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Parental Leave Allowance Calculator 2026: Portugal

When a child is born, Social Security pays the initial parental-leave benefit (subsídio parental) to replace your salary during the parental leave (licença parental). The amount is a percentage of your reference remuneration (your daily pay) and depends on the modality you choose: 120 days at 100% or 150 days at 80% (not shared), or 150 days at 100%, 180 days at 83% and 180 days at 90% if the leave is shared between both parents. Enter your monthly salary to estimate and compare what you receive in each of the five options in 2026.

Use the average gross monthly salary of the first 6 of the last 8 months (excluding the holiday and Christmas bonuses); the daily reference remuneration is that figure divided by 30. The modality sets the length of the leave and the percentage: 120 days at 100% or 150 days at 80% (not shared), or, if the leave is shared, 150 days at 100%, 180 days at 83% or 180 days at 90% when the father takes at least 60 consecutive days of the initial leave.

Total benefit for the leave
€5,199.60
120 days, €43.33 per day
Daily reference remuneration
€43.33
It is the salary divided by 30 (without bonuses). The percentage applies to this figure.
ModalityPer dayPer monthTotal for the leave
120 days at 100%€43.33€1,300€5,200
150 days at 80%€34.67€1,040€5,201
150 days at 100% (shared)€43.33€1,300€6,500
180 days at 83% (shared)€35.97€1,079€6,475
180 days at 90% (father takes 60 consecutive days)€39.00€1,170€7,020

The 90% is alínea e) of article 30.º, n.º 1: on the 180-day leave, if the father takes at least 60 consecutive days of the initial leave (or two periods of 30 days) on top of his own exclusive leave, the whole 180 days go from 83% to 90%, and the increase applies to both parents, each on their own reference remuneration. Without those 60 days, the 180 days are paid at 83%.

The parental-leave benefit carries no Social Security contributions and is not subject to IRS: Social Security pays it with no withholding at source and it is not declared in the annual IRS return. The estimated amount is therefore what you receive.

Estimate of the initial parental-leave benefit for employees (Continente). It covers the five modalities of the initial leave; it does not include the father's exclusive leave (28 + 7 days at 100%), the complementary parental leave and the extended parental benefit (30%, 40% when both parents take the full three months and 20% part-time, article 33.º), part-time leave (50% of the amount, article 30.º, n.º 2), the 2% uplift in the autonomous regions or the clinical-risk and adoption regimes. The 6-month qualifying period of contributions is an eligibility condition, not checked here. Assumes a stable salary over the reference period.

Educational estimate, not advice. The modalities (120 days at 100%, 150 days at 80% and, on shared leave, 150 days at 100%, 180 days at 83% or 180 days at 90% with 60 consecutive days from the father), the €537.13 IAS and the €14.32 minimum daily amount are official for 2026. Always confirm on Segurança Social Direta.

Video: how to use the calculator

The reference remuneration: salary ÷ 30

The benefit is based on the daily reference remuneration. Social Security uses the total salary of the first 6 of the last 8 months before the leave, excluding the holiday and Christmas bonuses, divided by 180. From a stable monthly salary, that is simply the salary divided by 30. On a €1,000 salary, the daily reference remuneration is €33.33.

The five modalities of the initial leave

The initial parental leave can be 120, 150 or 180 days, and the benefit percentage depends on that choice. On your own: 120 days paid at 100% of the reference remuneration, or 150 days at 80%. The two totals are equal (the same money spread over more time): 120 × 100% = 150 × 80%. If the leave is shared there are three more options: 150 days at 100%, 180 days at 83% and 180 days at 90%. These are the five alíneas of article 30.º, n.º 1 of Decree-Law 91/2009, and the calculator shows them side by side to compare.

Sharing adds 30 days

If the leave is shared (each parent takes, exclusively, at least 30 consecutive days, or two periods of 15 days), 30 days are added: the 120-day modality becomes 150 days paid at 100% and the 150-day one becomes 180 days at 83%. Sharing is therefore the only way to receive 100% for 5 months or to stretch the leave to 6 months.

The 90%: the alínea almost nobody publishes

On the 180-day leave there are two possible percentages, and the difference is the father. If he takes at least 60 consecutive days of the initial leave (or two periods of 30 days) on top of his own exclusive leave, the 180 days go from 83% to 90%. This is alínea e) of article 30.º, n.º 1, added by Decree-Law 53/2023 and still missing from almost all published guidance. It is not a father-only bonus: the 90% applies to both parents, each on their own reference remuneration, for the whole 180 days. On a €1,500 salary that is €45.00 a day instead of €41.50, so €630 more on each of the two benefits. To see what the father receives, and what he gives up by stopping before 60 days, use the father’s parental-leave calculator.

The minimum daily amount

The daily parental benefit can never be below €14.32, which is 80% of the daily IAS (Social Support Index) of €537.13 in 2026. This floor protects low earners, especially in the 80% and 83% modalities. There is no upper limit: unlike the unemployment benefit, the parental benefit has no cap.

Worked example

Take a €1,000 monthly salary. The daily reference remuneration is €1,000 ÷ 30 = €33.33. On the 120-day modality at 100%, you receive €33.33 per day for 120 days, about €4,000 in total. If you choose 150 days at 80%, you receive €26.67 per day (80% of €33.33) for 150 days, the same total, but spread over one extra month. If the leave is shared, 150 days at 100% give about €5,000 and 180 days at 83% about €4,980. And if, over those 180 days, the father takes 60 consecutive days of the initial leave, the rate rises to 90%: €30.00 a day, €5,400 in total, the highest of the five modalities.

Frequently asked questions

How much do you receive in parental leave benefit in Portugal in 2026?
The parental benefit is a percentage of the daily reference remuneration (the salary divided by 30, without bonuses). On non-shared leave, you receive 100% for 120 days or 80% for 150 days. On shared leave, you receive 100% for 150 days, 83% for 180 days, or 90% for 180 days if the father takes 60 consecutive days of the initial leave. The daily benefit is never below €14.32 in 2026.
Is it better to choose 120 days at 100% or 150 days at 80%?
The total is exactly the same in both options: 120 days at 100% and 150 days at 80% pay the same money. The difference is the pace: 120 days gives a higher monthly amount for 4 months; 150 days gives a lower amount, but for 5 months. The choice depends on how long you want to be on leave, not on the total you receive.
What changes if the leave is shared?
If each parent takes, exclusively, at least 30 consecutive days (or two periods of 15 days), the leave gains 30 more days: the 120-day modality becomes 150 days at 100% and the 150-day one becomes 180 days at 83%. Sharing is the only way to receive 100% for 5 months, to reach 6 months of leave and to unlock the 90% of alínea e).
When is the parental benefit paid at 90%?
When the couple opts for the 180-day leave and the father takes at least one period of 60 consecutive days of the initial parental leave, or two periods of 30 consecutive days, on top of his own exclusive parental leave. In that case the 180 days are paid at 90% of the reference remuneration instead of 83%, and the 90% applies to both parents, each on their own reference remuneration. This is alínea e) of article 30.º, n.º 1 of Decree-Law 91/2009, in the wording of Decree-Law 53/2023.
How is the reference remuneration for parental leave calculated?
It is the total salary 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 it equals the salary divided by 30. The 80%, 83%, 90% and 100% rates apply to this daily figure.
Is the parental benefit subject to IRS or Social Security?
No. The parental benefit carries no Social Security contributions and is not subject to IRS: Social Security pays it with no withholding at source, and it is not declared in the annual IRS return. The amount this calculator estimates is therefore what you actually receive.
Is there a maximum limit to the parental benefit?
No. Unlike the unemployment benefit, the parental benefit has no cap: the reference remuneration is used in full, whatever the salary. There is only a minimum, of €14.32 per day in 2026 (80% of the daily IAS of €537.13).
Are the figures exact?
The modalities (120 days at 100%, 150 at 80%, and shared 150 at 100%, 180 at 83% and 180 at 90%), the €537.13 IAS and the €14.32 minimum daily amount are official for 2026. It is an educational estimate: it uses the average salary you enter, assumes a stable salary over the reference period and does not include the father’s exclusive leave (28 + 7 days at 100%), the complementary parental leave (30%, or 40% when both parents take the full three months), part-time leave (50% of the amount), the 2% uplift in the autonomous regions or the clinical-risk and adoption regimes. Always confirm on Segurança Social Direta.

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