The Government's proposal to update the value of the meal allowance for civil servants to €6.15 next year will allow for an increase in the amounts paid in the private sector that are not subject to income tax or social security contributions to up to €10.46 per day worked, when paid by card.

In the public sector, this improvement will represent 15 cents more than the daily amount that has been paid since 2023, while in the private sector, the daily gain is up to 26 cents compared to the exemption limits applicable this year. In a 22-day work month, this allows for an additional 5.72 euros, reaching 230.12 euros per month without taxation, according to calculations by Jornal de Negócios.

The Union of Technical Staff of the State (STE), the Common Front, and the Federation of Unions of Public Administration and Entities with Public Purposes (FESAP), which met with the supervisory authority on Wednesday, stated that the measure for the public sector should have a budgetary impact of 29 million euros in 2026 and cover approximately 760,000 public employees