Retiring

The retirement pension, officially known as the old-age pension, is an amount paid monthly to replace the work pay.

The conditions to receive an old-age pension and the amount to be received depend on the social protection system to which you have contributed, the contributions you have made and the age at which you retire.

Social security pensions

If during your time at work you have contributed for Social Security, use the Segurança Social Direta simulator to see an estimate of the amount of your pension.

Find out under which conditions and how you can request an old-age pension. If you have to retire because you are unable to work, you may be entitled to a disability pension. In this case, you may also be entitled to special protection.

There is also an old-age social pension for those who have not paid enough years of social security contributions and have low incomes. Consult here the requirements for this pension.

If you were a combatant, get to know the period of service that will be considered to calculate your retirement pension.

Pensions of the Caixa Geral de Aposentações

If you have contributed to the Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA), you can use this simulator to estimate the amount of your pension.

Remember that early retirement and the retirement due to a disability have other conditions. More detailed information on these conditions and on the calculation of the amount of each pension can be found on the CGA website.

People who have contributed to this system but have already stopped doing so, can request online the counting of the contribution time and retirement.

Other social protection systems

If you have contributed for another social protection systems, you should seek information from the entity responsible for that protection system.

Work and contributions abroad

If you have worked and contributed for social protection systems of another European Union (EU) country, consult the EU website to find out how to receive a pension for the time you have worked abroad.

If the country is not part of the European Union, you should ask the social protection services in that country how to receive your pension in Portugal.

Retiring does not necessarily mean abandoning an active lifestyle. You can use your time, for example, to:

• go back to study
• discover new hobbies
• practise a sport
• travel
• get to know INATEL's tourism, health and spa programme
• volunteer in an area that interests you.

Once you have retired, you can also continue to work.

If you want to make use of your retirement to move to another country, you can take advantage of the special conditions for living in European Union (EU) countries. In countries outside the European Union, the conditions will depend on the existing agreements.

Living and receiving the retirement pension in another EU country

You can live in any EU country as long as you have:

• full medical cover in the host country.

a. If you receive a pension from the host country: you and your family are covered by that country's healthcare system, whether or not you receive other pensions from other countries.

b. If you do not receive a pension or any other type of income from the host country: you can receive healthcare in the host country, as well as your family, as long as you are entitled to healthcare in the country that pays your pension.

• sufficient income to live in the country without financial support.
• the income must come from a pension, if you are entitled to one, or from any other source of income.

Consult the EU website to find out what you need to do to move to another EU country.

The European Union provides forms so that you can confirm your social security rights in the country to which you have moved (for example, to receive medical care or to prove that you have paid contributions).

If you move to another EU country and have not yet claimed the pension you are entitled to for the time you have worked in Portugal, you can claim your pension directly in the country you move to.

Living and retiring in a non-EU country

If the country where you are going to live is not part of the European Union, you should ask the Social Security or the social protection system responsible for your pension in Portugal to find out if there is a way to receive it abroad.

There are social benefits aimed at different types of needs of retired individuals.

Are you in a situation of dependency?

When a person is retired and depends on someone's help to meet the basic needs of their daily life, they can request a cash support called dependent person’s complement.

A person is considered to need help to meet the basic needs of his/her daily life if he/she does not take care of his/her personal hygiene, feed him/herself or move around.

To find out more about the conditions for accessing this benefit, consult the information on ePortugal about the dependent person’s complement.

Do you have economic difficulties?

People living in extreme poverty can request the Social Integration Income (RSI) in order to receive monthly cash support.

To access the RSI, the sum of their monthly income must be less than €189.66 and the value of their assets (bank accounts, shares and investment funds, for example) must not exceed €26.145,60. If you live with more people, the values are different. Consult the Practical Guide to Social Integration Income for more detailed information.

If you are low-income and are at least 66 years and 4 months old, you can request the solidarity supplement for the elderly. This support is added to your pension.

To receive this monthly cash support, you must have lived in Portugal for at least 6 consecutive years and cannot earn more than €5.858,63 a year. If the person is married or in a non-marital relationship, the values are different. Consult the Practical Guide for more detailed information.

Do you have a disability or incapacity?

People with disabilities are entitled to funding for support products related to their disabilities and limitations (wheelchairs, prostheses, hearing aids, voice amplifiers, for example). Find out how to request the funding and what products can be funded.

In each of the Social Security services in the district headquarters, there is an Inclusion Desk. Here you will find specialized assistance on issues related to disability and incapacity. You can clarify doubts and access services and support from various entities.

Can't pay for your health expenses?

People on low incomes or with a disability above 60% may not have to pay user charges. Consult the conditions you must meet to qualify for exemption.

If you receive the solidarity supplement for the elderly, you can get two more benefits to reduce your healthcare costs:

• additional health benefits, which guarantee the reimbursement of medical expenses with: 
  • medicines - payment of 50% of the part of the price of the medicine that is not reimbursed by the State
  • glasses and lenses - payment of 75% of the cost, up to a limit of 100 € every two years
  • purchase or arrangement of removable dental prostheses (dentures) - payment of 75% of the cost, up to a limit of 250 € every three years.
• the national programme for the promotion of oral health, which pays for dentist or stomatologist visits through a dentist's voucher issued by the family doctor.

Do you need a place to live?

If you are over 65, there are social security homes that you can apply to live in, either temporarily or permanently. The amount payable for the housing is calculated on the basis of your family's income.

Do you live abroad?

If you currently experience economic difficulties and live in a country that is not part of the European Union and does not guarantee you support in this situation, you can apply for social support for needy elderly emigrants.

Support was also created so that Portuguese living outside the EU for more than 20 years could visit Portugal, even if they are unable to pay for the trip. The Portugal no Coração (Portugal at Heart) programme is aimed at people over the age of 65 and comprises:

• travel to Portugal and return to the country of residence
• a full board tourist and cultural programme in Portugal, lasting approximately for two weeks.