Request the unemployment benefit

Unemployment benefit is a cash benefit granted to unemployed persons to make up for the lack of earnings caused by the involuntary loss of their employment.

Service channels

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  • Change at a location
    At the Social Security service counters

    Free

    At any time, during the opening hours of the branches

Who can request the unemployment benefit?

The following persons are entitled to unemployment benefit:

  • employees:
    • with an employment contract who have become unemployed, or
    • who have suspended their employment contract due to unpaid wages;
  • domestic workers, provided that:
    • they are employed on a full-time monthly basis and have entered into a written agreement with their employer to deduct the benefit from their actual wages, and
    • the agreement has been submitted to the relevant Social Security office and the conditions for the actual earnings to be considered the basis for contributions have been met;
  • workers in the customs sector;
  • primary and secondary school teachers;
  • former military employees or volunteers;
  • farmworkers covered by social security from 1 January 2011;
  • agricultural labourers, covered by social security until 31 December 2010, provided that:
    • they are employed on an open-ended, full-time basis and have entered into a written agreement with their employer, before reaching the age of 60, to deduct the benefit from their actual wages, and
    • the agreement has been submitted to the Social Security office, and
    • the wage amount is not lower than the national minimum wage;
  • workers in management positions who, when they were appointed, had been employed at the same company for at least a year;
  • workers with an employment contract who are at the same time managers or partners in a non-profit organisation, provided that they receive no remuneration for those duties.

When can you request the unemployment benefit?

You must claim unemployment benefit within 90 calendar days of the date on which you became unemployed.

If you make your claim after 90 days, the time during which you will be entitled to the benefit will be reduced by the time corresponding to the delay.

There are situations in which this 90-day period may be suspended, such as illness or imprisonment. See the Social Security Portal for more information.

What are the documents and requirements to request the unemployment benefit?

To claim unemployment benefit, you must meet the following requirements:

  • be living in Portugal
  • have had a job with an employment contract
  • be involuntarily unemployed
  • have the ability and willingness to work
  • be registered with the job centre in your area of residence
  • have the required qualifying period – 360 days of paid employment in the 24 months preceding the date on which you became unemployed.

You must submit the following documents:

  • Unemployment declaration RP5044, which can be delivered:
    • in paper form, in person at the job centre, or
    • through Segurança Social Direta, by the employer* with the prior authorisation of the person (the employer must provide the person with the corresponding proof);
  • If the employer terminates the employment contract with just cause
    • proof of legal action (document issued by the court as proof of the employee's legal action) against the employer;
  • If the employee terminates the employment contract with just cause
    • proof of legal action against the employer, if the person concerned invokes just cause for termination of the contract and the employer has invoked another reason, in the RP5044 declaration for voluntary unemployment;
  • If the worker suspends the contract due to late payment of wages
    • late payment declaration GD18
    • proof of communication to the employer and to the Working Conditions Authority (ACT) (in this case, unemployment declaration RP5044 should not be submitted);
  • If you are a migrant worker from the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland who resides in and claims benefit from Portugal
    • U1 form – Statement of periods to be taken into account when granting unemployment benefit. This form can only be issued at district centres of the Social Security Institute (mainland Portugal), the Social Security Institute of Madeira and the Social Security Institute of the Azores.

* If the employer cannot or refuses to provide the declaration to the person, it is the responsibility of the Working Conditions Authority (ACT) to issue it within 30 days of the date of request.

Additional information

How long does unemployment benefit last?

How long you can claim the benefit for depends on your age and on the number of months of paid social security contributions since the last time you were unemployed.

Check the Social Security Portal to find out how long unemployment benefit lasts in your case.

How much unemployment benefit will I receive?

The unemployment benefit amount corresponds to 65% of the reference remuneration calculated on the basis of 30 days per month.

How the benefit is calculated

To work out the unemployment benefit amount, you need to make the following calculations at two different stages:

First phase

Step 1: work out your total declared remuneration for the first 12 months of the last 14 months, starting from the month preceding the month in which the beneficiary became unemployed. You must also count the summer holiday and Christmas payments declared and due during these 12 months (a maximum of one summer holiday and one Christmas payment).

Step 2: work out the reference remuneration (RR) which will serve as the basis for calculating the unemployment benefit. Divide the total amount from the previous step by 12.

RR= R/12

Step 3: calculate the monthly amount of the unemployment benefit.

The general rule for calculating the unemployment benefit is 65% of the RR, calculated on the basis of 30 days per month. Multiply 0.65 by the RR from the previous step. Amount of unemployment benefit = 0.65 x RR.

Step 4: calculate the net amount of the reference remuneration (VLRR).

The net amount of the reference remuneration is obtained by deducting from the gross reference remuneration the amount of social security contributions payable by the employee and the income tax (IRS) rate.

  • Social security contributions = 11%
  • Income tax rate = Rate in the IRS withholding tax scales corresponding to the net amount of the beneficiary's reference and aggregate remuneration in force on the date on which the unemployment benefit was claimed.

In other words, from the reference remuneration (RR) amount, you must subtract the corresponding 11% (social security) plus the income tax (IRS) percentage that corresponds to your case. The net amount of reference remuneration is then calculated as: VLRR = RR - (11% + X%)

Step 5: calculate 75% of the net amount of the reference remuneration: 0.75 x VLRR.

Multiply the amount you ended up with in the previous step (VLRR) by 0.75.

Second phase

Check the limits to the amount of unemployment benefit.

The unemployment benefit amount, for applications submitted from 1 April 2012 onwards, cannot:

  • be more than two and a half times the IAS (social support index) amount (EUR 1 342.83) or less than the IAS (EUR 537.13), unless the net reference remuneration is lower than the IAS amount;
  •  be more than 75% of the net reference remuneration used to calculate it, without prejudice to the guaranteed minimum amount of the IAS or the net amount of reference remuneration if that remuneration is lower than the IAS. Note: in situations where the remuneration on the basis of which the unemployment benefit was calculated corresponds at least to the national minimum wage (EUR 920), the unemployment benefit is increased to reach the minimum amount corresponding to 1.15 [times the] IAS (EUR 617,70);
  • under any circumstances be higher than the net amount of reference remuneration used to calculate it.

 Example

 Pedro became unemployed on 7 January 2026.

Pedro has a monthly salary of EUR 900, corresponding to a reference remuneration (RR) of EUR 1 050 [(EUR 900 x 14) :12]. Pedro is single and has no children (for the purposes of applying the personal income tax scale, applicable in 2024, for calculating the net RR amount).

The amount of unemployment benefit is calculated as follows:

  • IAS amount = EUR 537.13.
  • Amount of unemployment benefit (SD) = EUR 1 050 x 0.65 = EUR 682.50.
  • Net amount of reference remuneration (VLRR) = EUR 835.80
    • VLRR = Social security contribution (11%) + applicable income tax rate (in this example it is 9.4%) = EUR 1 050.00 – (EUR 115.50 + EUR 98.70) = EUR 835.80.
  • 75% of the net amount of reference remuneration = EUR 835.80 x 0.75 = EUR 626.85.

In this case, Pedro is entitled to an unemployment benefit of EUR 626.85.

Increase in the amount of unemployment benefit

The daily unemployment benefit amount is increased by 10% when:

  • the two persons in the couple (married or unmarried) receive unemployment benefit and have children or equivalent dependants. The increase applies to each person;
  • the person is part of a single-parent household and receives unemployment benefit.

One-off payment of unemployment benefit

Unemployment benefit can be paid to you in a lump sum if you submit a project to create your own employment and the project is approved. This is on the condition that you do not combine this activity with another paid activity during the period in which you are required to maintain your own employment.

For more information, please consult the Practical Guide to Unemployment Benefit and the Social Security Portal.