Do you have any debts or fines owed to the Tax Authority (AT)? You can check this information through the Portal das Finanças, as detailed in a post shared by AT on Facebook.
To check outstanding amounts, access the Portal das Finanças and enter the following in the search bar:
Select ‘Tax Infractions’ to view active processes.
Access through the link: https://processos.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/infracoes/
Select ‘Debts Under Fiscal Execution’.
Here you can view:
-Fiscal execution processes
-Toll fines
-PERES
-Debts under voluntary collection
-Installment plans
-Applications
Who can check tax debts? When?
This information can be accessed by the taxpayer on the Portal das Finanças using their login credentials, as per the public services portal gov.pt.
Alternatively, “in-person requests can be made by the individual, their legal representative, or a legal agent” and can be done at any time.
This consultation is free, according to gov.pt.
Debts in Voluntary Collection or Fiscal Execution
Through the Portal das Finanças, you can check amounts payable, whether they are in voluntary collection (within the deadline of the collection notice) or under fiscal execution (after the deadline and issuance of the respective debt certificate), as clarified by the Tax Authority in a Facebook post.
What happens if you don’t pay the Tax Authority?
DECO PROTeste notes that tax-related debts are not ones you want to ignore, recommending: “If possible, pay immediately or negotiate installments.”
Failure to pay a tax debt initiates a fiscal execution process: “The taxpayer receives a property seizure warning via letter (bank accounts, real estate, cars, or jewelry, for example). It’s recommended to keep your fiscal address updated,” explains the consumer protection organization.
“With or without warning, assets are seized and later sold by the Tax Authority. Primary residences can also be seized, although they cannot be sold by the Tax Authority,” it states.
And if there are no assets to seize? “If the taxpayer has no seizable assets, the process is suspended after three months but the debt is not forgiven, merely waiting for the Tax Authority to detect new assets. Besides seizure, taxpayers also lose potential tax benefits (such as retirement savings plans or expenses with VAT benefits),” DECO PROTeste explains.
It should be noted that, “unless otherwise provided by law, payment of any tax, fee, or other tribute to the State is statute-barred after eight years. However, the right to collect expires if the taxpayer is not notified for payment within four years. The period from which this deadline is counted may vary, and the count may be interrupted, for example, by contesting the debt, among other situations.”
The Tax and Customs Authority (AT) has warned taxpayers about “fake emails and SMS” sent in their name. These messages contain “malicious links and aim to obtain personal or banking information.”
Notícias ao Minuto | 20:45 – 05/12/2025
