Young Trained Farmer Relief - working hours

onrail

I see that revenue have issued new guidance/regulations for the relief of stamp duty following transfer of farmland.

I've a green cert, work full time and hope to have the land transferred to me in the next couple of years once I manage to move closer to home (I'm 31).

The working hours regulation seems to be a bit worrying if you'd hope to continue full time working:

A transferee must intend to spend at least 50% of his or her normal working time farming the transferred land...

however..

Revenue accepts that normal working time (including on-farm and off-farm working time) approximates to 40 hours per week. This enables transferees with off-farm employment to qualify for the relief where they spend at least 20 hours per week, averaged over a year, farming. Where a transferee works more than 40 hours per week, the minimum requirement for 20 hours of farming still applies.

Has anyone had official guidance on this? To be honest, I won't be far off 20hrs/week on the farm even with a full time job, but do revenue expect the transferee to cut back to part-time working off-farm?

893bet

I read that as of you happen to work more than 40 hrs off farm then the 20 minimum still applies. It don’t become 22 or 25hrs minimum.

oxjkqg

No. As far as i know it just means that if you work 40 hours off farm you have to work 20 hours on farm, if you do your 8 or 10 hour day Saturday and 2/3 hours a day other days?

onrail

Good stuff, yeah that's how I read it too.

It'll be interesting to see what dealings people have with revenue and how they'll seek proof of working the 10 hours on a Saturday etc etc. No clock in/clock out on the farm gate!