I moved here from abroad, alone, with bad Portuguese and a long list of things nobody had explained to me. The NIF. The NISS. Opening an activity. The IRS. Every step had a form, a queue and a number I had to get exactly right.
So I started building. A small script to check if a NIF was even typed correctly. A calculator to see what my salary would actually be after tax. A way to compare renting and buying without a spreadsheet. They were ugly, but they saved me hours and a few expensive mistakes.
Why this site exists
Most of what's online about living in Portugal is either out of date, behind a consultant's paywall, or written to sell you a service. I wanted the opposite: free tools, no login, and the actual numbers — with a link to where each one comes from so you can check me.
How I check things
- Every rate, bracket and rule is traced to an official source — Portal das Finanças, Segurança Social, Diário da República, AIMA, Banco de Portugal — and linked on the page.
- Calculations are tested against worked examples before they go live, and I note the tax year they apply to.
- When the law changes, the page gets an updated date. When I'm not certain, I say so.
Found a mistake?
Tell me — it's the fastest way to make these better for the next person. I'd rather fix a number today than have it be wrong for a year.