Employees are entitled to a minimum of 22 working days annual leave every calendar year. They can take their vacation until 30 April of the following year. Portugal has provisions that explicitly forbid employers from offering employees additional pay for forfeiting paid-leave days.
New hires are entitled to 20 days off in the first year working for the company. They incur two days of paid vacation each month and can only use them after six months of work. If the calendar year ends before six months, the vacation days are extended until 30 June the following year. If the employment starts on the first half of the year, the employee is entitled to eight days of vacation after completing 60 workdays.
The employer and employee may agree that:
Employers must give employees paid leave on bank holidays. Work assignments on those days are considered overtime and subject to additional pay. Holidays are observed on the days they fall and do not move to the following workday if they fall on a weekend.
DATE | WEEK DAY | HOLIDAY | LOCAL NAME |
01/01/2023 | Sunday | New Year's Day | Ano Novo |
21/02/2023 | Tuesday | Carnival | Carnaval |
07/04/2023 | Friday | Good Friday | Sexta-feira Santa |
09/04/2023 | Sunday | Easter Sunday | Domingo de Páscoa |
25/04/2023 | Tuesday | Freedom Day | Dia da Liberdade |
01/05/2023 | Monday | Labour Day | Dia do Trabalhador |
01/06/2023 | Thursday | Azores Day | Dia dos Açores |
08/06/2023 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | Corpo de Deus |
10/06/2023 | Saturday | National Day | Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas |
01/07/2023 | Saturday | Madeira Day | Dia da Madeira |
15/08/2023 | Tuesday | Assumption Day | Assunção de Nossa Senhora |
05/10/2023 | Thursday | Republic Day | Implantação da República |
01/11/2023 | Wednesday | All Saints Day | Dia de Todos-os-Santos |
01/12/2023 | Friday | Restoration of Independence | Restauração da Independência |
08/12/2023 | Friday | Immaculate Conception | Imaculada Conceição |
25/12/2023 | Monday | Christmas Day | Natal |
26/12/2023 | Tuesday | St. Stephen's Day | Primeira Oitava |
Employees on sick leave are covered by the Portuguese social security system and can receive benefits for up to 1,095 days. Pay is as follows:
The employer covers the first three days of sickness, paying 89% of the employee wage.
In some cases, collective labour agreements provide specific rules covering employee illness or injury.
Employees must meet the following conditions for benefit entitlement:
The initial parental allowance is granted to the father or mother for between 120 and 150 consecutive days, equally extended to both.
The period can be taken simultaneously by both. In the case of a lifeless birth, only the 120 days are allowed.
The period may be increased by 30 days if:
If no declaration of sharing is submitted, the mother is entitled to the parental allowance.
In case of physical or mental incapacity, or death of either parent, the initial parental allowance is granted to the other parent for the remaining period. If that is the case with the mother, the father gets a minimum of 30 days.
Mothers are eligible for 30 days of maternity leave at full pay by Social Security before a child's birth (optional), and 42 days following the birth (mandatory). If the employee has twins, she's entitled to an additional 30 days.
Biological and adoptive fathers are entitled to 20 mandatory working days of leave. Five of those have to be taken right after the birth or adoption and the remaining 15 within six weeks. There's an extra five optional workings days (consecutive or not) that can be taken immediately after the mandatory period, provided they are taken after the compulsory 20 working days. The leave is paid for by Social Security.
In the case of twins, each of the periods mentioned above is increased by two days for each child. They have to be taken immediately after each of the periods.
Employees are entitled to the following carer's leave for ill or injured family members:
Employees are entitled to two days of paid bereavement leave but must provide the employer with the required documents.
Employers are required to take out private insurance to cover employees in case of a work injury. During the first 12 months of disability, the worker receives 70% of their earnings and 75% after that. This benefit is paid until recovery, or permanent disability takes effect.