I moved here from abroad, alone, with bad Portuguese and a long list of things nobody had explained to me. The NIF. The NISS. Abrir atividade. 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.
By training I'm an economist, with a university degree I didn't expect to use much here, until I had to read IRS tables, Segurança Social rules and crédito habitação contracts in a second language. It's why these tools lean so heavily on numbers, worked examples and official sources.
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Most of what's online about living in Portugal is either out of date, behind a consultant's paywall, or written to sell you a service.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, each with a link to where it 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.
The full version (sources, dates, corrections, funding) is in the editorial policy.
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.
Write to me: ola@howto.pt, or find me on X (@fameko).