What is the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly (CSI)?

What is the CSI?

The Complemento Solidário para Idosos (CSI), or Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly, is a monthly benefit from Portugal's Social Security paid on top of the pension of pensioners with low income². The goal is simple: to guarantee retired people a minimum level of income in old age, fighting poverty among the elderly.

It is a solidarity (non-contributory) benefit: it does not depend on the contributions you made over your life, but on your current income. You can estimate the amount in our Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly calculator.

Who can claim the CSI?

To qualify for the CSI you generally need to²:

• be 66 or over (the statutory old-age pension age);
• reside legally in Portugal for at least 6 years;
• have resources below the reference value (the means test);
• be a pensioner (or meet the conditions to be one).

The means test looks not only at income but also at assets (there is a limit above which there is no entitlement). The decision on entitlement and the exact counting of income are always up to Social Security.

What is the CSI value in 2026?

The reference value is the maximum annual amount of the benefit. In 2026 it is¹:

These values were set by Portaria no. 480-D/2025/1, effective 1 January 2026, a 6.29% increase on 2025. For a couple, the combined resources are compared with the couple's reference value.

How is the CSI calculated?

The monthly CSI is 1/12 of the difference between the annual reference value and your annual resources²:

monthly CSI = (reference value − annual resources) ÷ 12

1. Start from the reference value for your situation (single or couple).
2. Subtract the annual resources: your own income and, for a couple, the spouse or partner's income too.
3. Divide by 12, because the supplement is paid 12 times a year. If resources already equal or exceed the reference value, there is no supplement.

Worked example

Someone living alone with €3,600 of annual income:

• annual CSI = €8,040 − €3,600 = €4,440;
• monthly CSI = €4,440 ÷ 12 = €370 a month;
• with no income at all they would receive the maximum of €670 a month;
• with €8,040 or more of income they would not qualify.

Try your case in the CSI calculator.

Does the children's income count?

No. Since 1 June 2024 the children's income no longer counts towards the award and calculation of CSI². Before that date, Social Security imputed a "family solidarity" amount from the descendants' income, which kept many elderly people out of the benefit. Now only the claimant's income and, for a couple, the spouse's income are counted. Anyone refused because of their children's income before June 2024 can apply again.

Which resources count?

Your own income and, for a couple, the spouse's income count: pensions, earned income, capital and property income². Social Security applies its own rules (some income counts differently) and there is an assets limit above which there is no entitlement. So the real amount may differ from a simple total-income calculation.

CSI and other benefits

CSI is aimed at people who are already retired, but it is not Portugal's only social benefit. Those who do not yet meet the pension conditions can check the old-age pension and guarantee period; families and people in economic hardship have the Social Integration Income, a benefit that works in a similar way (the difference between a reference value and income) but without the age requirement. Each benefit has its own calculation and conditions.