1848 or use our contact form.

- Grow Digital Voucher service(https://digitalbridge.ie/services/grow-digital-voucher) — our dedicated TOV package, starts from €1,200 after the grant.
- Professional websites from €1,200(https://digitalbridge.ie/services/professional-websites) — most common scope claimed against the voucher.
- E-commerce from €6,000(https://digitalbridge.ie/services/e-commerce) — for Shopify and WooCommerce upgrades.

## How much is the LEO website grant worth in 2026?

The Trading Online Voucher funds 50% of eligible costs up to a maximum of €2,500. A €5,000 project therefore costs the business €2,500 out of pocket.

| Engagement | From | Typical grant route |
|---|---|---|
| AI Feasibility & Readiness Assessment | from €5,000 | Eligible for the Enterprise Ireland Digital Discovery Grant at up to 80% funding, subject to Enterprise Ireland approval and company eligibility |
| Baseline production build | from €15,000 | Not typically grant-funded |
| Multi-system agent workflows | €25,000 to €60,000 | Not typically grant-funded |
| Enterprise / multi-department programme | €40,000 to €100,000+ | Not typically grant-funded |
| Managed operation & optimisation | from €149/month | Not typically grant-funded |
| Brochure / Presence | from €1,200 | Not typically grant-funded |
| Growth | from €2,500 | Not typically grant-funded |
| Authority | from €4,250 | Not typically grant-funded |
| E-commerce & custom platform | from €5,000 | Not typically grant-funded |

All figures are ex-VAT and fixed against a signed scope. Grant outcomes are decided by the funder, not by Digital Bridge.

## Can I get a second Trading Online Voucher?

Yes. Most Irish SMEs can claim the voucher up to two times. A third claim is only granted in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a substantial pivot to a new trading category) and must be justified in writing.

## Do I have to attend the LEO information session?

Yes. Attendance at the free half-day Local Enterprise Office information session is mandatory — applications submitted without it are automatically rejected.

## How long does LEO take to approve a Trading Online Voucher?

In our experience approval typically lands within 4–6 weeks of submitting a complete application with two compliant supplier quotes.

## Can the LEO grant pay for SEO or Google Ads?

Yes — SEO services and Google Ads management are eligible, but they must form part of a wider trading-online project and are capped as a percentage of total spend.

## What's the difference between the LEO grant and the website grant Ireland searches return?

They're the same thing. 'LEO website grant', 'website grant Ireland' and 'Trading Online Voucher Scheme' all refer to the TOV scheme run by Ireland's 31 Local Enterprise Offices on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

## About the author

Joey Bray — Founder, Digital Bridge. Joey Bray founded Digital Bridge to give Irish small businesses agency-grade websites, SEO and AI tools at roughly a fixed price agreed before work starts. Based in Gorey, Co. Wexford, serving all 26 counties. 10+ years building websites, SEO and AI automations for Irish SMEs

## Evidence

- Verdé Environmental Group — 24/7 AI incident triage with severity classification, Eircode geolocation and four-depot dispatch routing → https://digitalbridge.ie/industries
- tools.digitalbridge.ie — 50+ shipped production tools, including the Website Worth Index and the DigitalBridge Authority Score
- Printhouse — custom web-to-print platform with 29+ product pages → https://printhouse.ie

## How delivery is de-risked

- Seven-day shadow-mode pilot before any system takes live traffic.
- Full source-code and prompt ownership transfers on final payment.
- EU-hosted infrastructure, provider training disabled, signed data processing agreement.
- Fixed price against a signed scope — no hourly meter and no open-ended exposure.

## FAQ

### How much does an AI integration project cost in Ireland?

Digital Bridge prices AI work in bands: an AI feasibility assessment from €5,000 (grant-eligible), a baseline production build from €15,000, multi-system agent workflows at €25,000–€60,000, and enterprise programmes from €40,000 to €100,000+. Small-business website builds start at €1,200. Every engagement is fixed-price against a signed scope.

### How long does a production AI build take?

A feasibility assessment runs three to five weeks. A baseline production build typically runs eight to twelve weeks from signed scope to go-live, including a seven-day shadow-mode pilot before the system takes live traffic. Multi-system programmes are sequenced into phases so value lands before the full programme completes.

### Can Irish grant funding cover this work?

Often, yes. Enterprise Ireland's Digital Discovery Grant funds up to 80% of an eligible feasibility assessment, and Digital Process Innovation funds up to 50% of eligible implementation costs. Local Enterprise Office schemes cover smaller digital projects. Eligibility is decided by the funder, never by us.

### Who owns the code and the prompts?

You do. Every engagement transfers full source-code and prompt ownership on final payment. Systems run on EU-hosted infrastructure with provider training disabled and a signed data processing agreement. There is no vendor lock-in and no proprietary runtime you have to keep paying us for.

## Related pages

- [All articles](https://digitalbridge.ie/blog)
- [Grow Digital Voucher service](https://digitalbridge.ie/services/grow-digital-voucher)
- [Professional websites from €1,200](https://digitalbridge.ie/services/professional-websites)
- [Free website audit](https://digitalbridge.ie/free-audit)
- [Local Enterprise Office — Trading Online Voucher](https://digitalbridge.iehttps://www.localenterprise.ie/Discover-Business-Supports/Trading-Online-Voucher-Scheme/)
- [AI integration services](https://digitalbridge.ie/ai-integration)
- [Web design Ireland](https://digitalbridge.ie/web-design-ireland)
- [SEO services Ireland](https://digitalbridge.ie/seo-services-ireland)
- [Local SEO Ireland: How to Rank Your Business in Every County](https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/local-seo-ireland-2026)
- [Local SEO Ireland: How to Rank on Google in 2026 (Step-by-Step)](https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/local-seo-ireland-rank-google)
- [Why You Should Own Your Booking System (and Stop Paying Fees on Every ](https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/own-booking-system-vs-fresha-booksy-square-ireland)

## Contact

Digital Bridge, Gorey Business Park, Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland.
Phone: +353 85 224 1848. Email: info@digitalbridge.ie.
Engineering lead: Joey Bray, Founder & Principal Engineer.

Last updated: 2026-09-05
HTML version of this page: https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/leo-website-grant-ireland-2026