The DECO PROTeste clarifies that taxpayers are not entitled to receive invoices for free school textbooks, as they do not pay for them. The invoices related to the free textbooks are directed to the school.
“No. Since you do not pay for the school textbooks, you are not entitled to an invoice. The invoices related to the free textbooks are directed to the school,” states the consumer protection organization in an article published on their website.
However, “if you opt for other optional services, such as binding the manual, you can and should request an invoice for that specific expense.”
“The same applies to other educational materials. If possible, make these purchases at the school’s bookstore so that you can include these expenses in the education expenses section, eligible for IRS deduction purposes,” recommends the consumer protection organization.
Who is entitled to free school textbooks?
The consumer protection organization reminds that “students attending public education or private institutions with an association contract are entitled to free school textbooks.”
“Soon, students from private education without an association contract will also have access to free textbooks, as recently announced by the Government,” it reads.
Thus, “students from grades 1 to 12 receive MEGA vouchers every academic year to access free school textbooks.”
The context of free school textbooks
The program for free school textbooks began in the 2016/2017 academic year under the then-Minister of Education Tiago Brandão Rodrigues. It started with distribution to younger students and was progressively expanded to all public school students up to grade 12.
The program requires textbooks to be returned at the end of each school year to be reused by other students, a model that initially encountered problems, particularly in younger grades, as workbooks used by children did not remain in reusable condition.
The issue was controversial, with parent associations advocating for children to have the freedom to write, draw, and scribble in the books.
There have been several school years where families were exempt from returning the textbooks, but it always followed clarification from the authorities stating it was unnecessary.
The decree-law 111/2025 published this month in the Official Gazette establishes a permanent exception to the general regime of textbook return and reuse.
This September, the Government approved this decree and already informed schools of the decision.
Students in the 3rd cycle and secondary school are exempt from returning, at the end of each academic year, the textbooks of subjects for which they have to take national exams or tests, as defined in a decree published today.
