Grow Digital Voucher for B&Bs: what it covers and what it doesn't

The Trading Online Voucher has closed

Many websites, including some web designers’ pages, still mention the Trading Online Voucher, which paid up to €2,500 towards a new website. It closed to applications on 13 December 2024. The Department of Enterprise announced in September 2024 that the Grow Digital Voucher “replaces the previous Trading Online Voucher”.

The new voucher is larger, but it pays for different things. If you were planning a new website on the strength of the old scheme, read on before you sign anything.

How much it pays

The Grow Digital Voucher covers 50% of eligible costs, with a grant of €500 to €5,000 per application. A business can receive at most two vouchers, and the €5,000 limit applies to both together, not to each one. The second voucher is only approved if you show progress against your Digital for Business report.

The LEO pages we read do not say whether costs are counted with or without VAT: ask your LEO.

Who can apply

According to the Local Enterprise Office pages for Waterford and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (the wording is the same in other counties):

• 1 to 50 paid employees;
• trading for at least six months, registered and operating in that LEO’s area;
• solvent, with current tax clearance, and not a client of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland;
• self-employed people and sole traders are eligible.

Accommodation is not on the list of excluded sectors, so B&Bs, guesthouses and holiday-home businesses can apply if they meet the other conditions, but LEOs can exclude other activities, so confirm with yours.

The required first step: Digital for Business

Before you can apply, you must have completed a Digital for Business project with your LEO in the previous two years. It gives you time with a digital adviser, who looks at your business and recommends what to adopt. The voucher then funds tools from that plan. The number of adviser days and any cost to you vary: ask your LEO.

What it pays for

Usually eligible	Not eligible
New, off-the-shelf software subscriptions, for up to one year: the Department lists online booking, stock control, AI, customer insights, payroll software and cyber security	Bespoke website development
Training and IT set-up, together no more than half of the project cost	Custom or bespoke software
	Extra licences for software you already use
	Systems needed only to meet a regulation

For a B&B, the most useful line is the first one: an online booking system subscription can be funded for its first year. Our guide to booking engines for small B&Bs compares the options.

The pages we read do not say how advertising, search optimisation, photography, hosting or domain names are treated. Do not assume they are covered: ask your LEO.

The trap: apply before you buy

The LEO pages are clear: you must apply before you commit to, order or start anything. Doing otherwise “could result in the project being deemed ineligible for grant support”. The grant is paid after you have paid for the annual subscription, on proof of payment.

So the order is:

1. Talk to your Local Enterprise Office.
2. Complete Digital for Business.
3. Choose the tools and get the prices.
4. Apply through the LEO’s online system and wait for approval.
5. Buy, pay, then claim.

What this means for your website

The voucher no longer funds a custom-built website. It can fund software around it, such as your online booking system. Your website then needs to show that booking system clearly on every page, which is where most small accommodation sites fall short. Our B&B website checklist shows what to look for.

Rules and amounts can change, and some details differ between LEOs. Check with your own Local Enterprise Office before you apply.