Family Allowance in 2026 continues to be one of the most important supports for many families in Portugal, but the value varies greatly and depends on rules that are not always obvious at first glance. Between levels, ages and annual updates, it’s easy to have doubts and lose money due to lack of information.
In 2026, the IAS (Social Support Index) was set at 537.13 euros, but this does not mean, in itself, that everyone will receive more Family Allowance. What changes is mainly the way in which limits and conditions are determined, while the monthly benefit amounts are those in force by ordinance and depend on the child’s age group and age, according to the Direct Social Security portal.
What is Family Allowance for?
The Family Allowance, provided for in Decree-Law No. 176/2003, of August 2, is a monthly Social Security benefit intended to help support the costs of supporting and educating children and young people, as long as the household meets the access and income conditions.
Who can receive it and up to what age
As a general rule, support is granted until the age of 16. After that, it can continue if the young person is studying, with limits that increase depending on the level of education (up to 18, 21 or 24 years old). In the case of disability, the right may exist up to 24 years of age and with the possibility of extension in specific situations provided for by law.
In addition to income, there is also an often forgotten condition: at the date of the request, the movable assets of the applicant and the household cannot exceed 240 times the IAS. With the 2026 IAS, this corresponds to 128,911.20 euros (240 × 537.13 euros), according to the same source.
Monthly values in force, by level and age
The monthly amounts of Family Allowance that are defined by ordinance and in force, for children up to 36 months, are as follows:
- 1st tier 186,87€;
- 2nd tier 158,17€;
- 3rd tier 129,23€;
- 4th tier 86,53€.
From 36 months onwards, there are differences by level and age: in the 1st and 2nd levels it is 73.51 euros; in the 3rd step it is 58.05 euros from 36 to 72 months and 53.18 euros over 72 months; in the 4th step it is 43.81 euros only from 36 to 72 months.
This is important because, contrary to what many people assume, in the 4th step there is no payment after 72 months, and the 3rd step drops slightly after that age, says the same source.
IAS 2026 and what changes at levels
The IAS for 2026 is 537.13 euros. But the benefit level is calculated based on the IAS “of the year corresponding to the declared income”. In practice, for requests made in 2026, income from 2025 is often in question, using the IAS of 2025, which was 522.50 euros,
How to calculate your referral income in just a few minutes
The key account is the reference income: it adds the household’s annual income and divides it by the number of children and young people entitled to the benefit, plus 1.
Simple example: if the household has 26,000 euros in annual income and 1 child entitled to the benefit, then the reference income is 26,000 € ÷ 2 = 13,000 euros. This detail corrects a very common error: it is not, as a rule, a division by “all people in the house + 1”, but rather by the number of benefit holders (children/young people eligible) plus 1, as exemplified in the reference sources.
Increases that can increase the value
If the household is single-parent, there is an increase applied to the allowance for children and young people, calculated as a percentage of the defined base values. There are also reinforcements for families with two or more children up to 36 months of age, from the second holder onwards, with amounts defined by ordinance according to the age group and the number of young children in the household, according to the source previously mentioned.
How to order, confirm and avoid losses
The request and query of the scale can be made at , and there is a legal deadline to request: if you let it pass, payment will only start in the month following the request, without recovering old months beyond what the law allows.
Typical mistakes that cause you to lose money include not updating the composition of the household (for example, the birth of another child), not regularizing the single parenthood situation when applicable, or assuming that you “don’t have the right” without confirming the scale and conditions.
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