Latest news and stories about welfare in government in Portugal for expats and residents.
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Portugal has expressed concern that requiring recipients of the Single Social Benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU) to perform social work could increase stigma against the poor. The network argues that linking benefits to mandatory activities may unfairly penalize those in situations of economic vulnerability.
The government is seeking urgent approval for the new Single Social Benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU), which will consolidate existing supports like the Social Insertion Income (Rendimento Social de Inserção or RSI). Under the proposed rules, beneficiaries who refuse job offers, training, or social solidarity activities will be barred from receiving the benefit for two years.
The single social benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU) is a proposed government measure intended to consolidate various existing social support payments into one streamlined system. The government aims to simplify the application process and reduce administrative complexity for beneficiaries by replacing multiple fragmented subsidies with this unified payment.
The social insertion income (Rendimento Social de Inserção or RSI) is a non-contributory social benefit designed to support individuals and families living in extreme poverty. It provides a monthly financial allowance alongside a mandatory integration plan that encourages recipients to actively participate in training or employment programs to improve their economic situation.
The government has approved a new Single Social Benefit (Prestação Social Única or PSU) to consolidate 13 existing support schemes, including the Social Insertion Income (Rendimento Social de Inserção or RSI). Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated the policy aims to combat fraud, though it faces criticism for requiring working-age recipients to perform up to 15 hours of community work per week.
Luís Filipe Montenegro Cardoso de Morais Esteves (born February 16, 1973, in Porto) is a Portuguese lawyer and center‑right politician who has served as Prime Minister of Portugal since April 2, 2024. A long‑time member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he is the leading figure of the post‑Troika generation of Portuguese conservatives. Montenegro was elected to the Assembly of the Republic in 2002 for the Aveiro district and remained an MP for 16 years, becoming PSD parliamentary leader from 2011 to 2017 during the bailout and austerity period under Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. He was a prominent defender of strict austerity measures, arguing in 2014 that “the life of the people is no better, but the life of the country is a lot better,” a phrase that has followed his public image since. After an unsuccessful leadership bid against Rui Rio in 2020, Montenegro won the PSD leadership in 2022. He then forged the centre‑right Democratic Alliance (PSD–CDS‑PP and allies), which won a plurality of seats in the 2024 legislative election. Refusing to partner with the far‑right Chega, which he has called “often xenophobic, racist, populist and excessively demagogic,” he formed a minority government as head of the XXIV Constitutional Government on April 2, 2024. His first government fell in March 2025 after a no‑confidence vote linked to a conflict‑of‑interest affair, but fresh elections saw the Democratic Alliance increase its seat share, allowing Montenegro to return as prime minister leading the XXV Constitutional Government. His importance to Portugal lies in attempting to re‑center the traditional centre‑right after the crisis years, defending liberal‑conservative economics and EU alignment while drawing a sharp line against formal cooperation with the radical right, thus shaping how Portuguese democracy manages its new multi‑party era.
The discussion about the new PSU is marked by dishonesty and mystification, largely because some believe they own the poor and think that only the State can practice solidarity, while everything else is just small-scale charity.
Ultimately, the question is simple: do we want a single benefit or a better benefit?
The Portuguese tend to accept and defend the social rights of populations in need of basic social support, revealed research that aimed to understand public opinion on who deserves state aid.
One must go back to October 2005 to find a number of RSI beneficiaries lower than that recorded in April 2026. There are 160,279 beneficiaries receiving an average of 159.96 euros per month.
Luís Rosa, a commentator for CNN Portugal, analyses the Single Social Benefit proposal presented by the Government, admitting that the possibility of it clashing with the Constitutional Court remains open.
Home News Portugal debates the creation of a single social benefit Portugal debates the creation of a single social benefit The Assembly of the Republic will debate a government proposal on 12 June that aims to authorise the executive to create the single social benefit (PSU).
Social work has theoretical virtues that cannot be denied. The worst thing that can be done to poverty is to allow the lethargy and complacency of state charity to institutionalise and perpetuate it. Opinion by Manuel Carvalho
The Socialist Party (PS) has agreed to support the implementation of the Single Social Benefit, provided that certain changes are made to the proposal.
Mafalda Anjos is not yet sure who the winner is with the new Single Social Benefit, but she has no doubts about who will lose.
The title phrase is taken from 'The Internationale', the anthem of socialist and communist parties. It is necessary to state this when one sees so many people (on the left) outraged that there are conditions imposed for receiving social support.
The head of the Order of Social Workers says that social inclusion goes far beyond employment and warns that linking minimum benefits to unpaid tasks penalises other workers.
The Order of Social Workers (OAS) classified the Single Social Benefit (PSU) today as “a narrative of fighting the poor and not poverty” which compromises “the adequacy of responses to different situations of vulnerability”.
The Single Social Benefit (PSU) presented by the Government aggregates a series of non-contributory benefits (pensions and subsidies) that existed until now, standardising the rules for all beneficiaries. Margarida Davim, a commentator for CNN Portugal, provides an analysis.
It is one thing to design an 'insertion contract' together with the beneficiary, which may include collaborations such as social work; it is another to make unpaid work mandatory. Opinion by Susana Peralta
The creation of the PSU, which will merge 13 social benefits, raises uncertainties regarding values, access conditions, and the impact on beneficiaries, in a model yet to be defined and with more restrictive eligibility rules, particularly concerning the assets that beneficiaries may hold.
Parliament approved this Wednesday the Government's request to discuss with urgency the legislative authorization regarding the creation of the Single Social Benefit, which provides for a maximum of ten days for committee-level discussion. The request for an urgent process made by the Government was voted on one day after it submitted a request to Parliament...
Government proposal admitted this Tuesday in Parliament states that the limit may increase from 15 to 20 hours per week.
The bill presented to Parliament, which justifies the urgency to be voted on today with the deadlines of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), only comes into force on January 1st of next year.
CNN Portugal executive director, Pedro Santos Guerreiro, answers the main questions regarding the creation of the Single Social Benefit, a reform that aggregates 13 social benefits, and the fact that beneficiaries are now required to perform social work.
The Communist Party's secretary-general stated that the party intends to use this debate on the topic to “take the discussion on the reality” of current Social Security support and subsidies as far as possible.
SpaceX set the tone for what promises to be the year of the “mega-IPO”, but there are more companies looking to debut on Wall Street. Record values are expected thanks to AI. “Everyone wants in”.
Donald Trump reportedly has not yet made a decision regarding the agreement with Iran. Additionally, Luís Montenegro states that the Single Social Benefit presented today at the Council of Ministers aims to combat abuse and fraud.
