Free tool
For companiesPortuguese Lda Benefits Calculator
Which tax-advantaged benefits an owner-led Lda can offer — and what each one saves you per year. Grounded in Art. 43 CIRC and Art. 2-A CIRS.
This calculator is for owner-led Ldas — small Portuguese companies where the owners (sócios-gerentes) are also the main people working in the business. It shows which tax-advantaged benefits you can route through the company to take value out more efficiently than salary or dividends, what each one saves you per year, and the eligibility gate for each. The key question is how many of you draw a genuine salary.
Tax avoided vs paying with dividends
€0 / year
Add at least one remunerated worker under Your company — your saving builds here, live, as you fill things in.
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How Lda benefits work: the two-worker gate
The Portuguese tax code splits employer benefits into two groups, based on a gate in Art. 43 CIRC.
Available with any one remunerated worker
The meal card, teleworking allowance, work equipment, training, an electric company car, and Art. 43-C EBF startup equity all work for a one-person Lda. The meal card alone can give a gerente up to ~€230/month in tax-free income.
Requires ≥2 remunerated workers (the gate)
Health and life insurance, pension/PPR contributions, transport passes, and childcare/education vouchers are deductible and tax-free for the worker only when granted to the generality of the company's workers on a permanent, general basis (Art. 43 CIRC). AT binding rulings PIV 25701 and PIV 17196 confirm that a single unremunerated gerente does not meet this gate.
The cleanest route for a family Lda: both spouses as remunerated gerentes on one identical health insurance policy. No minimum-wage floor applies (a gerente is an office-holder, not a TCO employee).
The 15% payroll cap applies onlyto health/life insurance and pension/PPR — their combined cost is deductible up to 15% of total payroll (Art. 43 CIRC); above that the excess isn't deductible but stays tax-free for the worker. Vouchers, the meal card and transport passes are not under this cap — childcare vouchers (vale infância) are even deducted at 140% with no ceiling.
Common questions
Does taking a salary mean I must pay more Social Security?▼
The gerente SS floor is 1 IAS (~€537.13/month in 2026) regardless of salary. If you declare a salary above that, SS applies to the declared salary at 34.75% total. Below 1 IAS, SS is imputed at the floor. The floor applies even at €0 declared salary.
Can I give myself health insurance if I'm the only worker?▼
Not on a tax-advantaged basis — a solo remunerated gerente doesn't meet the generality-of-workers gate (Art. 43 CIRC). The usual fix for a family Lda is to add your spouse as a second remunerated gerente: with two of you the gate is met, the company deducts the premium (up to 15% of payroll), it's tax-free for you, and one policy can cover the whole family (spouse + dependents).
How much can an owner-led Lda actually save?▼
The principle: routing a cost through the company as a tax-advantaged benefit avoids most of the tax you'd pay taking the same money out as dividends (~38.8% combined company IRC + dividend tax on regime geral) or salary (which adds 34.75% Social Security). The saving combines the tax you save personally and the tax the company saves by deducting the cost — both your money, since you own the Lda. The calculator estimates your annual total; confirm with your CC.
Can I put my kids' school or childcare through the company?▼
Yes, as social vouchers (vales sociais), and the two ages differ. Childcare for children under 7 (vale infância) is fully tax-free for you AND deducted at 140% with no ceiling — the most generous benefit here. School for children aged 7–25 (vale educação) is free of Social Security and fully company-deductible, but — unlike before 2018, when ~€1,100/year was IRS-exempt — the voucher is now fully taxable as your income (that exemption was repealed in 2018). It still beats dividends thanks to the SS exemption and deductibility. Both need the 2-remunerated-worker gate. Confirm the treatment with your CC.
Is a company electric car tax-efficient?▼
A 100% electric car ≤ €62,500 is strong: 0% autonomous tax, full VAT recovery, €62,500 depreciation ceiling. But private use is never free — a written use agreement triggers a benefit-in-kind of ~9%/yr of the car's value (taxed as IRS + Social Security), and your commute counts as private use. Netted out it's usually still favourable, but it's the fiddliest case — confirm with your CC.
What about a gym or wellness allowance?▼
An external (commercial) gym membership is a taxable benefit in kind (Art. 2-A CIRS) — taxed on you like salary, so no tax advantage. The only tax-free route is an on-premises company gym genuinely run as a staff welfare facility for all workers (Art. 43 CIRC). For an owner-led Lda that rarely qualifies: you have personal access to any premises, home or office, so it reads as a personal amenity rather than a staff-only facility.
How do Art. 43-C EBF stock options work for an Lda?▼
Art. 43-C EBF is designed for securities (valores mobiliários) and fits an SA (shares) cleanly. For an Lda, a direct quota grant is taxed at grant, losing the deferral advantage. For a clean, tax-deferred option plan, the SA entity form is typically the better fit. A certified startup under Lei 21/2023 (Estatuto Startup) qualifies; founders with ≥20% shareholding can still benefit because the 20% exclusion is waived for certified startups.
Does this apply to a Unipessoal Lda?▼
Yes. The rules are identical for a Unipessoal Lda and a multi-partner Lda. The single-owner structure doesn't change the Art. 43 CIRC analysis; it's the number of genuinely remunerated workers that matters.