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Father's Parental Leave Calculator (Portugal)

How many days of leave a father gets in Portugal and what they pay. Enter the salary and the days he will take: the calculator adds his exclusive leave to the share he takes of the shared leave.

The initial-leave days count on top of the father's own exclusive leave, and their number decides the rate: 30 consecutive days make the leave shared, and 60 consecutive days on a 180-day leave lift the benefit from 83% to 90% (art. 30.º, n.º 1, al. e)).

Total the father receives
€3,560.00
Total days of leave
95 days
Daily reference remuneration (salary ÷ 30)€40.00
Father's exclusive leave (35 days, at 100%)€1,400.00
Daily amount of the exclusive leave€40.00
Father's share of the initial leave (60 days, at 90%)€2,160.00
Daily amount of the initial leave€36.00

By taking 60 consecutive days of the initial leave on top of his own exclusive leave, the couple is paid 90% of the reference remuneration across the whole 180 days instead of the usual 83%. The mother receives the same percentage, calculated on her own reference remuneration.

These amounts are net: the parental benefit carries no Social Security contribution and no income tax, so this is what Social Security actually pays you.

An employed father in mainland Portugal with a stable salary over the reference period. Not computed: the mother's benefit (that is the parental benefit calculator), the licença parental complementar and the extended parental benefit (30%, 40% when both parents take the full three months and 20% part-time, art. 33.º), part-time leave (50% of the amount, art. 30.º, n.º 2), the six-month qualifying period, the suspension for a child's hospitalisation and the prematurity add-ons.

Informative estimate based on the Portuguese Labour Code and Decreto-Lei n.º 91/2009. Not financial advice.

The two blocks that add up, and that almost everyone runs together

A father is paid for two distinct things, each with its own rules. The first is the exclusive parental leave, which is his and cannot be transferred to the mother. The second is whatever part of the initial parental leave he decides to take, which is the couple's leave and is split between them. Adding it all into a single number is the commonest mistake, because the two parts are paid at different percentages and follow different deadlines. The calculator shows them separately and then together.

The exclusive leave: 28 mandatory days plus 7 optional ones

Article 43.º of the Labour Code requires the father to take 28 days, consecutively or in blocks of at least 7 days, within the 42 days following the birth, of which 7 must be taken consecutively straight after the birth. After those, he is entitled to a further 7 optional days, provided they coincide with the mother's initial leave. These are calendar days, not working days, which is more than a week's difference from what many people assume. With twins, two extra days are added for each baby beyond the first. The whole period is paid at 100% of the reference remuneration, under article 31.º of Decreto-Lei n.º 91/2009.

The 90% rule that almost no page explains

Article 30.º, n.º 1 sets the percentage of the initial leave in five paragraphs, and the last one is usually missing. On a 180-day leave where the father takes at least 60 consecutive days, or two blocks of 30 days, out of those 180 and on top of his exclusive leave, the daily amount rises from 83% to 90% of the reference remuneration. It is not a bonus for the father alone: the 90% applies across the 180 days and the mother receives the same percentage, calculated on her own reference remuneration. That is why the calculator derives the percentage from the days you enter rather than asking for it: the decision is how long to stay, and the percentage is the consequence.

How the chosen duration and the father's days decide the percentage

At 120 days the benefit is 100% and requires no sharing. At 150 days it is 80%, but rises to 100% if each parent takes at least 30 consecutive days, or two blocks of 15. At 180 days, which only exist when shared, it is 83%, and rises to 90% once the father reaches 60 consecutive days. Note what this means in practice: a longer leave is paid at a lower percentage, but the total received can be higher, and sharing is the only way to avoid losing percentage points as the leave stretches.

The reference remuneration and the guaranteed minimum

The basis is the daily reference remuneration, defined in article 28.º as the total pay of the first 6 of the last 8 months before the leave, excluding the holiday and Christmas bonuses, divided by 180. For a stable monthly salary that is the salary divided by 30. The percentages apply to that daily figure. There is a floor: article 38.º, n.º 1 prevents the daily benefit from falling below 80% of a thirtieth of the IAS, that is €14.32 in 2026. There is no upper cap, unlike the unemployment benefit.

What you see is what you get: there are no deductions

The parental benefit carries no Social Security contribution and is not subject to income tax. Unlike a salary, which bears an 11% contribution and withholding tax, the amount Social Security transfers is the gross amount calculated. That is also why leave paid at 100% of the reference remuneration does not leave the father with exactly what he earned at work: the base excludes the holiday and Christmas bonuses, but in exchange nothing is withheld.

Worked example

A father earning €1,200 a month has a daily reference remuneration of €40, because €1,200 divided by 30 is €40. His exclusive leave is 28 mandatory days plus 7 optional ones, that is 35 days, paid at 100%, giving €40 a day and €1,400 in total. The couple chose the 180-day initial leave and he will take 60 consecutive days on top of his exclusive leave. Because that satisfies paragraph e) of article 30.º, n.º 1, the rate rises from 83% to 90%: the daily amount is €36 and the 60 days pay €2,160. Altogether that is 95 days of leave and €3,560, with nothing deducted. Had he stopped at the 30-day sharing minimum he would stay at 83%, that is €33.20 a day and €996 for the 30 days, a total of 65 days and €2,396. The extra 30 days are therefore worth €1,164 more to him, and lift the mother's benefit by the same proportion across the whole 180 days.

Frequently asked questions

How many days of leave does a father get in 2026?
He gets 28 mandatory days plus 7 optional ones, a total of 35 days of exclusive leave, all paid at 100%. With twins, two extra days are added for each baby beyond the first. On top of that he may take whatever share of the initial parental leave the couple decides.
Are the 28 days working days or calendar days?
Calendar days. Article 43.º of the Labour Code refers to 28 days without qualifying them as working days, and the same holds for the 7 optional ones. The confusion is common because other employment rights, such as holiday, are counted in working days, but parental leave is not.
When does the father have to take the leave?
Seven of the 28 mandatory days must be taken consecutively immediately after the birth. The remaining 21 must be taken within the 42 days following it, consecutively or in blocks of at least 7 days. The 7 optional days are taken at the same time as the mother's initial parental leave.
What does it take for the benefit to rise to 90%?
The couple must opt for the 180-day initial leave and the father must take at least 60 consecutive days, or two blocks of 30 consecutive days, out of those 180, on top of his exclusive leave. Once that is met, the 90% applies across the 180 days and to both parents, each on their own reference remuneration.
Is the father obliged to take the leave?
The 28 days are mandatory and the law is explicit about it. An employer that fails to comply commits a serious administrative offence. The further 7 days are optional, and it is the father who decides whether to take them.
Does the father's leave come out of the mother's time?
No. The father's exclusive parental leave is a right of his own and is added to the couple's initial parental leave, not subtracted from it. Only the initial leave is split between the two, and that is where each parent's choice of days changes the percentage paid.
Is the benefit paid by Social Security or by my employer?
During the leave it is Social Security that pays, as a parental benefit, not the employer. That is why the amount is calculated on the reference remuneration of the preceding months rather than on the current month's salary, and why it carries no Social Security or income tax deductions.
What if I am self-employed?
The rules on amounts are the same, including the percentages and the daily minimum, but the reference remuneration is worked out from declared income rather than a monthly salary, and the six-month qualifying period with registered earnings must be met. In that case the figure this calculator returns is an order of magnitude.

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Author: Thorben Rasmus Idel · Reviewed by: Nahar Geva · Last reviewed: 2026-08-11