Ordinance regulates the new single social benefit and simplifies supports

Ordinance No. 394/2026/1, of August 27, published in the Diário da República, 1st series, no. 166, establishes the execution rules for the new single social benefit (PSU), instituted by Decree-Law No. 166/2026, of August 13. Signed by the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, Rosário Palma Ramalho, the regulation enters into force on the day following its publication and takes effect on December 31, 2026.

The PSU was created as an instrument to strengthen social protection, aimed at simplifying the social benefit system and providing a more integrated, coherent response adapted to situations of insufficient resources. The ordinance specifies the operational and procedural aspects of the regime, namely the organization of monitoring structures, institutional coordination mechanisms, and the conditions for operationalizing social monitoring measures, within a logic of administrative rationalization and greater proximity to vulnerable families.

Processing and payment

The granting of the PSU depends on an application submitted to the managing institution, via a specific form available on the direct social security portal, with procedures processed preferably by digital means. The benefit is paid monthly, with reference to each month of the calendar year, starting from the date of receipt of the duly completed application.

• The verification of the conditions for granting is carried out, whenever possible, based on information available in the managing institution’s systems or through data interoperability.
• Increases for parenthood and unemployment are verified ex officio, and may be requested within 90 days from the determining event.
• The renewal of the right is carried out ex officio, in the month prior to the end of the granting period, with notification to the holder within 10 business days.
• The review of the PSU may determine a change in the amount, the suspension, or the termination of the right, with a prior hearing of the holder in the event of an unfavorable decision.

Insertion and social solidarity plan

The ordinance regulates the individual insertion plan, developed per household by the managing institution in coordination with the case manager, identifying the measures, obligations, and social solidarity activities applicable to each member. Weekly availability hours are increased by five hours for holders between the ages of 18 and 25 and, from the third renewal onwards, for holders of working age.

• For every twenty hours of activity effectively performed per week, a participation allowance is assigned, in the amount of 2.5% of the social support index (IAS), which is not counted as income.
• Promoting entities may be IPSS (Private Institutions of Social Solidarity), public utility associations, cooperatives, Public Administration services, and other entities of the social network.
• Justified non-attendance covers illness, support for family members, parental responsibility, urgent legal obligations, and job-seeking activities.

Local insertion centers

Local insertion centers (NLI) are multi-sectoral operational structures, based at the municipal level, that ensure the monitoring of beneficiaries. They must include representatives from the municipal council and the public entities responsible for solidarity and social security, employment, education, and health, and may also include non-profit entities.

• The coordination of the NLIs is the responsibility of the mayor, in coordination with the district social security center.
• Monitoring is carried out through a dedicated information system, regulated by a protocol between the ISS, I. P., the IEFP, the Institute of Informatics, I. P., and the municipalities.
• In the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, the competencies are exercised by their own social security institutions; in the municipality of Lisbon, by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa.

Amendments and revocations

The ordinance proceeds with the second amendment to Ordinance No. 8-B/2007, of January 3, which regulates unemployment protection, revoking its Article 10, paragraph a) of Article 1 of Ordinance No. 249/2011, Ordinance No. 257/2012, and Ordinance No. 65/2021.

The regulation of the PSU represents a central step in the simplification of the social support system in Portugal, directly affecting vulnerable families and benefit recipients. By unifying procedures, strengthening coordination between entities, and promoting social and professional insertion, the new benefit seeks to ensure a more effective response and closer proximity to people in situations of insufficient resources.

Source: Diário da República, 1st series, no. 166, August 27, 2026 (official reference: Ordinance No. 394/2026/1).