Ministry of Education denies that support for travel will lower teachers’ salaries

The government’s response comes after complaints that the taxation of travel support meant that some teachers started receiving less than if they had not benefited from the support.

The Ministry of Education clarified that travel support for teachers, like other remuneration supplements, is subject to taxation in accordance with the IRS Code, and that “the opposite was never assumed“.

In response to complaints from teachers and the non-partisan Missão Escola Pública movement, the Government guaranteed that taxation does not cause teachers’ net salaries to fall below the amount they would receive without the support.

In a note sent to , the Ministry emphasizes that the Education Financial Management Institute made simulations for all levels and travel support and that “in none of the simulated cases was a situation identified in which the net remuneration with travel support is lower than the net remuneration that the same person would earn (under the same conditions) without travel support”.

Income comparisons, according to the Government, must be made under the same conditions, such as applicable IRS rates, number of days worked and equal family situations.

The complaints pointed out that the application of taxes on the travel allowance would have reduced teachers’ net income and, in some cases, the amount received would be below the announced gross number. However, the Ministry refuted these allegations, explaining that salary variations may be related to other factors, such as working days of the month, extraordinary subsidies or changes in IRS withholding tables.

In December 2024, the first month of aid payment, the net salary may be lower than in November due to the absence of the Christmas bonus, paid in the previous month. Furthermore, situations such as sick leave or absences during the month can influence the values. IRPF withholding tax also underwent changes throughout the year, influencing the net amounts received.

Travel support is reserved for teachers placed in 234 groupings of schools considered needy, defined by the Guardianship. This subsidy varies according to the distance between home and work: 150 euros for trips between 70 and 200 kilometers, 300 euros between 201 and 300 kilometers, and 450 euros for distances greater than 300 kilometers.