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Salaries and Minimum Wage in Portugal

The national minimum wage, what salaries look like, and what to know before accepting an offer.

Last verified: September 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have a job offer in Portugal, or expect one, and want to judge whether the pay is fair.
  • You are employed here and want to understand your gross and net pay.
  • You earn the minimum wage, or employ someone who does.

Not for you if: you work for yourself and set your own rates. Read Registering as Self-Employed (Recibos Verdes) in Portugal.

Updated September 2026. New official pay figures for April to June 2026 are included, and the minimum wage is due to rise to €970 in January 2027.

The minimum wage in mainland Portugal is €920 a month gross in 2026, for a full-time job. Most employees are paid 14 times a year, so the minimum comes to €12,880 a year. After your 11% Social Security contribution, a minimum wage worker takes home €818.80 a month, with no income tax withheld. The average worker earned €1,436 a month in regular gross pay in mid-2026. Pay varies widely by sector, company size, and region.

The minimum wage in 2026

The national minimum wage (retribuição mínima mensal garantida) is €920 a month from 1 January 2026. It applies to every employee on a full-time contract in mainland Portugal, whatever their nationality. Part-time workers get a proportional amount.

The Azores and Madeira set their own minimum wages, which are slightly higher than the mainland rate.

Recent rises:

YearMonthly minimum
2022€705
2023€760
2024€820
2025€870
2026€920

What happens next

The government, employers, and unions signed a wage agreement for 2025 to 2028. Under it, the minimum wage is set to reach:

  • €970 in January 2027;
  • €1,020 in January 2028.

The agreement also targets an average salary of €1,890 by 2028. Unions asked in September 2026 for a bigger rise in 2027. The government said the agreed path stands for now, and talks continue in October 2026. The 2027 figure only becomes law when the government publishes it, usually in December.

Why Portuguese salaries come in 14 payments

Most employees receive 14 payments a year: 12 monthly salaries plus two bonuses.

  • Holiday pay (subsídio de férias): one month's pay, usually paid before your main holiday, often in June or July.
  • Christmas pay (subsídio de Natal): one month's pay, due by 15 December.

Some employers spread one or both bonuses across the 12 months instead. You will see this on your payslip as twelfths (duodécimos).

This matters when you compare offers. A salary of €1,500 a month is €21,000 a year, not €18,000. Always ask whether a figure is monthly or annual, and whether an annual figure means 12 or 14 payments. Our guide to Paid Holiday and the 13th and 14th Months in Portugal has the detail.

What people earn

Statistics Portugal (INE) publishes average pay every quarter, from Social Security records. For June 2026:

MeasureAverage per month (gross)
Base pay€1,342
Regular pay (base plus regular extras)€1,436
Total pay, including bonuses€1,835

The total figure for April to June is high because many employers pay holiday pay in June. In January to March 2026, total pay averaged €1,611.

Averages hide big differences. In June 2026:

  • by sector, total pay ranged from €1,180 in farming, forestry, and fishing to €3,896 in electricity and gas;
  • high-tech, knowledge-intensive service companies paid €3,022 on average;
  • companies with 1 to 4 staff paid €1,174 on average, against €2,254 at companies with 500 or more.

Pay is generally higher in Lisbon and Porto than elsewhere, but so is rent. Our guide to the Cost of Living in Portugal helps you set a salary against what you will spend.

From gross to net pay

Two deductions come off your gross pay.

Social Security. You pay 11% of your gross pay. Your employer pays a further 23.75% on top, which does not come out of your salary.

Income tax (IRS) withheld at source. Your employer withholds tax each month using official tables. The amount depends on your pay, whether you are married, and how many dependants you have. It is an advance: your annual return settles the final bill.

At the minimum wage, no income tax is due. The law protects a minimum income of €12,880 a year from tax, which matches the annual minimum wage.

If you are under 35, you may pay much less income tax for up to ten years. See Claiming the Young Worker Tax Relief (IRS Jovem) in Portugal.

Meal allowance and other tax-efficient extras

Most employers pay a daily meal allowance (subsídio de refeição) for each day you work. It is not compulsory by law for private employers, but many sector agreements require it.

In 2026 the tax-free limits are:

  • €6.15 a day if paid in cash with your salary;
  • €10.46 a day if paid on a meal card.

Anything above these limits is taxed like salary. On 22 working days, a full card allowance adds about €230 a month tax-free.

Other extras can also be worth more than a pay rise of the same size. Ask about health insurance, a pension contribution, and help with remote work or transport costs.

Before you accept an offer

  1. Get the gross annual figure and check whether it covers 12 or 14 payments.
  2. Ask about the meal allowance, how it is paid, and how much.
  3. Check your sector agreement. Many sectors have a collective agreement (contrato coletivo de trabalho) that sets minimum pay above the national minimum. Your employer must tell you which one applies.
  4. Check the contract type and trial period. A fixed-term contract and a permanent contract carry different rights.
  5. Estimate your net pay using the Social Security rate and the withholding tables.

An EU law on pay transparency requires employers to give you the starting pay or pay range before the interview. It also bans them from asking about your pay history. Portugal was due to bring it into national law by 7 June 2026. Check with the Labour Conditions Authority (ACT) whether the national rules are in force.

Our guide to Employment Contracts, Pay, and Worker Rights in Portugal covers contracts and payslips.

If you work remotely for a foreign employer

If you live in Portugal and work for a company abroad, Portuguese minimum wage rules do not usually decide your pay. Your tax and Social Security position does change, though. As a Portuguese tax resident, you declare that salary on your Portuguese tax return. Social Security depends on where your employer is based and on any agreement between the two countries.

If you are self-employed

No minimum wage applies. You set your own rates. Key figures for 2026:

  • Social Security: 21.4% of your relevant income, which for services is 70% of what you invoice. The minimum contribution is €20 a month.
  • First year: your Social Security obligations start on the first day of the 12th month after you open your activity.
  • VAT: you can stay exempt while your turnover in Portugal stays under €15,000 a year.

If you are paid less than the minimum wage

If you work full time and receive less than €920 a month gross, your employer is breaking the law.

  1. Raise it with your employer in writing, with your payslips.
  2. If it is not fixed, complain to the Labour Conditions Authority (ACT). You can do this online or at a local office.
  3. You can also claim unpaid wages through the labour courts, usually with help from a union or a lawyer.

Sources

This guide is written from official Portuguese and EU sources and, for prices and contact details, the providers' own websites.

Last verified September 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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