Apple's €13B Irish tax recovery
€13B
≈ $14B at the time
European Commission
EU / Ireland · 2016
Status: Final
What happened
This is a state-aid recovery, not a fine. The Commission ordered Apple to repay illegal tax benefits granted by Ireland, which produced effective tax rates as low as 0.005%. After being annulled in 2020, the order was reinstated by the EU's top court in 2024.
Because it recovers unpaid tax rather than punishing conduct, this entry is classified as a tax recovery. See the methodology page for why recoveries are counted separately from fines.
How it affected users
The impact is indirect: the case concerned public revenue rather than direct consumer harm.
Status timeline
Aug 30, 2016
Commission orders Ireland to recover €13B in unlawful tax benefits.
Jul 15, 2020
Annulled by the EU General Court.
Effective amount: none owed
Sep 10, 2024
Reinstated by the EU Court of Justice; Apple paid the sum from escrow.
Effective amount: ≈ $14B
Sources
Last verified 2026-07-02. Spotted an error? Report a correction.
Cite this entry
Deepak Gupta, "Apple's €13B Irish tax recovery," Tech Fines Directory, guptadeepak.com, 2016-08-30. https://guptadeepak.com/tech-fines/violation/apple-eu-ireland-tax-2016/