IRS filing season is open. File your IRS for free (early access) →
descodify
← All posts

Series · 4 parts

Bootstrapping a Startup in Portugal

Forming a company, choosing a tax structure, finding a contabilista certificado, and running a lean SaaS business in Portugal. Written as I worked through it, not after. Not advice.

  1. 1Portugal SaaS Tax Regime: Which IRC Coefficient Applies If You Build Software?If you're a freelancer or sole proprietor in Portugal who builds software products, the IRC simplified regime has two very different paths: 0.10 (other services) or 0.75 (listed professions). Which one applies to you isn't settled. Here's what the law says, where it's ambiguous, and what to ask your contabilista.
  2. 2Bootstrapping a Startup in Portugal: Setting Up an Lda - the Costs, the Benefits, and the PossibilitiesThe liability-led reasons for forming an Lda over staying a sole trader, why I went straight to regime geral, what the real overhead looks like, and the salary and benefits decisions I haven't made yet.
  3. 3Bootstrapping a Startup in Portugal: The Form That Locks In Your Tax StructureThe abertura de atividade at AT is a single form that sets your IRC regime, VAT regime, CAE codes, and whether your accountant signs on your behalf. Here is what that actually means when you get to it.
  4. 4Bootstrapping a Startup in Portugal: Social Security as a Company OwnerWhat Social Security registration actually looks like when you move from freelancer to sócio-gerente of an Lda, and whether the acumulação rule means you pay twice.