In Portugal, the meal allowance (subsídio de refeição) is paid for each day worked, not as a fixed monthly amount. With the meal allowance per worked day, Factorial tops up each employee's Meals card automatically every month: the daily amount × the days they worked in the previous month.

Overview

• Meals cards top themselves up every month with the daily amount × the days worked in the previous month.
• Worked days come from data already in Factorial: shifts, work schedules, contract hours or time tracking.
• Leave types you choose (for example, Business trip or Training) add to worked time.
• Employees see where their money comes from, for example "21 days worked × €10,46 per day".
• Nothing is lost at the end of the month: what an employee doesn't spend joins their accumulated balance.

When and why it should be used

Use it if your company has employees in Portugal who receive the meal allowance per day worked. HR no longer has to count each person's worked days every month and work out the top-up manually.

How to set up the meal allowance (admins)

1. In your sidebar, go to Settings → Benefits → Meals
2. Create one rule for the company, for example: "On day 1 of each month, people with the meal benefit receive €10,46 for each worked day in the previous month"
3. Choose which days count:
   • Planned days: days from shifts, the work schedule or the contract hours
   • Logged days: days with time logged, approved or not
   • Approved logged days: days with time logged and approved by a manager
4. Set the minimum time a day needs to count
5. Pick the leave types that add to that time (for example, Business trip or Training)
6. Save the rule

How to give an employee a different daily amount

The daily amount in the rule is the default for everyone. To give someone a different amount:

1. Go to Benefits → Employees
2. Find the employee. This page shows each person's daily meal allowance and what they used in the current cycle
3. Change their daily amount

How to check the monthly totals for payroll

Go to Benefits → Usage. It shows each person's meal total for the month, ready to export for payroll.

What employees see

1. Go to My benefits → Meals. It shows what's available to spend, what's been spent and how many days are left in the cycle
2. Click See balance detail. The balance is split in two:
   • Accumulated amount: what's left from earlier cycles. This amount is spent first
   • Current cycle: days worked × daily amount
3. Each allowance shows up in the transactions list, for example "Meal allowance / 21 days worked × €10,46 per day"

FAQ

1. Who is this available for?
   It's available for companies with employees in Portugal who have the meal benefit.
   
2. Which month's worked days are used?
   Each top-up is calculated with the days worked in the previous month.
   
3. Do days on leave count as worked days?
   Only the leave types you select in the rule add to worked time, for example Business trip or Training.
   
4. What happens to the balance an employee doesn't spend?
   Nothing is lost at the end of the month. The unspent amount joins the employee's accumulated balance, and the accumulated amount is spent first.
   
5. Can employees have different daily amounts?
   Yes. The daily amount in the rule is the default for everyone, and you can change it per person in Benefits → Employees.