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The Audiovisual Levy (CAV) on Your Electricity Bill in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

What the audiovisual contribution on your electricity bill is, why you pay it without a TV, the €2.85 and €1 rates, and who is exempt.

The Portugal Brief 5 min read

The Audiovisual Levy (CAV) on Your Electricity Bill in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have an electricity contract in Portugal and want to know what the "Contribuição Audiovisual" line is.
  • You own a second home or a little-used property and wonder whether you must pay it there too.
  • You receive a Social Security benefit and want to check you pay the reduced rate.

Not for you if: you want the whole electricity bill explained, line by line. Read Understanding Your Energy Bill in Portugal instead.

The audiovisual contribution (contribuição para o audiovisual, or CAV) is a charge on every electricity bill that funds public radio and television. It is €2.85 a month, plus 6% VAT, so €3.02. You pay it whether or not you own a television. Homes that use less than 400 kWh a year are exempt. Some low-income households on the social energy tariff pay €1 a month instead. You cannot opt out while you have an electricity contract.

What the CAV is

The CAV pays for the public broadcasting service. The law says this money is collected through the electricity bill. Your electricity supplier adds it to your bill and passes it on. The supplier does not set it and cannot waive it.

That is why it has nothing to do with owning a TV. There is no TV licence in Portugal and no TV ownership check. The charge follows the electricity contract.

It is also separate from any TV, internet, or phone package you pay a telecoms operator for. Paying for TV channels does not replace the CAV.

How much it costs

RatePer month, before VATPer month, with 6% VATPer year, with VAT
Standard€2.85€3.02€36.24
Reduced€1.00€1.06€12.72
Exempt€0€0€0

The amount is set in the State Budget each year. The 2026 budget kept it unchanged at €2.85.

The CAV always pays the reduced VAT rate of 6%, never 23%. This is true whatever your contracted power.

Who pays the reduced rate

You pay €1 a month instead of €2.85 if you get the social energy tariff and receive one of these benefits:

  • the solidarity supplement for older people (complemento solidário para idosos)
  • social integration income (rendimento social de inserção)
  • social unemployment benefit (subsídio social de desemprego)
  • child benefit (abono de família) in the first income band
  • the social invalidity pension (pensão social de invalidez)

That is a saving of €1.85 a month, plus the VAT on it.

Social tariff alone is not enough. The social energy tariff has a wider list. You can also get it through other benefits or on income alone. If you qualify only that way, you get the electricity discount and the tax exemption, but you still pay the full €2.85. See Getting the Social Energy Tariff in Portugal for the full rules.

You do not apply. The social tariff is awarded automatically after the energy directorate, DGEG, checks tax and Social Security data. The reduced CAV comes with it if you receive one of the benefits above.

Who pays nothing

Two groups are exempt:

  • Homes using less than 400 kWh a year. This often covers a holiday home or flat that is empty most of the year.
  • Farms. Non-domestic customers whose activity is in agriculture or livestock farming are exempt, for meters that measure only that activity. The farm must apply through the agricultural funding agency, IFAP, in its online area. The electricity supplier then grants the exemption.

400 kWh a year is very little. A home lived in all year almost always uses more.

A second home pays its own CAV

The CAV is charged on each electricity bill, so each contract carries its own charge. If you have a second home with its own electricity contract, that bill includes the CAV too. The exception is if it uses less than 400 kWh a year.

Changing supplier does not remove it. Every supplier must bill it in the same way and at the same rate. It is never a reason to choose one supplier over another.

Where to find it on your bill

Look for a line called "Contribuição Audiovisual", "Contribuição para o Audiovisual", or "CAV". It sits in the 6% VAT part of the bill, with the other items that pay reduced VAT. ERSE, the energy regulator, explains the other lines on its "Compreender a fatura" page.

If you are charged the wrong rate

  1. Check your yearly use. Your bill or your supplier's online area shows it. Compare it with 400 kWh.
  2. Check your benefit. If you receive one of the five benefits above, check that the social tariff appears on your bill.
  3. Ask your supplier to correct the bill, in writing.
  4. If the social tariff is missing, ask Social Security for proof that you receive the benefit, and give it to your supplier. You can also contact DGEG.
  5. If the supplier does not fix it, use the complaints book (Livro de Reclamações), which is also online, or contact ERSE.

The amount of the CAV is fixed by law. How it is applied to your contract can be corrected.

What this means for you

  • Most households: budget €3.02 a month, or €36.24 a year, on top of your electricity. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to cancel.
  • Households on a qualifying benefit: you should pay €1.06 a month. Check your bill.
  • Owners of a second home: expect a second CAV, unless that home uses less than 400 kWh a year.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Amounts change with the State Budget; check the official source before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

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

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