Support in the event of illness and death

Information on the benefits available in cases of temporary incapacity for work, occupational diseases and caring for children and grandchildren.

This section is organised into the following areas:

• Sickness benefit
• Occupational diseases
• Child care allowance
• Grandchild care allowance
• Survivor’s pension
• General pensions fund survivor’s pension
• Payment due to the death of a family member
• Widowhood pension
• Social Security funeral benefit
• Reimbursement of funeral expenses – Social Security
• Reimbursement of funeral expenses – General Pensions Fund

Sickness benefit is granted to employees, self-employed workers or persons subscribing to the voluntary social insurance scheme to compensate for the loss of pay in the event of a temporary inability to work due to illness.

Find out more about  how to claim sickness benefit.

Temporary incapacity for work due to an occupational disease is a benefit paid to workers with a suspected occupational disease, for a limited period, to compensate for the loss or reduction of working or earning capacity resulting from that disease.

The benefit is payable until the person is cured, the period of sick leave ends or the incapacity is considered permanent.

This benefit may include the provision of medical and surgical assistance, examinations, treatments, medicines, hospitalisation, prostheses, etc. In the event of a person’s death caused by an occupational disease, family members may be entitled to benefits to compensate for the loss of income.

Find out more about  occupational diseases.

A child care allowance is granted to fathers or mothers who have to provide essential and urgent assistance to their child due to an illness or accident. The allowance covers a period of 15 days (for children over the age of 12) or 30 days (for children less than 12), consecutive or otherwise, per year.

These periods can be increased by 1 day for every child. For children over 18 years of age, the allowance is only granted if they are part of the beneficiary’s household.

Find out more about  how to claim child care allowance.

This benefit is paid to grandparents (or persons treated as grandparents) when a grandchild lives with them and the parents are unable to look after the child because they are working. It also applies when the father or mother of the child is a minor (under the age of 16). The grandchild care allowance is only granted when the parents have not claimed the child care allowance.

This benefit is granted when the grandparents provide indispensable assistance to their underage grandchild. The age of the child is not a factor in the case of children with a disability, chronic illness or suffering from an accident. The allowance can be awarded for up to 30 days.

Find out more about  how to claim the grandchild allowance.

The survivor’s pension is a monthly benefit paid to family members of a deceased beneficiary to compensate for the loss of income from work resulting from the deceased person’s death.

Find out more about how to claim the survivors’ pension.

The general pensions fund (CGA) survivor’s pension is a monthly benefit granted to the heirs of a deceased CGA beneficiary.

Find out more about how to claim the CGA survivor’s pension.

The payment due to the death of a family member is a one-off benefit paid to the members of the family of a deceased person who paid into Social Security or the voluntary social insurance scheme, to compensate for the expenses resulting from that person’s death and to facilitate the reorganisation of family life.

Find out more about how to claim the payment due to the death of a family member.

A widowhood pension is a monthly benefit payable to a widow/widower or a person who was living in a de facto partnership with a pensioner who passed away.

Find out more about how to claim the widowhood pension.

The Social Security funeral benefit is a benefit granted to compensate for the funeral expenses of a family member or of any other person, including unborn children, provided that the deceased was resident in Portugal. The allowance is paid as a lump sum.

Find out more about how to claim the Social Security funeral benefit.

The reimbursement of funeral expenses is a one-off benefit awarded to a person who pays for the funeral of a deceased person who paid into the general Social Security scheme.

The reimbursement of expenses cannot be awarded to a person benefitting from the payment due to the death of a family member.

Find out more about how to claim the reimbursement of funeral expenses from Social Security.

The reimbursement of funeral expenses from the General Pensions Fund (CGA) is a benefit granted to the person who has paid for the funeral of a CGA pensioner.

Find out more about how to claim the reimbursement of funeral costs from the CGA.