Hiring and employing in Portugal
Portugal hiring advice
Articles on what employing someone in Portugal actually involves, from payroll and IRS to contributions to Segurança Social, contracts, leave and the duties the Código do Trabalho puts on an employer. We add more as the rules move.
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The Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (D8): Who It Is For and How It Works
The D8 lets people live in Portugal while earning abroad, on income of EUR 3,680 a month in 2026. It is not a route for working for a Portuguese employer.
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Holiday and Christmas Subsidies in Portugal: The 14 Payments Explained
Portuguese employees receive two statutory subsidies on top of twelve monthly salaries. Here is what each is worth, when it falls due and how to budget the annual cost.
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US vs Portugal Employment Law: What Changes for a US Employer
Portugal has no at-will employment. Dismissal needs just cause or an objective ground with a written procedure, statutory notice and 14 days of pay per year of service.
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US vs Portugal Employer Costs: A Side-by-Side Look
US payroll taxes are capped and front-loaded. Portugal charges a flat 23.75% on every euro. A worked example on a €70,000 salary shows what that means.
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Can a UK Company Hire in Portugal? A Post-Brexit Guide
A UK company can employ in Portugal with no Portuguese entity. Brexit changed immigration rather than the right to employ, and Portuguese payroll rules apply from day one.
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US Companies Hiring in Portugal: The Employer Checklist
A US company can employ in Portugal without a Portuguese entity. Salaries here are quoted across 14 instalments, because two statutory subsidies sit on top of the twelve monthly payments..
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Protecting IP When Hiring in Portugal: Code, Inventions and Contracts
Software written by an employee in Portugal belongs to the employer by default, other copyright works do not, and inventions follow their own code. The contract settles the rest.
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Social Security and Pensions in Portugal: What Employers Pay and Why
Social security in Portugal is a single contribution, 23.75% from the employer and 11% from the employee on all gross pay, funding pensions, sickness, parental and unemployment benefits.
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Remote Work in Portugal: The Teletrabalho Rules Employers Must Follow
Remote work in Portugal is set by the Código do Trabalho: a written teletrabalho agreement, employer-paid expenses and a right to disconnect that covers every employee.
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Portugal Employment Contracts: What the Law Requires in 2026
Portugal employment contracts have to carry written terms within seven days, a probation band that matches the role, and fixed-term limits of two or four years.
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Portugal Sick Leave Rules 2026: Who Pays and How Much
Under Portugal’s sick leave rules the first three days are unpaid, Segurança Social then pays 55% to 75% of reference pay, and the employer owes nothing by law.
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Terminating Employment in Portugal: Notice and Compensation
Ending a contract in Portugal needs just cause or an objective procedure. Here are the grounds, the notice periods, the 14-day compensation rate and the deadlines to watch.
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More to read
Employing in Portugal
How pay, IRS withholding, Segurança Social, the 14 payments a year and statutory leave work, written for employers new to the country.
Read more →Our Portugal EOR service
Our own Portuguese company becomes the legal employer and runs the contract, monthly payroll, HR and benefits for your team.
Read more →About EOR Portugal
Who we are, how we work, and why international companies use us to employ people in Portugal without opening a company of their own.
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