Continuing to receive the same pension year after year seems, for many, like a kind of definitive sentence. But, even after the value has been assigned, there are situations in which the amount you receive can be increased, either through an increase provided for by law when there is work with registered remuneration, or through corrections that can lead to an adjustment to the contributory career, or even through supplements that increase the monthly income.
There are no miracles or shortcuts. What exists are legal and administrative mechanisms that, when applicable, make a difference to the portfolio.
Working after retirement can add money to your pension
The most direct way to change the value of your pension, after retirement, involves a simple reality: if you work and have registered earnings, you may have an increase.
According to Decree-Law No. 187/2007 (Diário da República), “in situations of carrying out activities in addition to relative disability and old-age pensions”, the monthly amount of the regulatory pension is *increased by 1/14 of 2% of the total registered remuneration, taking effect on *1 January of each year with reference to the previous year’s remuneration (article 43).
In practice, this reinforcement is associated with actually recorded remuneration. Caixa Geral de Depósitos (Saldo Positivo) explains that, to receive the increase, *as a rule it is not necessary to submit a request, and that the processing is done automatically (based on the remunerations recorded in the previous year), also remembering that there are *situations in which the accumulation of work+pension is prohibited.
The request that many people only discover late: contributory career review
There is another less obvious path and which, in many cases, is where the “hidden” money is: errors, errors or omissions in the contributory career.
According to the “Me and My Retirement” project, there is a “career review request” to request the correction of errors or errors in the contribution career record (for example, missing contribution periods or incorrect values). The same source highlights that this service is available 180 days (6 months) before meeting the conditions for access to the old-age pension.
Military service and other forgotten periods also count
In recent months, the topic of Mandatory Military Service (SMO) has once again gained attention due to the inclusion of this time in the contributory career.
There is an essential point here: there is public information that it is now possible to make an advance online request to review the SMO’s contributory career through the Social Security Portal, but it is not for everyone. According to the information released (citing Social Security Direct), this advance online request is for those who meet conditions such as not being a pension applicant or already a pensioner.
In parallel, the law provides that SMO time can be counted upon request, including for pensioners, producing effects on the pension formation rate (Decree-Law no. 187/2007, article 48).
There are increases that do not change the “base” pension, but increase the monthly income
Reinforcement does not always come in the form of a “pension increase”. In some cases, the increase comes through supplements paid by Social Security, which are included in the monthly income.
An example is the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly (CSI), created by Decree-Law No. 232/2005
And there is one to ask for it.
Another mechanism is the Dependency Supplement, provided for in Decree-Law No. 265/99, the application for which can be submitted with the pension or “at any time” if later.
If you paid for CGA and Social Security, there may be a piece left to add
There is also a very Portuguese case that is not exactly “increasing”, but can avoid losses and clarify rights: the unified pension for those who have had a career in the private sector and in public service. The regime is in Decree-Law no. 361/98 (unified pension).
What to do, in practice, to understand if there is room to increase your pension
If your question is “is it worth changing this?”, there are three checks that usually cost nothing and avoid surprises:
- Confirm whether you are (or were) working after retirement and whether there are registered remunerations, as this may generate annual increases (DL no. 187/2007, art. 43).
- Consult your contributory career and, if you are close to retirement, use the career review request within the expected window (180 days), when there are flaws/errors.
- Assess whether you are entitled to supplements such as the CSI or the Dependency Supplement, because, even when the base pension does not change, the monthly income may increase.
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