Portugal’s Social Security owns thousands of properties across the country. Many are empty, poorly recorded and generating no income, yet they continue to weigh on public finances. What is failing in the management of Social Security’s property portfolio? Listen to the new episode of Economia dia a dia, Expresso’s daily podcast, presented by Juliana Simões.
Empty properties, rents uncollected: what’s going on at Social Security?
Thursday, 29 January 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
Segurança Social is Portugal's public social security system, responsible for administering pensions, unemployment benefits, sickness pay, parental leave, family allowances, and other social support payments. It is funded through mandatory contributions from employers and employees.
Most services are managed online through Segurança Social Direta (SSD), where users can check contribution records, apply for benefits, submit declarations, and track payments using their NISS (Social Security Identification Number) and Citizen Card credentials.
Key interactions for residents include registering as a contributor (mandatory for all workers), claiming unemployment benefits, applying for parental leave, and accessing the minimum income scheme (Rendimento Social de Inserção). Self-employed workers (trabalhadores independentes) must also make quarterly income declarations through the platform.
