# Staff in Portugal for a company abroad

[Companies](/companies/)

We set out what it means for your company abroad when one to three people work from Portugal, or you hire your first person here, with the first year's dates.

[Request a Tax Consultation for your company](/services/tax-consultation-company/#request)

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We reply within 2 working days with the right service, its price and how to start.

Staff in Portugal for a company abroad · [Change](/find-the-right-help/)

## In short

Someone working here for your company is usually insured in Portuguese Social Security, which costs the employer 23.75% of pay on top of the employee's 11%. The exception, an A1 certificate that keeps the person in another country's system, applies where that country's posting, multi-state working or telework rules are met; the route depends on the countries involved and on where and how the person works. Their role can also create a permanent establishment, making part of the company's profit taxable here.

What decides it:

- where each person lives, and since when they have been tax resident here;
- what each person does from Portugal, including any contracts they negotiate or sign;
- where the company is based, and whether anyone was posted here from another country;
- whether the company already has an entity or a payroll in Portugal.

## What you get

- Whether the work done here creates a permanent establishment for the company.
- The Social Security and payroll route, or whether an A1 certificate keeps a person in another country's system.
- Whether the company withholds IRS on each person's pay here.
- Whether each person may qualify for IFICI, in outline.
- The company's first-year calendar, with the payroll route for the provider you choose.
- A call with your adviser when your case needs it.

## How it works

1. [Send your request](#request). We reply within 2 working days with the price, a start date and your payment link.
2. After payment, you upload the company's documents in your portal, such as each employment contract and a note of what each person does here.
3. Your advice reaches your portal, signed by your adviser, with the first-year calendar. If it shows further work, we tell you its fee first.

## The dates that matter

If someone may qualify for IFICI and their residence starts in 2026, they register by 15 January 2027, and on most routes the employer confirms the role and its own activity.

## What is not included

- Running the payroll, which a payroll provider the company chooses takes on.
- Employment law, such as the contracts, which sits outside our tax advice.
- Each person's IFICI registration, which is a separate service.
- Four or more people, which we quote once the scope is agreed.

## What clients say

- > I had a US W-2 salary, stock options, and a California filing requirement that didn't disappear when I moved. Most Portuguese advisors I spoke to had no idea what a PFIC was or why my 1099-B mattered here. Telmo walked me through the US-Portugal treaty article by article and showed me which income was taxable where. That kind of depth is rare.

  American tech worker, Lisbon
- > My salary was still being paid from the US, but California also thought I had not really left. I needed someone who understood Portugal first, then could read the treaty and the state-residency problem without turning it into guesswork. The advice gave my US CPA a clear position to work from.

  American tech employee, Lisbon

From clients we have advised. Names withheld at their request.

## Guides on this

- Guide

  [Social security in Portugal 2026: employees and freelancers](/guides/portugal-social-security-expats/)
- Guide

  [Digital nomad visa (D8): tax in Portugal](/guides/digital-nomad-visa-tax-portugal/)
- Guide

  [IFICI Portugal 2026: who qualifies](/guides/ifici/)

## Questions

### Who runs the payroll?

A payroll provider the company chooses. We set out the route it follows, and the tax advice stays with us.

### Who is the client?

The company is the client. Each person's own IFICI registration or tax return is a separate service, in their own name.

### Can we start with a consultation?

The [Tax Consultation for your company](/services/tax-consultation-company/) suits one bounded question, such as the cost of a first hire here.

## Related services

[Your situation Companies](/companies/)

Service

[Tax Consultation for your company](/services/tax-consultation-company/)

Service

[Starting a company](/services/starting-a-company/)

## Our team

Our advisers check, decide and sign the advice in this project. If you have a question first, write to [info@taxbordr.com](mailto:info@taxbordr.com) or message us on [WhatsApp](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=351217009536).

[Send your request](#request)

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Source: https://taxbordr.com/services/staff-in-portugal/

General guidance only. Individual facts govern.