7 Expenses You Already Pay and Can Deduct from Your IRS

Miguel from the café was complaining yesterday: “I paid €800 in IRS and still have to pay another €200 in July.” Completely normal - he didn’t deduct anything. Zero. Not even the coffee he has with clients.

You know those expenses you already pay every month? Internet, phone, software, laptop? All of that can reduce your IRS bill. But you need to do one thing: request an invoice with your NIF and validate it on the Finance Portal.

The Trick That Changes Everything: the Invoice with NIF

When an invoice has your NIF, it automatically appears in the e-invoice system. You then log into the Finance Portal and allocate the correct category. Without a NIF, you lose the deduction. Simple as that.

You have time until the 25th of the following month to validate the previous month’s invoices. If you don’t validate, you lose out.

The 7 Expenses

Professional expenses you can deduct

1. Internet and phone

Paid to your provider with NIF — allocate professional % in e-invoice

E.g. 50% professional

2. Computer and equipment

Laptop, monitor, keyboard, office chair — invoice with NIF

Any electronics retailer

3. Software and subscriptions

Adobe, Microsoft 365, antivirus, tools for your field

Request NIF online

4. Training and books

Online courses, workshops, conferences, technical books

IRS limits apply

5. Client expenses

Business lunches, coffees in meetings, tolls for client visits

Partially deductible

6. Office supplies

Paper, ink cartridges, folders, stationery

All with NIF

7. Workspace

Coworking (100%) or part of rent/electricity if working from home

Allocate % in e-invoice

Warning: Meals with clients have specific rules - you can’t deduct the full amount, only a percentage. And you need to be able to justify it was a genuine business meeting.

How to Validate on the Finance Portal

Log in to portaldasfinancas.gov.pt with your NIF and password
Go to “All Services” > “e-invoice”
Click “Complete Invoice Information”
For each invoice, choose the correct category (professional expense, housing, health, etc.)
If it’s mixed use (personal and professional), indicate the percentage

The Real Impact on Your IRS

Beatriz, a freelance copywriter, started asking for invoices with NIF for everything. Result:

Before: she paid around €1,200 in IRS
After: she paid €750

That’s €450 in savings. Just from asking for invoices with NIF and validating in the e-invoice system.

André went even further: since all his expenses are organised in FIZ, the system automatically calculates the deductible VAT on professional expenses and keeps everything organised for the annual IRS declaration.

In Summary

Always ask for an invoice with your NIF - from the coffee with clients to the software you use. Every professional expense counts towards reducing your IRS.
Validate in the e-invoice system by the 25th - log into the Finance Portal every month and categorise your invoices. Without validation, you lose the deduction even if you have the NIF.
Organise everything in one place - with FIZ, you automatically record expenses and have everything ready for the annual IRS declaration. Zero paperwork, zero stress.