Portugal sick pay: how much you receive and how it is calculated
The amount depends on your registered earnings and the number of payable days.
In 2026, Portugal's sickness benefit generally pays 55% of daily reference earnings for the first 30 days, 60% for days 31 to 90, 70% for days 91 to 365 and 75% after that. Registered earnings, payable days and the Segurança Social decision determine the final amount. Your latest net salary is not the basis of the calculation.
Official rates
How much sick leave pays in Portugal in 2026
The rate changes according to the total certified duration of incapacity.
- Up to 30 days: 55% of daily reference earnings.
- Days 31 to 90: 60%.
- Days 91 to 365: 70%.
- More than 365 days: 75%.
Each rate applies to that stage. At 55% or 60%, certain family or low-income conditions may add five percentage points.
Rates and increases checked on 25 August 2026 against the Segurança Social portal and Portugal's consolidated sickness-benefit legislation.
The formula
How to estimate Portuguese sickness benefit
In the usual case, daily reference earnings are calculated as R ÷ 180.
R is the remuneration registered in the first six of the previous eight months. Holiday and Christmas allowances are excluded, and net salary does not replace the official record.
Estimate
A worked example of Portugal sick pay
With €7,200 of eligible registered earnings, the daily reference amount is €40. At 55%, the indicative daily benefit is €22.
For an employee certified as unfit for work for 20 days, with a three-day waiting period, the simple calculation is 17 × €22 = €374. Exceptions, earlier periods of sick leave and your contribution status can change the official result.
When it starts
When Portuguese sick pay starts
Employees are usually paid from the fourth day. For self-employed workers, including people working with recibos verdes, payment starts on the eleventh day after a ten-day waiting period.
Hospital admission, outpatient surgery and tuberculosis are among the situations with no waiting period.
An autodeclaração may justify a short absence but does not create a benefit entitlement. Our guide to self-certification and medical sick leave explains the distinction.
Base amount
The 2026 IAS, daily minimum and possible increase
Under the general rule, the 2026 daily minimum is €9.20, equal to 30% of Portugal's €920 guaranteed monthly minimum wage, unless your daily reference earnings are lower.
At the 55% and 60% rates, Segurança Social checks whether you qualify for the statutory increase of five percentage points.
The IAS figure is confirmed by Portaria 480-A/2025/1.
In detail
Details that change the amount
Several details in the official record explain why two people with a similar contractual salary can receive different amounts.
If sick leave starts in August, the eight previous months run from December to July, and the six oldest, December to May, are used. Segurança Social works from its contribution record, not from an estimate of your usual salary or what reached your bank account. Withholdings, contributions and irregular supplements are why net pay differs from the registered remuneration the formula requires.
A higher rate applies to the days that fall in that band; it does not recalculate the whole period from the start. A payment can group a specific number of days and need not match a calendar month, so compare it with the dates processed in the decision or in Segurança Social Direta.
If your own daily reference earnings are below the €9.20 minimum, that lower amount limits the benefit. The five-point increase at the 55% and 60% rates applies when reference earnings are €500 or less, when the household has three or more descendants up to age 16 (or 24 if they receive child benefit), or when it includes a descendant receiving the disability bonus.
- Identify the correct earnings window.
- Calculate the daily reference amount.
- Split the days by rate band.
- Subtract waiting days and any non-payable day.
Recent arrival
If you have fewer than six months of contributions in Portugal
People who started working in Portugal recently, after contributing to another national or foreign scheme, follow a different reference formula.
Where the benefit is granted without six months of contributions in Portugal but with contributions in other social-security schemes, national or foreign, the daily reference earnings are the average of the earnings registered up to the day before the sick leave begins: R ÷ (30 × n). R excludes holiday, Christmas and similar allowances, and n is the number of months with registered earnings.
The official guide gives this example: after working in France from June to September 2025, a person starts work in Portugal in January 2026 and begins sick leave on 15 April 2026. Earnings of €1,000, €1,100 and €1,200 from January to March add up to €3,300, so the daily reference is €3,300 ÷ (30 × 3) = €36.67.
- Upper limit: the daily benefit can never exceed the net value, after deductions, of the reference earnings used for the calculation.
- Payment: by bank transfer or by postal order issued by CTT to your address.
- Your record: registered earnings are shown in Segurança Social Direta under Trabalho > Remunerações e contribuições > Carreira contributiva.
Source: Instituto da Segurança Social, Guia Prático – Subsídio de Doença (version 4.55, published 14 July 2026), checked on 2 October 2026.
Next step
What to check before relying on an estimate
Have your CIT dates, employment status and registered earnings to hand.
- Check the start date and certified duration.
- Confirm which months were used for reference earnings.
- Identify the waiting days or any applicable exception.
- Check the claim in Segurança Social Direta.
If the amount is wrong, late or refused, check the record in Segurança Social Direta and ask Segurança Social for an explanation. The clinic explains certification, not benefit calculations or appeals.
For a clinical assessment, see our online sick-leave service in Portugal. The doctor cannot guarantee a CIT, benefit entitlement or amount.
Global Health Portugal
Information and assessment
The clinic assesses your health. Segurança Social decides the benefit.
- Sick-leave assessment
- Self-certification or medical sick leave
- Doctors in Portugal
- Contact Global Health
Do you need a medical assessment?
A doctor assesses your incapacity. Segurança Social decides the sickness benefit.
Official sources
Rules consulted
Rules checked on 25 August 2026.
Check the decision for your own claim in Segurança Social Direta.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about Portuguese sick-pay amounts
How much do you receive for the first 30 days?
Generally, 55% of daily reference earnings for payable days, not necessarily 55% of net salary.
Are the first three days paid?
As a rule, employees are not paid for the first three days. Some officially recognised situations have no waiting period.
Does an autodeclaração entitle you to sickness benefit?
Not by itself. Justifying an absence and meeting the conditions for a cash benefit are separate matters.
What if the amount is wrong or does not arrive?
Check the record in Segurança Social Direta and ask Segurança Social for clarification. The clinic does not decide calculations or appeals.
How do I estimate the Portuguese benefit?
Use the registered earnings in the legal window, work out the daily base, apply each rate band and remove the unpaid days. The result is still only an estimate.
Does the rate rise after a month?
Yes: 60% for days 31 to 90, 70% for days 91 to 365 and 75% after that. The new band does not automatically recalculate earlier days.
