Lisbon June 26, 2026 — Parliament approved, in general and in a final overall vote, the bill authorizing the Government to create the Single Social Benefit (PSU), following an agreement between PSD/CDS-PP and PS. The benefit unifies non-contributory subsidies, such as the social insertion income or various pensions.
The Single Social Benefit (PSU) proposed by the Government was approved this Thursday in Parliament, with abstentions from the Socialist Party (PS) and the Liberal Initiative (IL).
The proposal authorizing the Government to create the PSU was voted on in the plenary session this Thursday afternoon and in the final overall vote it obtained the votes in favor from PSD and CDS-PP, abstentions from IL and PS and votes against from Chega, Livre, PCP, BE, PAN and JPP.
Overall, the voting was similar, with the only difference being the vote of the liberal bloc, which voted in favor.
The approved document is the result of an agreement reached on Wednesday between the government parties and the Socialist Party (PS) , which led to the replacement of the text of the government's initial proposal on the PSU (Social Security Tax), approved by the Council of Ministers at the end of May and submitted to Parliament at the beginning of June.
With the approval of the proposal, compliance with a target of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) is guaranteed , allowing Portugal to submit a request for the release of 620 million euros.
After seeing its proposed amendments rejected in committee, IL forced a new discussion and vote in plenary on the exclusion of social work for beneficiaries with a degree of disability of less than 60% and the reduction of the legislative authorization period from 120 to 90 days, but the initiatives were again rejected.
What does the final text stipulate?
Following negotiations, the final text stipulates, with regard to social work , that access to the PSU (Social Solidarity Program) depends on "registration at an employment center, availability for vocational training or education, availability for work in suitable employment, or the performance of social solidarity activities."
However, it notes that these requirements are made "in terms adapted to the conditions of the beneficiary and the family unit."
The decree also provides for "the participation of beneficiaries in social solidarity activities " which are "promoted by the institution managing the benefit within the scope of individual integration plans" and "in conjunction with current active labor market policies", taking "into account the reality of each beneficiary and family unit".
On Wednesday, the Socialist Party (PS) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) disagreed on whether so-called "social work" would be mandatory or not, with Brilhante Dias saying that this obligation would be dropped and Hugo Soares saying that it was not optional. However, in a joint statement released today, the two parties state that the unjustified refusal of social solidarity activity, within the framework of individual integration plans, may lead to the loss of the Social Solidarity Program (PSU).
In the initial proposal, authored by the Government, this social work could be performed by a segment of the beneficiaries, provided they did not have a high degree of disability, were of working age, and were not caregivers or students, "with unjustified non-compliance" with these measures resulting in "the non-renewal or termination of the benefit, under the terms to be defined in the legal framework of the Single Social Benefit".
Due to the agreement, the channel for reporting potential fraud or abuse in accessing the service, which the executive branch intended to implement, was also dropped from the proposal. The legislation was replaced with a more generic wording that mandates the executive branch to "strengthen appropriate mechanisms to combat fraud, abuse, or improper access."
It was also established that a minimum of one year of residency in the country is required for access to the PSU .
The initiative also mandates that people with disabilities of 80% or more be exempt from social activities and ensures that "those with disabilities between 60% and 79% are subject to individual compatibility assessment."
The text agreed upon by the parties also stipulates that the value of the PSU (Social Security Benefit) will be defined by decree-law , and not by ministerial order, allowing the matter to be overseen by Parliament, but it already determines that this benefit is "subject to progressive updating in relation to the poverty line".
During the negotiation, it was also agreed that "the prior occurrence of dismissal due to a reason attributable to the worker cannot determine an impediment to accessing the PSU" and the maximum asset limits for accessing the PSU were extended: 60 IAS in the total value of movable assets and 60 IAS in the value of movable assets subject to registration of the applicant and their respective family unit.
The PSU unifies non-contributory benefits, such as the social integration income or various pensions.