Money and growing your career in Portugal

You have learned the rules, the market and the deal. This last lesson is about your own money: what you really take home from a sale, what you owe in tax, how to pick the right agency and how to grow from there.

Commission maths

No law sets the fee in Portugal. Ekonomista reported in September 2026 that agencies charge 2% to 6%, with 5% most cited in the big networks, and that consultants usually keep 40% to 50% of the agency fee. 23% VAT goes on top, and the VAT is never part of your split: it belongs to the State, as the consultant in the Postal story put it.

The splits below are examples. Your own contract decides.

Example 1: a resale flat in Porto, €300,000, fee 5% plus VAT, your share 45%.

1. Agency fee: 300,000 x 5% = €15,000
2. VAT charged to the seller: 15,000 x 23% = €3,450
3. Your share: 15,000 x 45% = €6,750, before your own taxes

Example 2: a villa in the Algarve, €900,000, fee 5%, shared 50/50 with the buyer’s agency, your share 40%.

1. Total fee: 900,000 x 5% = €45,000
2. Your agency’s half: €22,500
3. Your share: 22,500 x 40% = €9,000

Example 3: a long-term rental, €1,500 a month, fee of one and a half months’ rent.

ECO reported in 2020 that networks charged one and a half to two months of rent. Fee: €2,250 plus €517.50 VAT. With a 45% share, you get €1,012.50. Rentals pay less, but they bring landlords who may sell later.

Run your own numbers with the commission calculator.

Tax and Social Security on recibos verdes

As a self-employed consultant you handle four things:

• VAT. CGD explains that you can stay exempt under article 53 of the VAT Code while your turnover in the previous year stays up to €15,000. Between €15,000 and €18,750 you switch to normal VAT on 1 January of the next year. Above €18,750 you switch at once, from the invoice that crossed the line. Once in the normal regime you add 23% to your invoices and pay it to the State, minus the VAT on your costs.
• IRS withholding. Your agency usually withholds IRS from each payment. CGD reports that since January 2025 the rate for the professional activities listed in article 151 of the IRS Code fell from 25% to 23%, with the option to keep 25%. The small earners’ exemption does not cover intermediation commissions, as the accountants’ body OCC confirmed for real estate consultants.
• Yearly IRS return. Your income is category B. Under the simplified regime, Doutor Finanças explains that 75% of income from activities in the article 151 table is taxed, and that 15% of gross income must be backed by expenses. Ask your accountant which activity code fits your work, because the coefficient depends on it. The withholdings count as advance payments.
• Social Security. 21.4% on 70% of what you invoice, declared quarterly, after a full exemption in your first 12 months (Ekonomista, 2026).

Third-year example (self-employed, normal VAT)	Amount
Commissions invoiced to the agency	€40,000
VAT added (23%)	€9,200, paid to the State less VAT on costs
IRS withheld by the agency (23%)	€9,200, an advance on your yearly tax
Social Security base (70%)	€28,000
Social Security (21.4%)	about €5,992 for the year, about €499 a month
Income taxed under the simplified regime (75%, if your code qualifies)	€30,000

Get a contabilista certificado (certified accountant) from your first month. A missed declaration costs more than their fee.

How to choose an agency

Indeed’s page (314 reported salaries, updated October 2026) shows an average of about €2,890 a month for consultants, with most between €1,079 and €7,739. Ekonomista stresses that earnings estimates like these are not confirmed by public statistics. Use them as a starting point, then ask:

1. What is my split, on my own listings, on agency leads and on shared deals?
2. When am I paid? At the deed, at the CPCV, or when the agency is paid?
3. What happens to my deals if I leave before they close?
4. What is your AMI number, and which contract model do you use?
5. Who is your compliance officer, and how do you run identification checks?
6. What leads, portals, training and office do you provide, and what do I pay for?
7. Who withholds my IRS, at what rate?
8. If I am non-EU: will the contract support my visa application?

Get the answers in your collaboration contract. Compare employers on CloserPass agencies.

Growing your career

• Specialise. Prime homes, new builds, one nationality or language, or rentals for landlords.
• Earn credentials. Ekonomista notes that the association APEMIP runs a voluntary certification with a public directory of certified consultants.
• Lead a team. If you later recruit junior consultants, agree every split in writing.
• Build your own brand with sourced market updates and reviews from happy clients.

Opening your own AMI agency

When you are ready, here is the checklist (lessons 3 and 4):

1. Choose the form: sole trader or company.
2. Insurance of at least €150,000 and a clean record (Doutor Finanças).
3. IMPIC licence: €100 to apply, €265 a year, with proof of requirements every January.
4. Contract model: deposit the official model of Ordinance 228/2018 with IMPIC at least 5 working days before using it (Imojuris).
5. Anti-money laundering: name a compliance officer, notify IMPIC within 60 working days, train staff, keep records for 7 years and report deals every quarter (IMPIC).
6. AMI number on the door, every contract and every advert.

Before you start: final checklist

• I know my route to work legally: EU registration or the right visa before arrival.
• I have, or have applied for, my NIF and NISS.
• I know my agency’s AMI number and contract model.
• I have opened my activity and know my VAT, IRS and Social Security position.
• I can list what a mediation contract must contain.
• I can run identification checks before the CPCV and I never take cash of €3,000 or more.
• I can explain the sinal and the double return rule.
• I can estimate IMT and stamp duty for a resident and a non-resident.
• I have a 90-day plan and a daily prospecting block.
• I have my split and pay dates in writing.

Rates and rules change, so check the official source before you act.

Take the final quiz

You are ready. Test yourself with the final quiz for Portugal: questions from every theme, each corrected with its source. Then look at open roles.

This lesson is general information, not tax or legal advice.