The salaries of 2,937 retirees will be reduced in Portugal: CGA may demand back overpayments

The refund debate is growing after it was revealed that 2,937 pensions granted by Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA), the public employee retirement system in Portugal, were calculated incorrectly. Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, in her statement on October 10, argued that demanding the repayment of overpaid amounts not only has a legal basis but also a legal obligation.

An average monthly gross reduction of 93.31 euros is expected in the salaries of affected pensioners. However, this figure does not mean that the same deduction will be made for everyone.

Which retirees does the error affect?

According to CGA's statement, the problem is related to 2,937 pensions connected in the May-August 2026 period.

Affected individuals meet all three conditions:

Being registered in the CGA system on or before August 31, 1993.

Having more than 40 years of service at the time of retirement.

Having completed at least 20 years of service by the end of 2005.

Therefore, the problem does not include all retirees in Portugal or everyone who receives a salary from the Segurança Social system.

Why did the calculation error occur?

CGA explained that the problem stemmed from the fact that certain provisions of the pension reform carried out in 2005 were not correctly reflected in the calculation system.

How certain long periods of service will be taken into account in calculating a certain component of the pension under the reform was edited.

However, the information system used by CGA applied these rules incorrectly in some files.

According to the institution's statement, as a result of the error, some pensions reached levels exceeding 90 percent of the last monthly wage, and in some cases exceeding 100 percent.

The CGA states that this is not compatible with current statutory calculation rules.

How much will pensions decrease?

The average correction amount announced by the institution is 93.31 euros gross per month.

But this is an average. Some retirees may face a lower amount of adjustment, some a higher amount.

According to the information provided by the CGA, the average monthly gross pension of the affected group after adjustment is approximately 2,400 euros.

Therefore, it is wrong to interpret the difference of 93.31 euros as a general salary reduction to be applied to all retirees.

How will overpaid money be refunded?

CGA announced different options for repayments for affected retirees.

The first option is to voluntarily pay the amount through the Documento Unico de Cobrança (DUC) sent by the institution. A payment period of 30 days is expected after receipt of the notification.

The second option is to offset the overpayment from subsequent pensions. In this method, the monthly deduction will not exceed 30 percent of the net amount of the relevant pension.

The third option is to apply within the specified period and request that the repayment be paid in installments until December 2027.

CGA announced In installment terms, it is stipulated that the monthly installment amount should not be less than 5 percent of the total debt.

It was also stated that no late payment interest will be applied for payments made within the specified maturities.

Do retirees have the right to object?

The CGA announced that those affected were notified of the calculation error and a preliminary hearing process (audiência prévia) was carried out.

This stage is important so that relevant people can convey their opinions and objections, if any, before the institution's final decision.

According to CGA's statement, after the responses are evaluated, the net total amount to be requested back and payment options will be announced in October.

For this reason, retirees need to carefully examine the content, response times and calculation details of the letters they receive.

Why does the government argue that refunds should be made?

Minister of Labor Palma Ramalho answered journalists' questions during the UGT congress held in Figueira da Foz on October 10.

The Minister argued that illegally overpaid public payments should be refunded.

However, the minister's statement does not mean that the repayment amount calculated in each file has been judicially finalized.

The rights of relevant persons to express their opinions in the administrative process and to take legal action when the conditions are met should also be evaluated.

Calculation error or new interpretation of the law?

This distinction is one of the important points of the discussion.

CGA, 2005 He argues that the law regarding the reform has not been reinterpreted and that the existing rule has been incorrectly applied to the information system.

Bloco de Esquerda, on the other hand, questioned the explanation of the incident as just a technical error and asked for the legal aspect of the subsequent reduction in pensions to be examined.

Therefore, the public debate is not limited to repayment amounts alone; The conditions under which the administration can adjust the salaries it has previously fixed are also on the agenda.

What should affected retirees do now?

People who receive notification from CGA must first check the justification of the decision regarding their files and the calculation period.

If the preliminary rest period continues, it is important not to miss the specified deadline.

Before choosing one of the repayment options, the net total amount, monthly deductible and payment schedule must be understood.

This process is not a general call for repayment to all Portuguese retirees; a correction action limited to 2,937 identified files.

Resources

ECO / Lusa — Ministra do Trabalho ve fundamentação legal para CGA pedir devolução de valores, 10 October 2026

https://eco.sapo.pt/2026/10/10/ministra-do-trabalho-ve-fundamentacao-legal-para-cga-pedir-devolucao-de-valores/

ECO — CGA notifica este mês pensionistas que receberam valor a mais, 8 October 2026

https://eco.sapo.pt/2026/10/08/cga-notifica-este-mes-pensionistas-que-receberam-valor-a-mais/

Diário de Notícias — Ministra do Trabalho garante existir fundamentação legal para CGA pedir devolução de valores, 10 October 2026

https://www.dn.pt/sociedade/ministra-do-trabalho-garante-existir-fundamentao-legal-para-cga-pedir-devoluo-de-valores