I once considered writing a blog entitled ‘Not possible – only in Portugal’ with the idea of capturing the unique experiences of this country, but never did. I now share an experience I believe would be a true ‘only in Portugal’ experience.
I decided I would attempt to complete my Portuguese 2023 IRS declaraçãorather than go the accountant route. I accessed the Portal das Finanças and followed the instructions using my 2022 IRS as a guide. The option to have the automatic form pre-filled was very helpful, as was the online help menu. But as to be expected, there were a few errors I was unable to resolve.
Time to call the helpline listed on the Portal das Finanças. I fully expected to spend a good amount of time navigating the automated phone system and prepared myself emotionally to do so. Yes, I had to go through the automatic options, but after pressing #3 for ‘help with automatic IRS’, to my surprise, within a few seconds, a pleasant voice answered and I had Paula on the line.
Let me preface this by saying that I am aware I am one of over 10 million people to file a 2023 IRS declaração in Portugal this year, and I did not expect to get personalised service.
Paula was extremely helpful and very quickly resolved the first error, which apparently is a known glitch and, thus a common question. The second error was a human error (mine) and easily corrected.
I told Paula I had lived in the US for many years where filing taxes was a complicated and burdensome process, and how impressed I was with the online Portal das Finanças IRS tax return process and helpline. Paula was extremely happy to hear that I had something positive to say about Portugal and the services – she lamented how she usually hears about how things in Portugal do not work as well as in other countries. And so the conversation went on. She told me she lives in Faro and I told her I lived in Porches. From there, we talked about how we liked living in the Algarve and why, and the conversation moved on to restaurants, as it often does here in Portugal. She gave a few recommendations in the Faro area and I for the Porches area, where I live.
In total, the phone call lasted 26 min; 16 min was spent on my 2023 IRS and ten about life in Portugal, the Algarve, and good restaurants.
Not every phone call to a helpline should take 26 minutes, but I also know that going via a Chatbot or online/automated help is often inefficient, impersonal, and very frustrating.
Was I lucky? For sure. Did it help that I am fluent in Portuguese? Undoubtedly. But where else could this delightful “only in Portugal” possible experience take place? Call the Portal das Finanças helpline for assistance with your IRS and get a list of recommendations for restaurants!
Henrica Vanderaa: +351 926 828 497
