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Apple paid Ireland $17 billion in 2025 including EU-ordered back taxes
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Apple paid $17 billion in corporate income taxes to Ireland in 2025, accounting for 40% of its worldwide total, which includes back taxes from the EU state aid case that concluded in 2024.
The payment demonstrates the material financial impact of the EU's enforcement against tax arrangements it deems unlawful state aid. The concentration of 40% of Apple's global corporate income taxes in a country with 3% of its workforce, and the resulting $6 million in pre-tax profits per employee there, will intensify scrutiny of how tech companies allocate profits across jurisdictions.
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Apple paid $17 billion in corporate income taxes to Ireland in 2025, representing 40% of its worldwide total.
The payment includes back taxes from the EU state aid case, where the top court upheld an order to recover up to €13 billion in unpaid taxes.
A quarter of Apple's global pre-tax profits were booked through Ireland entities employing only 3% of its workforce, yielding $6 million in pre-tax profits per employee versus $51,000 in Germany.
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