How your US retirement income is actually taxed here.
Straight from the same profile Glidepath's engine taxes against - not a marketing summary of it.
The old 10% deal is gone: NHR is closed to new movers, and its replacement (IFICI) excludes pensions. So a new retiree pays standard progressive IRS on IRA/401k draws - up to 48%, plus a 2.5–5% solidarity surcharge (about 53% at the top), not the old 10%.
US Social Security is taxed only by the US (treaty Art. 20(1)(b)) - exempt in Portugal.
Capital gains and dividends: flat 28% (progressive election possible). No wealth tax on foreign assets (AIMI is Portuguese real estate only).
What could change this.
Portugal closed NHR to new movers in 2024 and its IFICI replacement excludes pensions, so you already pay standard IRS (up to 48% + 2.5–5% solidarity) on IRA/401(k)/pension draws. The cautionary lesson: special regimes can vanish, and progressive rates/solidarity thresholds can move against you.
When: NHR closed 2024; rates set annually in the State Budget
Compliance traps that catch US retirees here.
Local investment wrappers that look ordinary to a local resident can be a US tax trap for a US citizen - these are the ones specific to Portugal.
The Portuguese PPR retirement wrapper can be a PFIC / foreign-insurance complication
Portugal's signature PPR is commonly either a Fundo PPR (a Portuguese pooled fund that is generally a PFIC, Form 8621) or a Seguro PPR / unit-linked life policy (a foreign life policy facing the US foreign-insurance excise tax and possible PFIC look-through). The US-Portugal treaty pension article may in some cases allow US deferral, so 'always a punitive PFIC' is not absolute - but the local tax break gives a US citizen no automatic US benefit and creates heavy reporting (FBAR, 8938, possibly 8621). Get US-specialist advice before opening one.
IFICI excludes pensions - a new retiree pays full progressive IRS, not 10%
Because NHR is closed and IFICI broadly exempts foreign income EXCEPT pensions, a US retiree arriving now is taxed by Portugal at standard progressive IRS (up to 48% + solidarity) on IRA/401(k)/pension distributions. Portugal taxes these as the residence country and the US grants a foreign tax credit, but the higher Portuguese rate effectively governs - older "Portugal taxes pensions at 10%" guidance is obsolete.
Locally domiciled (Portuguese/EU UCITS) funds and ETFs are PFICs
Portuguese banks and platforms push EU-domiciled (UCITS) funds and ETFs; each is a PFIC for a US person. Hold US-domiciled brokerage assets instead - but EU rules (PRIIPs/KID) make US-domiciled ETFs hard to buy from within the EU, so arrange US custody before moving.
US Social Security is taxed only by the US under the treaty
Under Art. 20(1)(b) of the 1994 US-Portugal treaty, US Social Security paid to a Portuguese resident is taxable in the US and Portugal exempts it. The saving clause preserves US taxation of its citizens, so report the benefit on the US return.
Healthcare as a retiree.
Public SNS: a D7/retiree legal resident can register at their local centro de saúde once they hold a residence permit, NIF and proof of address, then uses the system on the same terms as locals - free or low-copay (over-65s exempt from many copays). The D7 visa itself requires private/international insurance (≥ €30,000 cover) at the outset and until SNS registration; many retirees keep private cover afterward for faster specialist access.
SNS access is essentially free once registered. Private/expat insurance to satisfy the visa and for faster private care runs ~€400–€1,000/person/year (~$450–$1,100) for younger retirees, rising with age (comprehensive international plans $2,000–$3,000+). The ~$1,200 figure is a mid-range estimate; budget more for over-70 or global cover.
Models SNS (free) plus the dual private policy most settled retiree couples keep (pt.md 2.4: ~5,100-7,500 EUR/yr per couple all-in). SNS-only couples spend ~1,500-3,000 EUR/yr; comprehensive cover past 75 may be unavailable to new entrants.
The retirement visa route.
D7 (passive-income/retirement) visa: stable foreign passive income ≥ ~€920/mo (~€11,040/yr, tied to the minimum wage), +50% for a spouse and +30% per dependent child, plus proof of accommodation and valid health insurance (≥ €30,000 cover) valid in Portugal/Schengen.
What could this actually cost you?
A fast, illustrative estimate for Portugal - no login, nothing stored. Every country page carries its own, tuned to that country's tax treatment.
Your monthly spending power in Portugal on about $1M
A lean lifestyle in Portugal
Day to day, that looks like a small apartment in a lower-cost town, transit or one older economy car, cooking at home with the odd cheap meal out. For health, the public health system, with out-of-pocket costs a real worry.
As a US citizen, you keep filing US taxes wherever you live.
Portugal: US treaty: foreign tax credit (pay the higher of US or Portugal tax, never both)
This is a fast estimate, not the full simulation, and not financial advice. It only flags the tax question. The full plan works out what you'd actually owe on each side of the border. It also models real balances, every account type, and healthcare, year by year.
The terms you'll actually run into.
- IRS
- Imposto sobre o Rendimento das Pessoas Singulares - Portugal’s personal income tax, a progressive worldwide-income tax (13%–48% for 2025, +2.5% solidarity over €80k and 5% over €250k) a retiree without a special regime now pays on IRA/401(k)/pension draws.
- NHR (Non-Habitual Resident)
- The former 10-year regime that taxed qualifying foreign pensions at a flat 10%; closed to new entrants after 31 Dec 2023, so it is no longer available to a retiree relocating today.
- IFICI / NHR 2.0
- The narrower 2024 replacement for NHR: a 20% flat rate on qualifying scientific/innovation/high-value work; foreign income is broadly exempt EXCEPT pensions, so it does not help a passive retiree.
- D7 Visa
- Portugal’s passive-income/retirement residence visa requiring stable foreign income (~€920/mo, +50% spouse, +30% per child) and valid health insurance.
- SNS
- Serviço Nacional de Saúde - Portugal’s tax-funded national health service that any legal resident (including D7 retirees) can register for, with care free or low-copay.
- PPR (Plano Poupança-Reforma)
- Portugal’s tax-advantaged personal retirement savings wrapper (a fund or insurance contract) - locally tax-favored but a potential US-tax complication for Americans.
Nothing on this page is invented.
Confidence: verified. Last verified June 1, 2026. Every figure above comes from one of the sources below - the same profile the paid engine uses to actually compute your projection.
See the full country-by-country build sheet on the coverage page.