Count everyone living with you, including the person you care for: each adult besides you weighs 0.7 and each minor 0.5. In the household income, add everyone's gross monthly income, leaving dependency benefits out.
In the caregiver's own income, do not count the social insertion income (RSI), the inclusion benefit (PSI) supplement or the solidarity supplement for the elderly (CSI). The dependency benefit is, for example, the 1st-degree dependency supplement (€131.20 in 2026); with more than one cared person, use the lowest one.
You qualify for the main informal caregiver's support allowance: from the reference value of €590.84 (1.1 times the 2026 IAS), €331.20 of the caregiver's own income and the dependency benefit are deducted. To receive it you need the main informal caregiver status recognised by Social Security.
| 1. Household means test | |
|---|---|
| Household gross monthly income | €200.00 |
| Sum of weights (1 + 0.7 per adult + 0.5 per minor) | 1.5 |
| Reference income (limit €698.27) | €133.33 · within the limit |
| 2. Allowance amount | |
| Reference value (1.1 times the IAS) | €590.84 |
| Caregiver's own income | −€200.00 |
| Cared person's dependency benefit | −€131.20 |
| Base allowance | €259.64 |
| Voluntary social insurance increment | — |
| Total monthly allowance | €259.64 |
The means test counts the gross income of the whole household, cared person included, but not dependency benefits. The deduction from the allowance counts the caregiver's own income and the cared person's dependency benefit, but never the RSI, the PSI supplement or the CSI.
The allowance requires the recognised main informal caregiver status: caring permanently for someone who receives the 2nd-degree dependency supplement, the third-person assistance subsidy or, in the cases set by law, the 1st-degree supplement; the cared person cannot live in an institution and the main caregiver cannot receive money for work, for the care provided, or unemployment benefit.
The allowance cannot be combined with, for example, unemployment benefits, the old-age pension (except certain early pensions), the absolute invalidity pension, the CSI or study grants; it can be combined with the RSI, the PSI, the survivor's pension and the prenatal family allowance, among others.
Out of scope: the status-recognition process itself, the full legal definition of income (capital and property count under their own rules), the Azores and Madeira regional schemes, and the non-principal informal caregiver, who has no right to the allowance.
Indicative values, computed with the 2026 IAS. The decision on the allowance rests with Social Security. This information does not replace the law and is not financial advice.
Informal Caregiver Allowance Calculator by Calculadora Capital