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What Is the IAS, Portugal's Social Support Index?

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

What the IAS is, this year's value, how it is updated each January, and how to turn an IAS multiple in a benefit rule into euros.

The Portugal Brief 6 min read

What Is the IAS, Portugal's Social Support Index?

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You keep seeing "IAS" in a benefit, tax, or visa rule and want to know what it means.
  • You want to work out a threshold written as "times the IAS" in euros.
  • You live in Portugal, or plan to, and are checking what you might qualify for.

Not for you if: you want the full rules for one benefit. Start with Understanding Portugal's Social Security System instead.

The IAS (indexante dos apoios sociais, or social support index) is a single reference amount that the Portuguese state uses to set many benefits, limits, and charges. In 2026 the IAS is €537.13 a month. Rules often say "1.5 times the IAS" or "60 times the IAS" instead of a euro figure. Multiply by €537.13 to get the 2026 amount. The IAS is updated once a year, from 1 January.

What the IAS is

The law makes the IAS the main reference for setting, calculating, and updating state support, and some charges, in laws and regulations. This covers central government, the autonomous regions (the Azores and Madeira), and local councils. A law can still set a different reference in some cases.

The idea is simple. Instead of writing a euro amount into every rule, the rule refers to a multiple of the IAS. When the IAS goes up, all those amounts move together.

Why it exists

The IAS began in 2007. Before then, many benefits used the national minimum wage as their reference. The law that created the IAS replaced the minimum wage as that reference, so wages and benefits can now change separately.

Do not confuse the two. In 2026:

  • IAS: €537.13 a month. Used for benefits and many limits.
  • Minimum wage: €920 a month. Used for pay, and as the yardstick for visa means of subsistence.

How it is updated each year

The IAS is updated every year, with effect from 1 January. The government publishes the new figure in an order (portaria) in the Diário da República, the official journal.

The law links the update to two figures:

  • inflation over the last 12 months, measured without housing costs;
  • average real growth of the economy (GDP) over the last two years.

The formula works like this:

Average real GDP growthIAS update
Under 2%Inflation
2% to under 3%Inflation plus 20% of GDP growth, and at least 0.5 points above inflation
3% or moreInflation plus 20% of GDP growth

The figure for a new year usually appears in late December. Re-check any amount you worked out last year after 1 January.

How to turn an IAS multiple into euros

  1. Find the multiple in the rule, for example "1.5 times the IAS" or "60 IAS".
  2. Check which year's IAS applies. Most rules use the IAS in force now. Some use the IAS on a particular date.
  3. Multiply. For 2026, use €537.13.
  4. Check whether the rule is monthly or yearly, and per person or per household.

Examples with the 2026 IAS:

  • 0.5 times the IAS: €268.57 a month.
  • 1.5 times the IAS: €805.70.
  • 2.5 times the IAS: €1,342.83.
  • 60 times the IAS: €32,227.80.

Where you will meet the IAS

These are some of the rules that use the IAS. Each links to a guide with the full conditions.

RuleIAS link2026 amount
Unemployment benefit, minimum1 times the IAS€537.13 a month
Unemployment benefit, maximum2.5 times the IAS€1,342.83 a month
Exemption from SNS user charges for low income1.5 times the IAS€805.70 a month
Voluntary social insurance, contribution bases1 to 8 times the IAS€537.13 to €4,297.04
Social Integration Income (RSI), savings limit60 times the IAS€32,227.80
RSI, value of your own home before part of it counts450 times the IAS€241,708.50
Pensioner rate for medicines, income test14 times the IAS, or 14 times last year's minimum wage if higher€12,180 a year per person
IRS income tax, standard deduction for employees and pensioners8.54 times the IAS€4,587.09 a year

Guides with the details:

Some visa rules use it too. For example, the EU Blue Card accepts a salary of three times the IAS as one option. Not every figure follows the IAS. The RSI reference amount (€247.56 in 2026) is set by its own order. Visa income rules mostly use the minimum wage.

The new single social benefit

A new single social benefit (prestação social única) takes effect on 31 December 2026. It replaces 13 means-tested benefits, including the RSI and the social unemployment benefit. Its reference value is half the IAS, so €268.57 at the 2026 rate. Its savings limit is 60 times the IAS. People already receiving the old benefits are moved across automatically. See the RSI guide above for what this means if you claim now.

What this means for you

  • Know this year's figure. For 2026, it is €537.13 a month.
  • Check the date. The IAS changes every 1 January, so amounts from last year will be out of date.
  • Read the unit. Check whether a limit is monthly, yearly, per person, or per household.
  • Do not mix it up with the minimum wage. They are different figures with different jobs.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check the official source, or ask Segurança Social, before you rely on a figure.

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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