Young people are expressing frustration on social media platforms regarding the delay and lack of clarification surrounding the Salary Award, which remains unpaid.
The amount was expected to be paid by the end of July, but this has not yet occurred. News reports indicate attempts to gain further clarification from the Ministry of Finance have been unsuccessful.
The payment delay is flooding social media and various forums with complaints from young individuals questioning why the payment has not been made.
“Good memory for collecting, but selective amnesia for paying,” wrote a user on the government’s social media. Another queried the lack of response from the authorities: “New week, no new answers. When will the payment be made?”
Another user mentioned that “after contacting the Tax Authority, they stated that payments are being processed and will be completed in the coming weeks… ‘It’s a matter of waiting.'”
“No developments yet. No transfer indication on the portal, nor a response from the Tax Authority,” mentioned another young person awaiting the Salary Award.
The support was supposed to be paid by the end of July but remains unpaid. The Salary Award payment is delayed, with thousands of young people awaiting tuition refunds, similar to the Porta 65 situation.
Beatriz Vasconcelos | 09:21 – 11/08/2025
What is the Salary Award?
According to the information available on the Tax Authority’s portal, the “salary award for enhancing qualifications in the labor market aims to reward further higher education studies while contributing to the income enhancement of qualified young people working in the country.”
It is “a financial incentive with a fixed amount paid annually for the regular duration of the study cycle leading to each academic degree, provided all other eligibility criteria are met annually.”
“Payments may occur consecutively or intermittently, as long as all eligibility requirements are met,” the Tax Authority explains in an informational leaflet on the subject.
According to the same fiscal document, “by the deadline for the Salary Award payment (July 30 each year), the Tax Authority will provide detailed information on the calculation, allocation, and transfer order for payment on the taxpayer’s personal page on the Finance Portal.”
How much is received?
For a bachelor’s degree, the amount paid is 697 euros, and for a master’s degree, it is 1,500 euros (in an integrated master’s, the years corresponding to the bachelor’s level entitle 697 euros, and those for the master’s to the same 1,500 euros).
The Young IRS is a special tax regime that allows taxpayers to benefit from a reduced IRS for a certain period through partial exemption on a percentage of the income earned annually. This exemption varies over time, with the fiscal incentive period lasting up to ten years, provided beneficiaries do not exceed 35 years of age.
