April 2024

Portugal. Automatic Pension Scheme to be Approved

Heather Humphreys, the minister for social protection, has outlined her plan to implement the much-anticipated pension auto-enrolment programme for workers. Under the plan, businesses would match employee contributions with an additional €3, meaning that the State will contribute €1 for every €3 an employee contributes to their pension account. Workers between the ages of 23 and 60 who are not currently registered in a pension plan will be enrolled automatically. There will be a clause in the law allowing employees...

March 2024

Análisis financiero y tributario del sistema de pensiones portugués semejanzas y diferencias con el sistema de pensiones español

Por Carlos David Aguilar Segado  El sistema de pensiones portugués se asemeja al modelo español al estructurarse en torno a los tres pilares básicos de las pensiones públicas obligatorias, tanto contributivas como no contributivas, y de las pensiones privadas complementarias, tanto empresariales como individuales, basadas en el modelo de seguro profesional prusiano del siglo XIX. Ambos países han reformado estos sistemas, tanto por los problemas demográficos de descenso de la natalidad y aumento de la longevidad, como por el alcance...

September 2022

Portugal’s PM announces aid for pensioners and families amid inflation crisis

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has already promulgated the Government's decree establishing exceptional support measures for families to mitigate the effects of inflation. According to a note published on the official website of the Presidency of the Republic, the Head of State also promulgated the Government's decree allowing the return of gas for consumers with an annual consumption of less than or equal to 10,000 m3 to the regulated tariff regime. This note was released by the...

August 2022

Portugal becomes fastest aging country in EU: Study

Portugal currently registers 182 elderly (aged 65 years and above) for every 100 young people (aged up to 14 years), becoming the fastest aging country in the European Union (EU), according to a study published by the Contemporary Portugal Database Pordata. In the past three decades, the elderly population tripled in the country, according to the study, based on data from the Portuguese National Statistics Institute (INE) and published by Publico newspaper on Sunday. In 1990, Portugal registered 66 elderly for...

June 2022

Portugal. “Historic increase” in pensions

The Prime Minister has assured that the Government will comply with the law and in 2023 there will be a “historic increase” in the value of pensions as a result of the drastic rise in inflation and the high economic growth registered this year. This perspective on the evolution of pensions in the coming year was passed on by António Costa at a CNN Portugal conference, which included a special broadcast of the program “The Principle of Uncertainty”. Asked by journalist...

March 2021

Sweden wants to tax pensioners in Portugal

Swedish Parliament is set to vote on unilaterally ending an agreement with Portugal to not tax citizens receiving their pensioners here Following in the footsteps of Finland in 2018, Stockholm now also wants to see its expat pensioners in Portugal taxed as they would be in their home countries. Portugal recently changed its non-habitual resident regime to enforce a blanket ten percent tax on foreign pensions, but Sweden argues this is inadequate and not in accordance with an agreement signed with...

October 2020

Portuguese schemes now required to report ESG investment

A new law has been introduced for Portuguese occupational pension funds requiring them to prepare a statement of investment policy principles detailing their approach to risk and to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. The law, which took effect last August, said the statement must include the methodology for assessing investment risk; risk management processes applied; and the asset allocation strategy followed, taking into consideration the type and duration of pension liabilities, as well as ESG factors. The statement...

January 2020

OECD Reviews of Pension Systems: Portugal

By OECD This review provides policy recommendations on how to improve the Portuguese pension system, building on the OECD’s best practices in pension design. It details the Portuguese pension system and identifies its strengths and weaknesses based on cross-country comparisons. The Portuguese pension system consists of an old-age safety net, a pay-as-you-go defined benefit scheme and voluntary private savings. The safety net includes an old-age social pension and a complement (the so-called Complemento Solidário para Idosos or CSI), both...

June 2019

Portugal. Social security grants 26,000 early-retirement pensions

Very long contributive careers – of people who began working while still very young – accounted for more than half of the total early retirements being approved in 2018, with 26,389 pensions being granted, according to data unveiled by the minister, José Vieira da Silva, at a regular hearing of parliament’s committee on employment and social security. This year, the normal retirement age is 66 years and five months; at a lower age, early retirement may be requested for...

May 2019

Selfies for Portugal- An innovative Pan European Retirement Solution

By Robert C. Merton, Arun Muralidhar, Rui Seybert P Ferreira With a rapidly aging population, Portugal faces some serious pension challenges including a Social Security system which is under pressure, and pension benefits gradually approaching levels that will require individuals to supplement Social Security with private savings. In addition, Portugal has a low rate of financial literacy and hence transferring the responsibility of retirement planning to the general population runs a major risk of many individuals retiring poor. While some...