How to file an ACT complaint in Portugal in 10 minutes (2026 guide)

ACT (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho) is the Portuguese state labour inspectorate. It receives complaints online, in person or by post — anonymous, confidential or identified. Free of charge, no lawyer needed.

In ten minutes, from your phone or computer, you can report unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, harassment, unsafe conditions, false self-employment or other labour violations. This guide explains how to do it, what to include, and what to expect afterwards.

Before you start: what ACT handles (and what it does not)

ACT exists to enforce labour law in companies. It has the power to enter premises without prior notice, request documents, interview workers, draft official reports and apply fines. When the violation is very serious, it can also file direct court actions (typical case: false self-employment under Art. 12 CT).

Cases ACT typically handles:

• Wages paid late or below the agreed amount.
• Unpaid overtime or overtime paid below the legal rate.
• Holiday and Christmas allowances not paid.
• Meal allowance owed under collective agreement (CCT) and missing.
• Lack of written contract when the law requires one.
• False self-employment (Art. 12 CT).
• Workplace bullying or sexual harassment.
• Discrimination (age, sex, disability, parenthood).
• Lack of safety equipment, working conditions or mandatory training.
• Failure to pay or irregular deductions for Social Security.
• Undeclared work.

Cases ACT does NOT handle:

• Unfair dismissal. This is the labour court's competence. ACT can audit the procedure but does not declare the dismissal unlawful.
• Personal compensation. ACT applies fines payable to the State, not to you. To get personal severance, you go to court.
• Pure contractual disputes. If the company complied with the law but you believe you should be paid more for merit or practice, that is solved internally or in civil court.
• Forced collection. ACT does not send a bailiff. Forced collection happens in judicial enforcement.

The 3 ways to file (and which to choose)

The online complaint is the recommended option in 9 out of 10 cases. It is registered with a unique case number, you can attach PDFs up to the form limit, and ACT can route the case faster to the competent regional office.

[Common practice:] in person is only worth it when the case is severe and you want to talk to an inspector face to face before deciding. Registered letter is the slowest path — only choose it if you have no computer access and no one to help.

Step by step online (10-minute timer)

The online complaint is filed on www.act.gov.pt, in the section dedicated to denunciations and complaints. The typical flow has 4 steps.

Step 1 — Type of complaint (1 minute)

You pick one of several categories. The most common are:

• Working time and duration (overtime, rest periods).
• Pay (wages, allowances).
• Safety and health.
• Discrimination and harassment.
• Undeclared work.
• Other (false self-employment, etc.).

Tip: if you are not sure, pick the category that best describes the main problem. The inspector can reclassify if needed.

Step 2 — Identifying the company (2 minutes)

You need:

• Company name (or the name of the establishment).
• VAT number (NIF) if you know it.
• Workplace address.
• Industry sector (CAE code or description).
• Approximate number of workers (micro-company, SME, large).

The workplace address matters more than the headquarters address. ACT routes the case to the regional office covering that workplace.

Step 3 — Description of facts (5 minutes)

This is the part that makes the difference. Be factual and chronological.

• Date the problem started.
• Dates of the violations (as precisely as possible).
• Names of supervisors involved.
• Amounts at stake (unpaid wages, unpaid hours).
• Documents you have in your possession.

Avoid:

• Emotional adjectives ("the company is a disgrace").
• Speculating on what the company is thinking or planning.
• Accusing people without direct connection to the case.

Include:

• PDF evidence (payslips, contracts, messages, emails).
• Names of colleagues who can corroborate (with their consent).

Step 4 — Identification of the complainant (1 minute)

You choose one of three options:

• Anonymous — no personal data. You only get a submission confirmation.
• Confidential — you give your data to ACT, ACT does not share it with the company. Recommended.
• Identified — the company may know who you are.

You submit. You receive a case number. Print or save the receipt.

What to include (what makes the difference in court)

Even if the complaint stays at the ACT level, there is always a chance it will evolve to court. Document it as if a judge will read it.

Minimum evidence list:

1. Employment contract (if you have a written copy).
2. Payslips for the last 12 months.
3. Schedules or time records (photo of the time book, screenshots of timekeeping software).
4. Written communications with the company about the problem (emails, WhatsApp, internal messaging apps).
5. Witnesses — names and contacts of colleagues who lived the same situation (with their consent).
6. Timeline of facts — when it started, key episodes, escalation.

If you have already sent a written formal demand to the employer asking for regularisation, attach it as well. It shows ACT that you tried the internal route first — and a court that there was a refused chance to fix things.

Anonymous, confidential or identified?

The choice is not trivial. Weigh these three points:

• ACT's powers. Anonymous limits the inspector's work — they cannot ask for clarifications, extra attachments or summon you as a witness. Confidential is the best balance.
• Risk of retaliation. If the employer is hostile, confidentiality protects you (Art. 24 of Law 107/2009 + Law 93/2021). Even so, intuition can sometimes link the complaint to you — especially if you complained internally first.
• Court possibility. If you end up in court, you will have to identify yourself. Identifying yourself from the start simplifies the process and adds credibility.

[Common practice:] for most cases, confidential is the right choice. Only choose anonymous if you have a real fear of physical retaliation or immediate pressure.

What happens next (ACT timeline)

There is no single legal deadline for ACT to reply to the complainant. But the typical sequence is:

If a long time passes without news, you can ask for a status update by email to the regional office or via the portal. You have the right to know what is happening.

Limits: what ACT can and cannot do

ACT is powerful in matters of inspection, but it has well-defined limits.

It can:

• Enter premises without prior notice.
• Request all company documents.
• Interview workers in private (the employer is not allowed to be present).
• Draft an official report.
• Apply fines (hundreds to tens of thousands of euros).
• Notify the company to regularise within a short deadline.
• In specific cases, file a direct court action (e.g. recognition of an employment contract in false self-employment cases).
• Request temporary interdiction of the activity (last resort, extreme risk cases).

It cannot:

• Order the company to pay you directly.
• Declare an unfair dismissal (that is the court).
• Annul contractual clauses (that is the court).
• Force the company to sign an employment contract (that is the court).
• Forcibly collect the amounts owed.

That is why ACT is a means of pressure, not the end. It works when the company wants to avoid the fine and regularises. When the company refuses, the path is the court — and there the ACT complaint serves as additional evidence.

What if the employer retaliates?

Retaliation is forbidden by law. There are three layers of protection:

1. Art. 331 CT — bans retaliation for the exercise of rights. Includes filing an ACT complaint.
2. Law 73/2017 (workplace harassment) — protects whistleblowers of harassment with a presumption of retaliation for one year.
3. Law 93/2021 (Whistleblower Statute) — extended protection for reports of legal infractions, including labour ones. During the 12 months after the report, any unfavourable measure (dismissal, transfer, reduction of duties, disciplinary sanction) is presumed retaliatory, and the company has to prove otherwise.

If it happens, you can resign with just cause (Art. 394 CT — harassment or breach of guarantees) and claim:

• Severance between 15 and 45 days x year of seniority, minimum 3 months.
• Unemployment benefit (just-cause resignation = involuntary unemployment).
• Non-pecuniary damages in court.

Putting it all together

The ACT complaint is rarely a stand-alone piece. It works best chained with other tools. Summary of typical paths:

Unpaid wages → written demand to the employer → ACT complaint → just-cause resignation → unemployment benefit.

Harassment → mandatory internal complaint (Law 73/2017, 50+ employees) → ACT complaint → just-cause resignation → unemployment benefit.

False self-employment → gather evidence → ACT complaint (anonymous possible) → ACT files court action → retroactive reclassification.

You do not have to do everything. Pick the piece that helps you now:

• If wages are unpaid: late wages guide or overtime pay guide.
• If harassment is the issue: workplace bullying guide.
• If you want to resign with just cause: see the templates section.
• If you are already thinking of unemployment benefit: how to apply for unemployment.
• If you are stuck in false self-employment: false self-employment 8 signs.