How much do police officers earn in Portugal?

The basic salary for a police officer starting their career in Portugal is just over €1,000 a month, but this is far from the final amount they may receive.

By Tereza Pedro, in News · 25 Sep 2026, 09:03 · 0 Comments

Credits: Unsplash; Author: Max Fleischmann;

Figures compiled by Executive Digest, using the salary tables and rules in force in 2026, show that a new PSP officer starts with a basic gross salary of €1,035.63 per month. A GNR guard in the first salary position starts at the same level.

However, several supplements can be added to this amount, depending on the type of work and schedule.

Risk supplement adds more than €600

One of the main additions is the service and risk supplement paid to members of the PSP and GNR.

This includes a fixed payment of €400 per month in 2026, together with a variable amount corresponding to 20% of the officer's basic salary.

For someone earning the starting salary of €1,035.63, the 20% portion comes to €207.13.

This means that before adding payments for patrols, shifts or other duties, a new officer can receive around €1,643 gross per month.

The €400 fixed payment was introduced gradually. It stood at €300 from July 2024, increased to €350 in 2025 and reached €400 at the beginning of 2026.

Officers on patrol can earn more

Police officers working on the streets may also qualify for an additional patrol payment.

For PSP officers, the patrol supplement in 2026 is €84.13 per month. GNR guards can receive the same amount through their equivalent patrol supplement.

Adding this to the starting salary and risk payments brings gross monthly earnings to around €1,727.

But the final amount can rise further for those working shifts.

Police work often means nights, weekends and public holidays, and different supplements apply depending on how an officer's shifts are organised.

Executive Digest calculates that the highest permanent shift supplement for a PSP officer is approximately €158.32 per month in 2026. A similar payment applies within the GNR for certain working schedules.

A new officer who qualifies for the risk, patrol and highest shift supplements could therefore receive around €1,885 gross per month.

However, this should not be taken as the standard salary for every police officer. Patrol and shift supplements are only paid when the officer meets the relevant requirements.

Salary increases after the first year

For PSP officers, there is also an increase after completing the one-year probationary period.

An officer then moves automatically from the first to the second salary position, increasing the basic salary from €1,035.63 to €1,074.56 per month.

Because part of the risk supplement is calculated as 20% of basic pay, that payment also increases.

At this stage, basic salary plus the service and risk supplement comes to around €1,689 gross per month.

If the officer also qualifies for patrol and the highest permanent shift payments, the monthly figure can reach approximately €1,932.

Further increases are possible as officers progress through their careers. Within the PSP officer category, basic salaries range from €1,035.63 at the first level to €1,393.88 at the highest level, before moving into a higher rank.

Progression is linked to factors including performance evaluations and is not simply based on the number of years spent in the job.

What about overtime?

Working at night does not automatically mean an officer receives an additional 25% on their entire salary.

PSP shift payments and the GNR's equivalent system already take into account working at different times, including nights.

Overtime is another matter and depends on the circumstances in which the additional hours are worked.

There are also separate payments for services carried out by the PSP or GNR at the request of outside organisations, such as certain events.

For a PSP officer or GNR guard, four hours of this type of work can pay €51.60 during daytime hours on a weekday, rising to €74.27 for certain services carried out at night, on weekends or on public holidays.

These payments are separate from an officer's normal monthly salary.

Meal allowance also applies

Police officers may also receive the public administration meal allowance, which stands at €6.15 for each eligible working day in 2026.

For someone receiving it for 22 working days, this would represent €135.30 during the month.

The allowance is not considered part of the basic salary and the amount received depends on the number of eligible working days.

How much do officers take home?

There is no single answer to how much a police officer in Portugal actually takes home each month.

All of these figures are gross, before IRS and other deductions. The final amount will depend on the officer's personal circumstances, including their income, marital status and number of dependants.

What the figures do show is that the €1,035.63 starting salary does not tell the whole story.

Once the standard service and risk supplement is included, a new officer can receive around €1,643 gross per month. For those carrying out patrol duties, this can rise above €1,720, while officers who also qualify for shift payments can approach €1,900 gross.

The amount ultimately received depends on rank, experience, working hours and the duties carried out.