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Voluntary Social Insurance Calculator

If you are not paying into Portuguese Social Security, because you are not working, live abroad or care for a relative, you can keep paying by choice through the voluntary social insurance scheme (seguro social voluntário), so the years keep counting towards your pension. The contribution depends on two things: the remuneration tier you choose (1 to 8 times the IAS) and your category’s rate (26.9% in the general case, 21.4% for the main informal caregiver). This calculator shows the base, the rate and the amount to pay per month and per year.

Pick your situation and the conventional remuneration tier you want to contribute on (article 180 of the Contributory Code). A higher tier costs more per month but counts more towards the future pension. From age 64 (in 2026) the law caps the choice at the 5th tier.

Monthly Social Security contribution
€144.49
26.9% rate on the conventional remuneration of €537.13
Remuneration tierTier 1 (1 × IAS)
Conventional remuneration (base)€537.13
Contribution rate26.9%
Contribution per month€144.49
Over a full year (12 payments)€1,733.88

Cover included: disability, old age and death. It does not include unemployment, sickness or parental benefits.

Moving up a tier requires 12 consecutive months on the current tier and being under the legal age limit (64 in 2026, rising to 65 by 2028); moving down is always allowed. From that age, the base is capped at the 5th tier.

The contribution is paid every month, by the 20th of the following month. More than 12 months without paying ends the enrolment in the scheme.

Gross 2026 values (IAS of €537.13). The calculator estimates the monthly contribution; enrolment, the pension qualifying periods and the tier-change rules are explained below and in the article.

This calculator is for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.

What voluntary social insurance is

It is an optional scheme in the Contributory Regimes Code (articles 168 to 186) for people aged 18 or over, fit for work, who are not covered by a mandatory social protection regime. It serves, for example, people who stopped working and want to keep adding months towards the pension, Portuguese citizens working abroad in a country without a Social Security agreement, volunteers and firefighters, research fellows and the main informal caregiver. Disability and old-age pensioners cannot enrol.

The maths: tier × rate

The monthly contribution is a simple multiplication: the conventional remuneration of the chosen tier times the category’s contribution rate. The tiers of article 180 run from 1 × IAS to 8 × IAS, that is, from €537.13 to €4,297.04 in 2026. In the general case the rate is 26.9%: the 1st tier costs €144.49 per month and the 10th costs €1,155.90. There are no holiday or Christmas amounts here: you pay 12 contributions a year, by the 20th of the following month.

Each category’s rate

Most beneficiaries pay 26.9% and are covered for disability, old age and death; they can add 0.5 points to include occupational diseases. Social volunteers and volunteer firefighters pay 27.4%, with occupational diseases already included. Research fellows and maritime workers on foreign ships pay 29.6%, with cover extended to sickness and parenthood. The main informal caregiver has the lowest rate, 21.4%, created by the Informal Caregiver Statute.

Fixed bases: firefighters, cooperation agents and caregivers

Three categories do not choose a tier. Volunteer firefighters always contribute on 1 × IAS (€537.13 in 2026, €147.17 per month). Portuguese cooperation agents always contribute on 3 × IAS, the 5th tier (€1,611.39, €433.46 per month). The main informal caregiver contributes on 1 × IAS at the 21.4% rate (€114.95 per month); if they receive the caregiver support allowance, it is topped up by 50% of the contribution paid, which returns about half the cost.

Choosing and changing tier

A higher tier costs more per month, but the future pension is calculated on higher remunerations. The choice is not entirely free over time: you can always move down; moving up requires having paid at least 12 consecutive months on the current tier and being under the legal age limit, 64 in 2026 (rising half a year per year to 65 in 2028). From that age, the base is capped at the 5th tier (3 × IAS), except in special situations, such as having previously contributed on higher amounts in the general regime.

What you gain and what stays out

Voluntary social insurance protects you for disability, old age and death: the months paid count towards the qualifying period of the old-age pension (144 months), the disability pension (72 months), the survivor pension (72 months) and the death grant (36 months). It never grants unemployment benefit and, in most categories, no sickness or parental benefits either. Stopping payments for more than 12 months ends the enrolment; resuming within a year means paying the arrears with late-payment interest.

What stays out of this estimate

The calculator estimates the monthly and yearly contribution and nothing else. Out of scope: the enrolment itself (form RV1007-DGSS plus proof of your situation, approved within 30 days), the future pension these contributions will generate (that is the retirement simulator), the special rules for those who previously contributed on higher bases in another regime, and the international Social Security agreements that may make the insurance unnecessary. Values are gross and for 2026.

Worked example

Imagine you stopped working and want to keep contributing towards your pension. In the general case, on the 1st tier (1 × IAS = €537.13), the contribution is €537.13 × 26.9% = €144.49 per month, €1,733.88 over a year of 12 payments. If you prefer the years to count with a higher remuneration and pick the 3rd tier (2 × IAS = €1,074.26), you pay €288.98 per month. A main informal caregiver always pays on 1 × IAS at 21.4%: €114.95 per month, and the support allowance, when received, is topped up by 50% of that amount.

Frequently asked questions

How much does voluntary social insurance cost in Portugal in 2026?
It depends on the tier and the category. In the general case (26.9% rate), the 1st tier (1 × IAS, €537.13) costs €144.49 per month; the 3rd tier (2 × IAS) costs €288.98; the 10th (8 × IAS) costs €1,155.90. The main informal caregiver pays €114.95 (21.4% on 1 × IAS). You pay 12 contributions a year.
Who can enrol in voluntary social insurance?
People aged 18 or over, fit for work, not covered by a mandatory regime: those not working, foreign residents of more than a year, Portuguese citizens working abroad without an international agreement, social volunteers, volunteer firefighters, research fellows, elite athletes, trainees and the main informal caregiver. Disability and old-age pensioners cannot enrol.
Does voluntary social insurance grant unemployment benefit?
No. No category of voluntary social insurance covers unemployment. The core protection is disability, old age and death; social volunteers and firefighters add occupational diseases, and research fellows and maritime workers also add sickness and parenthood.
How many years must I pay to qualify for a pension?
The qualifying period is the general regime’s: 144 months of contributions (12 years) for the old-age pension and 72 months for the disability pension. The survivor pension requires 72 months and the death grant 36 months. Months paid under voluntary social insurance add to those you already had from other regimes.
Which tier should I choose?
The tier sets the remuneration you contribute on and on which the future pension will be calculated. The 1st tier (1 × IAS) is the cheapest (€144.49 per month in the general case); higher tiers cost proportionally more and count more towards the pension. Mind the rules: moving up requires 12 consecutive months on the current tier and being under 64 in 2026; from that age the base is capped at the 5th tier.
How does the main informal caregiver pay?
The Informal Caregiver Statute (Decree-Law 100/2019) lets the main informal caregiver join voluntary social insurance at a reduced 21.4% rate on 1 × IAS: €114.95 per month in 2026. If they receive the caregiver support allowance, it is increased by 50% of the contribution paid, which in practice returns about half the cost.
What happens if I stop paying?
Payment is due by the 20th of the following month; late payments accrue interest. After more than 12 months without paying, the enrolment ends and the last month paid counts as the last insured month. If you resume within a year, you pay the arrears with interest and the enrolment continues.
Is voluntary social insurance worth it?
It pays off mainly for those close to completing the pension qualifying period (144 months) or who do not want zero-years in their contribution record, because unregistered years lower the average the pension is based on. It costs at least €144.49 per month (1st tier, general case) and grants no unemployment and, as a rule, no sickness cover. An alternative or complement is boosting your own savings, for example in a PPR, which has a tax benefit.

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Author: Thorben Rasmus Idel · Reviewed by: Nahar Geva · Last reviewed: 2026-07-31