Portugal Sick Leave Pay Calculator
Enter your average salary and days of leave, and see how much you'll receive in total and per day, after the waiting period.
How we calculated this
Daily reference remuneration = average monthly salary ÷ 30. The first 3 days of leave aren't paid (0 days if hospitalised). Each paid day uses the percentage for its period: 55% (days 1-30), 60% (31-90), 70% (91-365), 75% (over 365 days).
The waiting period
The first 3 days of any sick leave are a "waiting period" -- Social Security doesn't pay for them, and your employer generally isn't obliged to either (unless your contract or collective agreement says otherwise). The only exception is hospitalisation or outpatient surgery, in which cases payment starts from day 1, with no waiting period.
Why the percentage rises with duration
Sick leave benefit doesn't always pay the same percentage -- it starts at 55% of your reference remuneration for the first 30 days, rises to 60% between days 31 and 90, to 70% between days 91 and 365, and reaches 75% for leave lasting more than a year. The logic is to give more protection to longer situations, which tend to be more serious too.
How reference remuneration is calculated
Daily reference remuneration comes from dividing by 180 the total gross pay registered over the 6 civil months before the leave began (not counting holiday or Christmas subsidies). This calculator simplifies that into a single average monthly salary figure -- if your income varied a lot over that period, the real result may differ.
What this calculator doesn't do
It only covers employees -- self-employed workers (recibos verdes) have a different waiting period (10 days). It doesn't model leave from occupational illness or workplace accidents, which follow their own rules, nor risk-pregnancy situations.
Frequently asked questions
Are the first few days of sick leave really unpaid?
Usually, yes -- the first 3 days are a "waiting period" during which Social Security doesn't pay, and your employer generally isn't obliged to either (unless your contract or a CCT says otherwise). The exception is hospitalisation or outpatient surgery, where payment starts from day 1.
Why does the percentage go up over time?
It's a way for the system to give more protection to longer leaves, which tend to correspond to more serious situations. It starts at 55% (days 1 to 30), rises to 60% (31 to 90), then 70% (91 to 365), and reaches 75% for leave lasting more than a year.
Does this apply to self-employed workers?
Not exactly -- this calculator covers employees (TCO). Self-employed workers (recibos verdes) have a different waiting period (10 days instead of 3), among other rule differences.
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Try it freeEstimate based on 2026 public rules, not financial, legal or tax advice, and not a substitute for Social Security's official calculation.