“It has never been so easy” to apply for prenatal allowance: Who is entitled to receive it?

“Applying for prenatal family allowance has never been so easy,” says the Institute of Social Security (ISS) in a statement published on its website.

“The application for prenatal family allowance can be made on the Social Security Portal, eliminating the need to visit an office,” the statement reads.

To submit the application, “simply access Family > Pregnancy > Prenatal Family Allowance and follow the instructions.”

“In the management of the application, it’s now also possible to submit missing documents by uploading them on the Portal. Simple, easy, and convenient,” the ISS concludes.

What is the prenatal family allowance?

According to a practical guide from Social Security on the subject, the prenatal family allowance is a “financial support paid monthly to pregnant women from the 13th week of pregnancy, to compensate for additional expenses during pregnancy (e.g., travel for appointments) and to encourage motherhood.”

What are the eligibility conditions?

You have the right if you meet all of the following conditions:

• have reached the 13th week of pregnancy;
• live in Portugal or are considered a resident;
• have family income that does not exceed the income established for the 4th income bracket (1.7 x Social Support Index (IAS) x 14 and equal to or less than 2.5 x IAS x 14, with the IAS being equal to €522.50 in 2025);
• do not have (nor does your family household) financial assets (bank deposits, shares, bonds, savings certificates, participation titles, and units in collective investment institutions) exceeding €125,400.00 (240 times the value of the IAS) on the application date.

It should also be noted that the “amount received for the prenatal allowance is determined according to the income bracket, which varies according to the family household’s reference income and the year to which they pertain.”

“Families positioned in the 5th income bracket do not receive the prenatal family allowance,” it states.

In summary, “the amount to be received depends on the bracket in which the family’s income falls, based on the Social Support Index (IAS), which is €522.50 in 2025, and is multiplied by the number of children to be born.” You can see the values here – page 4.

To determine this, the reference income must be calculated by following four steps:

1. sum the annual income of all family members;
2. count the number of children and young people entitled to the allowance, add the expected babies, plus one.
3. divide the income amount by this number;
4. the result indicates the bracket (from 1 to 5) and, thus, the allowance amount.

It should be emphasized that “there are 5 brackets and, the lower the bracket, the higher the allowance amount.”

“Pregnant women in brackets 1, 2, 3, or 4 receive the Prenatal Allowance. Those in the 5th bracket are not entitled to receive it,” it also reads.

Furthermore, the “amount to be received increases by 35% when the family household has only one person responsible for the children and young people.”