The first question most businesses ask a security company is "how much per hour?". It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that the price is built on a wage that is fixed by law. Once you understand that, quotes become much easier to compare.

The legal minimum: €16.15 an hour

Security is one of the few industries in Ireland with its own legally binding pay rules, set out in an Employment Regulation Order (ERO). From 28 September 2026 the minimum rate for an adult security officer is €16.15 an hour, up from €15.41. The Workplace Relations Commission publishes the current order.

The order covers more than the basic hour. Among other things it requires:

  • an unsocial hours premium of €20 a shift for officers who work at least three hours between 9pm and 7am;
  • overtime at time and a half for hours above an average of 48 a week;
  • at least four hours' pay for any shift, however short;
  • a sick pay scheme, a death-in-service benefit and a personal attack benefit, all paid for by the employer;
  • uniforms provided at the employer's cost.

What else is in the hourly rate

No security company can charge you €16.15 an hour and stay in business. On top of the officer's wage, the rate you are quoted has to cover:

  • employer's PRSI, holiday pay and public holiday pay;
  • licensing, vetting and training for each officer;
  • supervision, a control room that answers at night, and cover when an officer is sick;
  • public and employer's liability insurance;
  • uniforms, radios, phones and reporting systems;
  • the company's own overheads and margin.

VAT at the standard rate is added to the total.

What makes a quote higher or lower

  • Hours. Regular, predictable hours are easier to roster, and usually cheaper per hour, than a few awkward shifts.
  • Nights and weekends. Night shifts carry the unsocial hours premium.
  • Notice. Cover needed tonight costs more to arrange than a contract starting next month.
  • Duties. A gatehouse officer running a busy logistics yard needs more training and experience than a night watch on a locked site.
  • Length of contract. A longer commitment lets a company plan its rosters and price accordingly.

Be careful with very cheap quotes

If a quote is close to, or below, the legal wage, something is missing. It may be that officers are not being paid what the law requires, that they are not licensed, or that there is no supervision or insurance behind them. In each case the risk comes back to you: it is an offence to engage an unlicensed security contractor, and a guard who is underpaid and unsupported is unlikely to protect your property well.

How to compare quotes fairly

  1. Give every company the same information: the hours, the duties and the start date.
  2. Ask for the hourly rate for days, nights, weekends and public holidays separately.
  3. Ask what is included: supervision visits, reporting, call-out cover for absences.
  4. Ask for the company's PSA licence number and check it. Our guide to checking a PSA licence explains how.
  5. Ask for proof of insurance.

Do you need a full-time guard at all?

For many sites the cheaper answer is not a cheaper guard but a different service. Mobile patrols at varied times, a monitored alarm with alarm response, or monitored CCTV can protect a lower-risk site for a fraction of the cost of an officer standing there all night.

If you would like a written price for your site, ask us for a quote. We will tell you what we think the site needs, including when that is less than you expected.