Salary Deductions for Domestic Worker Absences in Portugal (2026)

When a domestic worker misses work, the primary question for employers is whether the absence is paid or deducted from salary. When a deduction is required, the calculation method depends on the worker’s schedule. This guide explains the legal framework under Portuguese law in 2026 and provides practical calculation examples for part-time and full-time employment.

To understand how Social Security (Segurança Social) contribution regimes affect worker rights, see our guide on domestic worker rights in Portugal.

Which absences do not result in salary deductions?

As a general rule under the Portuguese Labor Code (Código do Trabalho), justified absences for statutory reasons do not reduce salary. However, Portuguese law distinguishes between paid justified absences and unpaid justified absences:

Reason for Absence	Salary Deducted?
Bereavement (death of a family member)	No (Paid)
Marriage	No (Paid)
Court attendance or legal obligation	No (Paid)
Personal illness	Yes (Unpaid by employer)
Caring for a sick child or dependent	Yes (Unpaid by employer)
Employer-approved personal leave	Yes (Unpaid)
Unjustified absence	Yes (Unpaid)

Personal time off requested by the worker (such as taking a morning off for personal errands) is an employer-authorized absence, but results in a salary deduction for those missed hours.

For sick leave (baixa médica), the employer deducts salary from the first day of absence. From the 4th consecutive day of temporary incapacity, Social Security pays a sickness benefit (subsídio de doença) directly to the worker to compensate for lost income.

How to calculate absence deductions for part-time workers

For part-time contracts, salary deductions are calculated on an hourly basis. To determine the worker’s hourly rate, divide total annual compensation by total expected working hours in the year (52 weeks multiplied by contracted weekly hours).

Using a 52-week annual average ensures a consistent hourly rate across all 12 months, preventing fluctuations caused by varying working days in individual months.

Practical example: 12 hours per week contract

Consider a schedule of 3 mornings per week (4 hours per morning, totaling 12 hours/week) with a monthly salary of €400.00:

• The worker’s hourly rate is €7.69 (€4,800.00 annual pay divided by 624 annual hours).
• One missed morning (4 hours) equals a deduction of €30.77 (€7.69 × 4 hours).

Gross base salary for that month drops from €400.00 to €369.23 (€400.00 − €30.77).

How to calculate absence deductions for full-time workers

For full-time workers (40 hours per week) on a fixed monthly salary, unpaid absences are deducted proportionally based on the exact working days (dias úteis) in that specific month.

Multiply the monthly base salary by the days actually worked, then divide by the total working days in that calendar month.

Practical example: 22-working-day month with 1 absence

For a full-time worker on the €920.00 minimum wage in a month with 22 working days and 1 absence:

• Proportional pay for the 21 days worked is €878.18 (€920.00 × 21 ÷ 22).
• The deduction for the 1 missed day equals €41.82 (€920.00 − €878.18).

Because the calculation depends on calendar working days, the same 1-day absence has a slightly higher financial impact in a 20-working-day month (€46.00) than in a 23-working-day month (€40.00).

Do absences affect holiday and Christmas allowances?

Occasional absences do not reduce the annual entitlement to holiday and Christmas allowances. When allowances are paid spread across 12 months in monthly twelfths (duodécimos), the monthly allowance amount remains unchanged — only the base monthly salary is reduced by the absence.

In a month with 2 absences on a 12h/week part-time contract (€400.00/month), monthly payslip items structure as follows:

Payslip Line	Calculation	Amount
Monthly base salary	€400.00 − €61.54	€338.46
Holiday allowance monthly twelfth	€400.00 ÷ 12	€33.33
Christmas allowance monthly twelfth	€400.00 ÷ 12	€33.33
Gross pay		€405.12
Worker Social Security contribution	€136.40 × 9.4%	−€12.82
Net salary payable		€392.30

The 2 missed mornings equal 8 missed hours (€61.54 deduction from base salary). The Social Security deduction (€12.82) decreases proportionally due to lower declared working hours in that month (44 hours declared instead of 52 hours).

How Social Security deductions adjust during absences

Whenever an absence results in a salary deduction, the declared Social Security contribution base decreases because fewer working hours or days are reported.

For statutory paid justified absences (such as family bereavement), the worker receives full pay (€920.00), but the employer reports only actual days worked to Social Security. For example, in a 22-working-day month with 1 paid bereavement day, the Social Security declared base drops from €537.13 to €375.90, reducing the worker’s Social Security deduction to €35.33 (instead of the usual €50.49).

Can missed hours be made up on another day?

Salary deductions can be avoided if employer and worker agree in advance to make up the missed hours on another day. When missed hours are compensated within the agreed timeframe, full monthly salary is paid.

Establishing clear schedule and makeup rules in writing prevents misunderstandings. You can download our template in our domestic work contract template guide.

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Sources and legal notice

• Labor Code — Articles 249, 251, 252, 255, 256, 257, and 258 on employee absences.
• Decree-Law No. 235/92 — Domestic employment framework.
• Order No. 480-A/2025/1 — IAS fixed at €537.13 in 2026.
• Social Security Practical Guide for Domestic Service — Contributory rules.