Child benefit for children and young people

Child benefit for children and young people (abono de família para crianças e jovens) is a monthly payment from Social Security to help with the cost of looking after and educating children. This guide follows the practical guide of the Social Security Institute (Instituto da Segurança Social, I.P.), in the edition of 14 July 2026, and the prenatal benefit guide of 24 July 2026. The amounts below are for 2026 and change every year, so the year in question should be confirmed on the Social Security page. The guide itself says the information “does not replace consulting the law”.

Who is entitled

According to the practical guide, a child or young person is entitled if all of these conditions are met:

• belonging to a household with no movable assets (deposits, shares, bonds, savings certificates and others) above 128,911.20 euros, which is 240 times the 2026 social support index (IAS) of 537.13 euros;
• living in Portugal or being treated as a resident;
• not working, unless over 16 and working in school holidays under an employment contract;
• taking the school proof in July, if aged 16 to 24.

Foreign nationals and people treated as residents

The guide defines residents as including foreign nationals with a valid residence permit, and people treated as residents as including foreign nationals with valid stay titles, or their extension. For children whose parents or legal representatives do not yet have a residence permit, the guide allows equivalence where it is shown that the permit application was submitted to AIMA more than 30 days earlier. A foreign child who was not born in Portugal but is in the country is considered a resident if the person exercising parental responsibility has resident status.

The guide also says Portugal has agreements on family benefits with Brazil, Cape Verde, Morocco and Australia (the latter only for children of pensioners of the Portuguese social security system). For foreign nationals covered by these agreements, the guide says residence documents need not be submitted and that they are treated as nationals. If the worker is employed in Brazil, the guide says entitlement to family benefits is guaranteed in the first place by the country where the person works and pays contributions, and that the bilateral agreements with Brazil do not provide for a supplementary payment.

Brackets and amounts

The amount depends on age, household composition and income bracket. To work out the bracket:

1. add up the annual income of every member of the household;
2. count the children and young people entitled to the benefit and add 1;
3. divide the total from the first step by the number from the second;
4. the result gives the bracket, from 1 to 5.

Brackets 1 to 4 receive the benefit. In bracket 4, only up to 72 months of age. In bracket 5 there is no entitlement.

For first requests made in 2026, 2025 income and the 2025 IAS (522.50 euros) are used. The reference-income limits are:

Bracket	Reference income (2025 income)
1	up to 3,657.50 euros
2	over 3,657.50 up to 7,315.00 euros
3	over 7,315.00 up to 12,435.50 euros
4	over 12,435.50 up to 18,287.50 euros
5	above 18,287.50 euros

Monthly amounts for 2026, according to the practical guide:

Age	Bracket 1	Bracket 2	Bracket 3	Bracket 4
Up to 36 months	190.98 euros	161.65 euros	132.07 euros	88.43 euros
36 to 72 months	75.13 euros	75.13 euros	59.33 euros	44.77 euros
Over 72 months	75.13 euros	75.13 euros	54.35 euros	no entitlement

The guide lists increases for households with two or more children aged up to 36 months and for households with a single person responsible for the children, and refers to its separate guide on increases for the details. It also says that children and young people aged 6 to 16 who are studying and in bracket 1 receive double benefit in September, and that households in bracket 1 within a certain income limit may be entitled to the Child Guarantee (Garantia para a Infância).

The income taken into account includes employment income, business and professional income, capital and property income, pensions and social benefits, with exceptions the guide lists.

How to apply

1. NISS. A request on the Social Security portal is only possible if both the child and the person applying already have an NISS. See NISS and Social Security.
2. Apply on the portal. According to the guide, the preferred channel is the Social Security portal, under Família > Desenvolvimento de crianças e jovens > Abono de Família para Crianças e Jovens > Consultar e pedir Abono de Família e Pré-Natal. Alternatively, the request is made at any Social Security service point, with form RP 5045 and declaration GF 54.
3. Register the IBAN. Payment is by bank transfer or by CTT postal order. The IBAN is registered on the portal, under Perfil > Conta bancária.

The applicant can be the father, the mother or the legal representative, the person who has the child in their care, or the young person themselves if over 18. If more than one person in the household is entitled, the request should be made by the same person.

Documents

For foreign children and young people not covered by an international agreement or EU law, the guide asks for a passport and a valid document showing they live legally in Portugal: residence permit, proof of an extension request, residence visa, provisional residence permit or others the guide lists. For young people aged 16 to 24, proof of enrolment. For households with only one parent, the approved agreement or the court ruling on parental responsibilities. If household members are already identified with Social Security, their identification need not be submitted again.

Deadline and start of payment

The deadline is 6 months from the first day of the month after the month in which entitlement arose, for example the birth. Within the deadline, the benefit starts in the month after entitlement arose. If the request is later, it starts in the month after the request. The guide also describes an automatic proposal, sent to the portal’s message box when a child is born with a citizen card, under conditions the guide lists (among them, parents with a citizen card who live in Portugal). When those conditions are not met, the message says the request can be made on the portal.

Prenatal child benefit

The prenatal benefit is paid to pregnant women from the 13th week of pregnancy. The conditions include living in Portugal or being treated as a resident, household income that does not exceed bracket 4, and no movable assets above the same limit of 128,911.20 euros. The 2026 amounts for one baby run from 190.98 euros (bracket 1) to 88.43 euros (bracket 4), and are multiplied by the number of children expected. The benefit starts in the month after the 13th week is reached.

It can be requested from the 13th week. If not requested during pregnancy, it can still be requested up to 6 months after the birth, together with the child benefit; after that, the right to the prenatal benefit is lost. The guide also says the benefit can be granted automatically if the pregnant woman authorises, on SNS 24, the sharing of the pregnancy certificate with Social Security. Foreign women are asked for proof of legal residence. The guide says women from countries with an agreement, including Brazil, need not submit it if they are working in Portugal or receiving a Portuguese social security pension.

Once the benefit is being paid

• Report changes within 10 days. The guide asks for changes to be reported within 10 days, such as the young person stopping studies or starting work, a change of address, and changes to the household or income.
• School proof. From age 16, school proof must be provided in July to keep receiving the benefit. It can be registered automatically through data exchange with the Ministries of Education and Higher Education; if not, the person registers it on the portal. If the proof is not provided on time, the benefit is interrupted from September; if it is done by 31 December, the benefit resumes and the arrears are paid.
• Proof of income. The annual confirmation of income is done automatically with the tax authority. If that is not possible, income is registered on the portal.
• Bracket review. If household income falls, a review can be requested on the portal, provided at least 90 days have passed since the last proof of income or review.
• When entitlement ends. Among other cases, when the child or young person cannot show legal residence in Portugal or starts living in another country. The guide also says that, when applying, it must be declared whether benefit is already received from another institution, including in another country.

For other support and the wider picture, see the Path assistant.