Notice period calculator (Portugal, 2026)
Quitting your job? Find out in seconds how many days of notice you owe, the exact day you can leave, and what it costs if you want to leave earlier. Based on Arts. 400 and 401 of the Portuguese Labour Code.
I know when my employer will receive the letter. Enter the date the written resignation reaches your employer. I calculate your effective last day.
Up to and including 2 years: 30 days. More than 2 years: 60 days (Art. 400(1)). Decimals are accepted, for example 2.08.
For hand delivery, use that date. For registered post, use the arrival date, not the sending date. Counting starts the next day.
I want to leave before the notice ends (optional)Calculates the Art. 401 indemnity
Base salary plus seniority payments (diuturnidades). The Art. 401 indemnity is the daily value times the missing days.
Minimum notice period
60 days
Art. 400(1) Labour Code: open-ended contract, more than 2 years of seniority
Communication received on
Tuesday, 11 August 2026
You can leave on
Saturday, 10 October 2026
How I got these numbers
Next step
The resignation must be in writing (Art. 400(1)). Deliver it in person and keep a signed copy, or send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt. The receipt date is excluded; the notice starts the following day.
How resignation notice works
In Portugal you can resign at any time, for any reason or none. What the law asks of you is advance warning, in writing, so the employer can plan your replacement (Art. 400(1)). Serve the notice and you owe nothing; cut it short and the employer can deduct the missing days from your final settlement (Art. 401).
The legal minimums (Art. 400)
| Situation | Minimum notice | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Open-ended contract, up to 2 years of seniority | 30 days | Art. 400(1) |
| Open-ended contract, more than 2 years | 60 days | Art. 400(1) |
| Fixed-term contract of 6 months or more | 30 days | Art. 400(3) |
| Fixed-term contract under 6 months | 15 days | Art. 400(3) |
| Uncertain-term contract | 30 or 15 days by time served | Art. 400(3) and (4) |
| Management or director role, with a clause in the contract or collective agreement | Up to 6 months | Art. 400(2) |
| During the probation period | No notice | Art. 114(1) |
Two details worth underlining. First, there is no automatic longer notice for managers: the extension of Art. 400(2) only exists if a collective agreement or your own contract contains it, and even then it caps at 6 months. Second, workers with recognised domestic violence victim status are exempt from the notice period entirely and owe no indemnity (Art. 400(6) and Art. 401(2), added by Law 13/2023).
Worked example
Maja has been 3 years at her company on an open-ended contract, earning 1,500€ base. She got a new offer and wants her last day to be 30 September.
- More than 2 years of seniority, so the minimum notice is 60 days (Art. 400(1)).
- 30 September minus 60 days: she must hand in the letter by 1 August.
- If she only hands it in on 22 August, she is 21 days short. Indemnity: 1,500 ÷ 30 × 21 = 1,050€ (Art. 401), deductible from her final settlement.
- If the employer waives the remaining notice in writing, she leaves earlier and owes nothing.
Leaving without notice: the legal routes
- Probation period: either side can end the contract freely; you owe no notice at all unless a written agreement says otherwise (Art. 114(1)).
- Just cause (Art. 394): serious employer breach, for example salaries more than 60 days late or harassment. You leave immediately, keep unemployment benefit and may claim compensation of 15 to 45 days per year of seniority (Art. 396).
- Employer waiver: the employer can release you from part or all of the notice. Get it in writing.
- Domestic violence victim status: full exemption from notice and indemnity (Arts. 400(6) and 401(2)).
Frequently asked questions
Does my resignation need the employer's signature or approval?
No. Resignation is a unilateral right: the law only requires written communication with the notice period (Art. 400(1)). The employer cannot refuse it. Deliver the letter in person against a dated copy, or send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt. Note that the employer may demand your signature to be certified in person by a notary (Art. 400(5)), a formality some companies use to prevent disputes.
I changed my mind. Can I take my resignation back?
Yes, within a short window: up to the 7th day after the letter reached the employer, by written communication, as long as your signature on the resignation was not certified by a notary (Art. 402). After those 7 days, the resignation stands unless the employer agrees to cancel it.
Can I use my remaining holiday days during the notice period?
Yes. Holiday days already scheduled or agreed can be taken during the notice, and they count as notice days, since the contract is still running. Untaken holiday that you do not use before the exit date must be paid out in the final settlement, together with the proportional holiday and Christmas allowances.
What if I simply stop showing up?
Ten straight working days of unexplained absence lets the employer treat it as job abandonment (Art. 403), which counts as a resignation without notice: you owe the Art. 401 indemnity and lose any chance of unemployment benefit. If something serious stopped you from communicating, you can rebut the presumption with proof of force majeure. Always resign in writing instead.
My contract says 90 days of notice but I am not a manager. Is that valid?
No. The extension of Art. 400(2) is reserved for management, director, representation or responsibility roles. For everyone else the legal periods of Art. 400(1) and (3) are the ceiling, and a contract clause demanding more from a regular worker is not enforceable against you. If in doubt, check with the ACT or a lawyer before relying on this.
Does the employer have to pay me during the notice period?
Yes, fully. The notice period is normal contract time: normal salary, meal allowance, everything. On your last day you are owed the final settlement: outstanding salary, untaken holiday, proportional holiday and Christmas allowances, and the work certificate. If the employer releases you from working the notice on their own initiative, they still owe the salary for that period.
Related tools
Go further
Guide: notice period when leaving a job →
How to count the days, deliver the letter and protect your final settlement.
Guide: which resignation letter? →
With notice, just cause, mutual agreement or probation: pick the right exit route.
Guide: quitting and unemployment benefit →
The exits that keep your benefit, and the ones that lose it.
Net salary calculator →
Comparing offers? See what lands in your account after IRS and Social Security.
Official sources
This calculator applies the minimum notice periods of Art. 400 of the Portuguese Labour Code. Collective agreements and individual contracts can set different periods for management roles, so check yours. Spotted an error? ola@despacho.pt.