Jobless individuals can now apply for an increase in unemployment benefits through the Social Security Portal “in a simple and quick manner,” according to an announcement by the Instituto da Segurança Social (ISS). So, who can apply? And how?
The increase of 10% in the benefit can be applied to Unemployment Benefits, Cessation of Activity Benefits, and Professional Activity Cessation Benefits, as stated in a communication released by the ISS.
Who is eligible for the increase?
According to the Instituto da Segurança Social, the increase in unemployment benefits can be requested by:
- Single-parent households: families with at least one child receiving family allowance, where adults are only the applicant, the children, or equivalent.
- Couples (spouses or common-law partners): where both are unemployed and receiving Unemployment Benefits, or one partner receives the benefits while the other is unemployed without benefits and registered at an employment center. They must have at least one dependent child not working or receiving Unemployment Benefits.
As per the public services portal gov.pt, the “increase is granted to each beneficiary, and if one stops receiving unemployment benefits and transitions to subsequent social unemployment benefit or remains unemployed without benefits, the other beneficiary continues to receive the increase in a single-parent household, where the sole parent is receiving unemployment benefits.”
“The value of the unemployment benefit increases by 10% in certain unemployment situations if there are dependent children of the unemployed,” it is further explained.
The government explains that the Social Security simulator “automatically calculates the support you may be entitled to, such as family allowance, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, or Social Integration Income”.
Notícias ao Minuto | 09:57 – 15/09/2025
How to apply?
According to the ISS, the application can be made on the Social Security portal in just a few steps:
- Select ‘Unemployment’ from the main menu
- Choose ‘Unemployment Benefit’
- Click on ‘Consult and request unemployment benefit increase’
What is unemployment benefit?
It is important to note that unemployment benefit is “a financial support paid monthly to unemployed persons registered at the employment center or Employment Service of the Employment and Professional Training Centers (now referred to as the Employment Service), to compensate for the lack of salary due to involuntary job loss“, according to Social Security.
Unemployment benefit is a benefit paid to unemployed citizens. However, various conditions must be met to access this benefit. Do you know what they are? We explain everything in this article.
Notícias ao Minuto | 08:16 – 18/08/2025
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