Trading Online Voucher closed: the 2026 website grants

Illustration of a café owner finding the Trading Online Voucher door closed, while the Innostack team holds up an €800 voucher

Went looking for the Trading Online Voucher and found a closed door? You're not alone. The scheme took its final applications at 5pm on Friday 13 December 2024. For most small businesses, no public grant in 2026 will chip in for a custom-built website.

The good news: there's still help out there for some digital projects. And there's one more option at the end, because we made it ourselves. We've rounded up every route we could find and checked each one against the official sources, so you know exactly where you stand before you spend a cent.

In a hurry? Claim my €800 voucher →

The short version

The Trading Online Voucher has closed. The final national deadline was 13 December 2024.
Its replacement won't pay for a custom website. The Grow Digital Voucher covers half the cost of off-the-shelf software subscriptions, and only after a separate consultancy project with your Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
Want a custom-built site now? There's a private option. Our €800 Liftoff Voucher brings a five-page site down from €1,499 to €699.

A quick look back: what the Trading Online Voucher was

For about ten years, the Trading Online Voucher (TOV) was where Irish small businesses went first when they wanted a proper website. It launched nationally on 1 July 2014 after a pilot in Dublin City, and Local Enterprise Offices ran it in every county.

By the time it closed, here's what it offered:

Up to €2,500, with the business covering the other 50%
For businesses with 10 or fewer employees and turnover under €2 million
You needed to be trading for at least six months, with little or no e-commerce presence
A second voucher if your site needed an upgrade

It wasn't exactly instant. You went to an information session, applied, and then waited. Approval had to come before you spent anything, and it was competitive, so ticking every box didn't guarantee a voucher.

Still, plenty of businesses got there. By the end of 2019, around 6,400 small businesses had finished or were working on TOV projects. When lockdown closed shop doors in 2020, the Government raised the support to 90% of costs and allowed up to €5,000 across two vouchers. In 2022 alone, 1,790 vouchers were approved.

Here's a bit most people have forgotten. The Department said the scheme's main aim was helping businesses build their own website. It even encouraged businesses to put most of the voucher towards a site of their own, so they wouldn't stay tied to a platform's ongoing management and transaction fees. Hold that thought.

So why did it close?

In short, it was replaced. On 4 September 2024, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment opened the Grow Digital Voucher through the LEOs and described it as the replacement for the Trading Online Voucher. The TOV took its last applications on 13 December 2024, and that was that.

On paper, the new voucher looks more generous: up to €5,000 instead of €2,500, for businesses with up to 50 employees instead of 10. But if what you're after is a website, it's a very different animal.

Timeline: the Trading Online Voucher launched in July 2014, rose to 90% support in 2020, was replaced by the Grow Digital Voucher in September 2024, closed on 13 December 2024, and wasn't brought back in Budget 2027

The Grow Digital Voucher: what it covers (and the website catch)

Grow Digital covers half the cost of new, off-the-shelf software. What it won't do is pay for a website built for your business. Here's how it works, straight from the LEO's official scheme page.

The basics

50% of eligible costs, with a minimum grant of €500 and a maximum of €5,000 per application
Up to two projects, capped at €5,000 between them
For businesses with 1 to 50 paid employees, trading for at least six months, solvent and with tax clearance
Not open to existing Enterprise Ireland or IDA clients

Step one is a different scheme

You can't apply for Grow Digital straight away. First, you need to have completed a Digital for Business project with your LEO in the last two years. A digital consultant looks at your systems and gives you a plan. It can be really useful, but it's its own application and its own wait, before the voucher application even begins.

The website catch

Grow Digital pays for software that's new to your business, for up to a one-year subscription. You pay the subscription first, and the grant follows. Website development is on the list, but only on those terms: as a software subscription.

The LEO is clear about it: the voucher doesn't support bespoke website development, and custom or bespoke software isn't eligible. So a website designed and coded for your business is out. A subscription to a website or shop platform could be in.

A little maths

Even the subscription route is tricky for a small site. Setup and training can't be more than half the project cost, and the smallest grant is €500, which needs at least €1,000 of eligible spend. Put those together, and the software subscription itself has to cost at least €500 a year before you'd see any grant.

One more thing: you need to apply before you commit to or spend anything, or the project can be ruled out. And notice the shift. The old scheme nudged you towards owning your website, while the new one only pays for renting software.

Illustration comparing a small business that owns its website with one renting a website through a monthly software subscription

What else is out there in 2026?

We went through the other supports small businesses usually get pointed to. Apart from a loan, none of them pays for a custom website for most small businesses. Here's how they compare.

Support	Who it's for	What it pays	Custom website?
Grow Digital Voucher (LEO)	1–50 staff, after Digital for Business	50% of new off-the-shelf software, €500–€5,000	No
Digital for Business (LEO)	1–50 staff, trading 6+ months	A consultant's review and digital plan	No, it's advice only
Priming Grant (LEO)	Businesses trading under 18 months, mainly manufacturing or internationally traded services	Start-up costs; a website may count as a marketing cost	Only if your business qualifies
Digital Discovery (Enterprise Ireland)	Manufacturing and internationally traded services firms, high-potential start-ups	80% of 3–7 days of a digital expert's time, up to €5,000	No, it's advice only
Microfinance Ireland	Micro-enterprises	Loans from €2,000 to €50,000	Yes, but you pay it back
Business Expansion Grant (LEO)	Trading 18+ months, up to 10 employees, mainly manufacturing or internationally traded services	Growth costs; a website can count as marketing	Only if your business qualifies

Two LEO grants can count a custom-built website as a marketing cost: the Priming Grant in your first 18 months, and the Business Expansion Grant after that. Both are for businesses with up to 10 employee mainly in manufacturing or internationally traded services, with priority for those that can grow into exporters. The Priming Grant also rules out retail, personal services like hairdressers, professional services like accountants, and construction.

Did Budget 2027 bring it back?

Sadly, no. Budget 2027 was presented on 6 October 2026, with no new website voucher and no comeback for the Trading Online Voucher.

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (renamed in 2025) published its Budget 2027 announcement, which gives Local Enterprise Offices an extra €4.5 million. The LEO section does mention helping small businesses digitalise. But the measures it actually lists are more money for the Energy Efficiency Grant and a new client relationship system for the LEO network itself.

The gap nobody's filling

Owner of a small independent shop in Ireland standing behind the counter

Put it all together and there's a clear gap. You run a small Irish business. You want a website that's yours, built around your business, quick on a phone and easy to find on Google. For most businesses, there's no public grant for that in 2026.

And plenty of businesses are still on the wrong side of that gap. In 2025, 67% of Irish enterprises had their products, services or prices on their website. But only 34.9% of businesses with 10 to 49 staff made any e-commerce sales.

Those figures come from the Central Statistics Office, whose survey only covers businesses with 10 or more staff. The smallest businesses, the very ones the TOV was built for, aren't counted at all.

So we made our own: the Innostack Liftoff Voucher

We're Innostack, a web design and software team based in Carlow, and our whole approach comes down to one idea: you run the business, we handle the tech. When the Trading Online Voucher closed, small businesses lost the one scheme built for exactly this job. So we made our own voucher: €800 off a new website.

The Innostack Liftoff Voucher: €800 off, taking a 5-page site from €1,499 to €699

What it's worth: €800 off a Small business or Small shop website.
Who it's for: Irish businesses with fewer than 50 staff.
The one condition: keep your site on our hosting and maintenance plan for the first 12 months, at €30 a month, or €50 for shops. If you cancel sooner, the rest of the 12 months is due. After that, it's month to month.
What it isn't: a government grant. No application form, no seminar, no waiting around for approval. It's our own offer, and we pay for it.
Until when: claim it by 31 January 2027, while vouchers last. We give out 8 a month.

What you'll pay

	Small business	Small shop
What you get	Up to 5 pages, set up to be found on Google, your Google Business Profile set up, plus a free contact page	Everything in Small business, plus a shop for up to 100 products with Stripe checkout
Standard price	€1,499	€1,799
With the Liftoff Voucher	€699	€999
Hosting and maintenance, first 12 months	€360 (€30 a month)	€600 (€50 a month)
Year-one total, hosting paid monthly	€1,059	€1,599
Year-one total, hosting paid yearly	€999	€1,499

No surprises on the price: what you see is what you pay. Pay your first year of hosting upfront and it's €300 instead of €360 (€500 instead of €600 for shops), which also covers the voucher's 12 months.

What the hosting plan covers: updates, backups, monitoring, up to two hours of small changes every month, and a real person who answers.

Every site is custom-coded. No WordPress theme with your logo dropped in, and no Wix or Shopify template. Every site we build is:

Quick on a phone, and speed-checked every time it's updated
Ready for Google from launch day, with page titles, descriptions, structured data, a sitemap and Search Console set up
Built to the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard, and hosted in the EU
Yours. Your domain and content always belong to you, and after the first 12 months you can take a copy of your site's code whenever you ask

Here's how that looks in real life. We rebuilt Nutrition by Klara's old WordPress site, and the new one is up to 6× faster on mobile. In founder Klara Kisznyer's words: "I didn't have to worry about anything, they explained everything and really listened to what I wanted."

Nutrition by Klara's new custom-coded site Innostack built, up to 6 times faster on mobile

Liftoff vs. the old TOV vs. Grow Digital

Here's how the three stack up. The old voucher paid more, but it's gone. Grow Digital pays more again, just not for a custom website. Liftoff is smaller, but it's here now, with no approval to wait for.

	Trading Online Voucher	Grow Digital Voucher	Innostack Liftoff Voucher
Status	Closed 13 December 2024	Open, through your LEO	Open until 31 January 2027, 8 a month
Value	Up to €2,500	€500 to €5,000	€800 off
Your share	50% of the cost	50% of the cost	€699 or €999 for the build, plus 12 months' hosting
Business size	Up to 10 employees	1 to 50 employees	Fewer than 50 staff
Before you apply	An information session	A completed Digital for Business project	A free website review
Approval	Competitive, approval required before spending	Application required before spending	No approval process
Pays for a custom-built website	Yes	No	Yes

How to claim your voucher

It all starts with a free review, and you only decide about a build once you've read it.

Three steps to claim the voucher: a free website review, time to decide, then the Innostack team builds your site

Get your free review. Click Claim my €800 voucher and tell us where to look: your website, your social page, or "starting fresh" if you don't have either yet. Within two working days, a real person (not a tool, and not AI) sends you a plain-English read of what's working and your top three fixes. Your voucher claim is noted on the review.
Have a think. The review is yours to keep, whether or not you build with us. If you'd like to go ahead, we'll send a scope and quote within two working days.
We build, you get on with your day. A Small business site takes about four weeks, and a Small shop about five. The clock starts once we have your words, photos and logins.

Your questions, answered

Is the Trading Online Voucher coming back?

Not as of October 2026. It closed on 13 December 2024, and Budget 2027 didn't revive it. The LEO measures in the budget focus on energy efficiency and the LEO network's own systems.

Can I use the Grow Digital Voucher for a website?

Only as a new, off-the-shelf software subscription, and only after a Digital for Business project with your LEO. It doesn't fund bespoke website development.

Is the Liftoff Voucher a government grant?

No, it's our own offer, and we pay for it. That's why there's no application form and no waiting for approval.

Can I use the Liftoff Voucher and Grow Digital together?

Not on the same website. Our sites are custom-coded, and Grow Digital doesn't fund bespoke websites. If you're planning to use Grow Digital for something else, like accounting or booking software, your LEO can tell you what qualifies.

What if I cancel hosting in the first year?

The rest of the 12 months is due. After the first year, it's month to month.

Do I own my website?

Yes. Your domain and content are always yours, and after your first 12 months you can take a copy of your site's code whenever you ask.

Do you only work in Carlow?

Not at all. We're based in Carlow and work with businesses all over Ireland. We meet in person in Carlow, the surrounding counties and Dublin, and by video call everywhere else.

The bottom line

The Trading Online Voucher is gone, and its replacement won't pay for a website you own. Budget 2027 didn't change that, so if you've been holding out for a grant to come back, nothing announced so far suggests it will.

If you'd rather not wait, our Liftoff Voucher takes €800 off a custom-coded website, with no application and no approval to wait for. There are 8 a month, and this round closes on 31 January 2027. You run the business; we'll handle the tech.

Illustration of the Innostack team launching a rocket, for the Innostack Liftoff Voucher

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