recibos verdes
Published 8 November 2026, 20:08
An informal name for two things. The first is self-employment itself: "trabalhar a recibos verdes" means working as a trabalhador independente, that is, self-employed without a company rather than as an employee; in the press "os recibos verdes" often means these workers themselves. The second is the electronic invoices such a worker issues to clients through their online tax account (officially, fatura-recibo). The name comes from green paper forms that disappeared long ago. One is issued for every payment received, and the tax authority sees the data straight away; it is later pulled into the annual tax return.
Where you come across it. The Faturas e Recibos Verdes section of the Portal das Finanças; banks also often ask for them when checking where money comes from.
A fatura is a bill to be paid, a recibo confirms that the money has arrived; banks usually want the latter. Falsos recibos verdes are a separate issue: someone who is in effect an employee working for a single client but is registered as self-employed.
Official website: portaldasfinancas.gov.pt