Latest news and stories about social security in Portugal for expats and residents.
The re-elected president, Victor Alves Coelho, announced a new extraordinary subsidy for pensioners.

On average in 2025, roughly 1,470 self-declared sickness notifications were filed each day by people in Portugal.

The admiral had criticised the Socialist Party (PS) candidate, recalling the pension cuts during the 'troika' period.

The Socialist parliamentary leader today accused presidential candidate Gouveia e Melo of “falsifying history” by linking Seguro to the pension cuts during the “troika”, arguing that only Seguro's tenacity prevented temporary cuts from becoming permanent.

The “Eurobarometer 2025: consumer trends in insurance and pension services”, by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), reveals that the majority of Portuguese are not financially prepared for retirement: low take-up of private pensions and low confidence in a comfortable life in retirement point to a worrying future. In the survey on trends ...

The decision was approved unanimously at the meeting of the Conference of Representatives of the parties with seats in the regional parliament.

According to the PS parliamentary leader, “if there was a figure who, throughout that difficult period, was against salary and pension cuts, it was António José Seguro.”

The Lawyers and Solicitors' Pension Fund (CPAS) announced it will award a new extraordinary grant to pensioners later this year, as part of a broader package of social support measures. In his inauguration speech, Victor Alves Coelho, re-elected in November as president of the CPAS Board, emphasised the ambition of ...

The presidential candidate Gouveia e Melo today linked his opponent, António José Seguro, to cuts in pension payments during the 'troika' period and vowed that, if elected, he would veto any decree to that effect.
The secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) said today that it was the Government that excluded itself from the rights of five million workers, and that it takes a lot of gall to claim that anyone withdrew from the solutions.

Bloco de Esquerda and the PCP respond to the Labour Minister, saying it was the Government that 'self-excluded from the rights of five million workers'.

The technician altered the status of cases relating to unemployment benefit payments, which were partially credited to her account. She was also ordered to pay a fine of €12,000.

Chronic pain affects more than three million people in Portugal, exacerbates social inequalities and is an economic problem with various associated costs, warns anaesthetist Nuno Franco.

The candidate backed by the PS warns of the risks of privatisations in health care and social security. Also, Cotrim de Figueiredo denies an allegation of harassment made by a former IL aide.

Presidential candidate António José Seguro today addressed undecided voters, from the left to the centre-right, asking for a 'useful vote' in an election in which 'two countries' are at stake, warning that Health and Social Security 'cannot be privatised'.

Second part of Investigação CM from 12 January 2025 on CMTV.

Raising savings for long-term investments, such as for retirement, brought together four leading insurers in the mobilisation and management of Portuguese savings for a debate during the conference held by ASF this Monday. 'Turning savings into a strategic instrument' was the theme cited by Isabel Castelo Branco — President of BPI Vida e Pensões, ...

The Finance Minister said at a conference on savings that 'it is essential to ensure that younger generations have the perception that today's effort will yield returns tomorrow'.

Miguel Albuquerque is preparing an initiative to revoke the requirement that beneficiaries have no debts to the tax authorities and social security. “We will never jeopardise fundamental rights,” he says.

New data from Portugal's Survey on Living Conditions and Income show one region has the country's highest incidence of monetary poverty, with 17.9% of residents living below the poverty threshold. Analysts and local actors attribute the rise to a combination of state neglect, insufficient social-protection measures, the growth of precarious immigration and unstable work, and wider cost-of-living pressures — factors that together depress incomes and worsen social indicators. The figures point to a need for targeted regional policies on social security, employment quality and integration to reverse the trend.

The Socialist Party (PS) will submit a bill titled “Coming Home” to Parliament proposing the creation of transitional residences aimed at reducing social institutionalisation. The policy seeks to shift care from large institutions to local, secure accommodation that supports reintegration, bridging healthcare and housing needs. Analytically, the measure could advance deinstitutionalisation and community-based care, but its success will depend on funding, local delivery capacity, regulatory safeguards and clear pathways to permanent housing.

A rise in the guaranteed national minimum wage to €920 gross per month, together with higher employer Social Security contributions, will raise labour costs by about €866 a year for each worker on the minimum wage. The increase reflects both direct pay and associated employer charges and will squeeze firm margins — particularly in low-margin sectors — with potential knock‑on effects on prices, hiring decisions and informal employment. Policymakers and businesses will need to weigh targeted support, phased implementation or productivity measures to offset the impact on competitiveness and employment.

This analytical piece urges readers to adopt an optimistic stance for the new year and to move past complaints about the recent increase in the retirement age. It explains that demographic shifts and the strain on social security systems underpin the policy change, outlines labour and legal implications for workers — including expatriates — and argues that better communication, phased implementation, retraining and age-friendly workplace measures would protect wellbeing while ensuring fiscal sustainability.

A family providing foster care for two children has been ordered by Social Security to repay more than €5,500 after losing their parental allowance. The parents call the demand an injustice and cite contradictory information and a lack of support from official services. The case highlights administrative confusion around parental-benefit eligibility, potential gaps in guidance for foster and expat families, and wider questions about transparency and appeals in welfare policy.
