How the pension is calculated

Marginal bands, expressed as multiples of the IAS

For beneficiaries registered from 1 January 2002, the pension is calculated by slicing the reference remuneration (RR) into bands, each expressed as a multiple of the Social Support Index (IAS — 537,13 € for 2026) and taxed at its own annual rate — every slice of RR is priced at its OWN band's rate, not just the highest band reached. The summed bands are then multiplied by years of registered remuneration, capped at 40 years (art. 32.º (2)-(3)).

Beneficiaries with 20 years or fewer of registered remuneration do not use this table at all: a single flat rate of 2,0 % a year applies instead, to the whole reference remuneration (art. 32.º (1)).

Beneficiaries registered on or before 2001

Anyone registered under the regime geral on or before 31 December 2001 does not use only the table above: the pension is a weighted blend of that calculation and an older rule (art. 34.º), which applies a flat 2,0 % a year to a differently-formed reference remuneration, floored at no less than 30,0 % and capped at no more than 80,0 % of that remuneration (art. 34.º (2)-(3)). The weight given to each rule depends on the beneficiary's own career, which this page does not detail.

The minimum pension

If the calculated amount comes out below the statutory minimum, the minimum pension is paid instead, by years of contributory career (Portaria n.º 480-B/2025/1, art. 4.º).

How pensions already in payment are uprated

Pensions already in payment are uprated every January under THREE different rules, depending on the pension's own value — up to 2×, between 2× and 6×, and above 6× the IAS — each with its own test tied to real GDP growth (Lei n.º 53-B/2006, arts. 5.º-6.º). The table below shows the rate actually applied in 2026, by tier.