# Who pays for a stair lift: the SAPA, municipal councils and what is still unknown > The SAPA lists stair lifts and platforms, but needs a prescription before you buy. What the official texts say, and three council programmes. - Page: https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/who-pays-stair-lift-support - Language: English - Updated: 2026-11-03 ## Summary - The SAPA list (Despacho n.º 11077/2025) includes stair lifts with a seat or platform, lifting platforms and stair climbers, with the ISS as funder. - The request starts at a prescribing centre. Purchases made before the process are, as a rule, not accepted. - The SAPA does not fund home adaptation works. We found no open national programme for such works. - Each council decides for itself: Matosinhos and Amadora name stair lifts, Porto does not. People who cannot climb stairs almost always ask the same thing: does the State pay for the lift? The short answer is that **the public assistive-products system, the SAPA, has stair lifts and platforms on its list**, but it is not a cheque you ask for at a counter: you need an assessment, a prescription and a decision before you buy. Some municipal councils (câmaras) run their own programmes, and they differ a lot. This guide says what the official texts say and what we could not confirm. *Updated on 3 November 2026. General information; it does not replace the decision of Social Security or the opinion of the professional who assesses you. Programmes and budgets change: always confirm with the service named.* ## The essentials - **The SAPA includes these products.** The list in force (Despacho n.º 11077/2025, of 19 September 2025) has stair lifts with a seat or with a platform, lifting platforms, fixed ramps and electric stair climbers. The funder named is the Instituto da Segurança Social (ISS, the Social Security Institute). - **Prescription first, purchase after.** The request starts at a prescribing centre. Purchases made before the process are, as a rule, not accepted. - **The SAPA does not pay for home adaptation works.** Whether installing the lift counts as a product or as works, we could not confirm. - **We found no open national programme** for accessibility works at home. The PIH, paid by the PRR (Portugal's recovery plan), had calls until 2024. - **Each câmara decides for itself.** Matosinhos and Amadora name stair lifts or platforms. Porto has a list of works where we saw none. - **Tax benefits** are a separate subject: see the guide on [VAT and income tax for a stair lift](https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/vat-income-tax-stair-lift). ## What the SAPA is and what the list says The Sistema de Atribuição de Produtos de Apoio (assistive-products allocation system) was created by Decreto-Lei n.º 93/2009 of 16 April, later amended by Decreto-Lei n.º 42/2011 and Lei n.º 71/2018. Anyone with a disability or a temporary incapacity can use it. The list is approved by a despacho of the Instituto Nacional para a Reabilitação, based on the ISO 9999 standard. The list in force is Annex I of **Despacho n.º 11077/2025**, which revoked the 2016 list and came into force 30 days after publication. In the class "Assistive products for vertical accessibility" (18 30) we read: | Code | Product on the list | Funder | |---|---|---| | 18 30 05, 07 and 08 | Fixed, stand-alone and portable lifting platforms | ISS | | 18 30 10 | Stair lifts with a seat | ISS | | 18 30 11 | Stair lifts with a platform | ISS | | 18 30 18 | Fixed ramps | ISS | | 18 30 24 | Aids for climbing stairs without a seat or platform | ISS | | 12 17 03 | Electric stair climbers | ISS | For these products the table asks for a multidisciplinary team with a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, and the medical specialty of physiatry. All are marked as reusable. The list does not say whether a domestic lift in its own shaft (a "homelift") counts as a fixed lifting platform: ask the prescribing centre. ## How to apply According to the IDiPD frequently asked questions (the body that succeeded the INR): 1. **Assessment and prescription.** At Social Security, the person goes to the Centro Distrital for their area of residence (in Lisbon, to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia) and is assessed by a specialised prescriber. The prescription form is mandatory: without it there is no funding. 2. **No certificate required.** The multi-purpose medical certificate of incapacity is not needed. Needs are assessed whatever the degree of incapacity. 3. **Decision before purchase.** Receipts for purchases made before the process are, in general, not accepted. There are exceptions for repairs and justified urgent cases, under ISS rules. Funding depends on an annual budget. In its 2025 report the IDiPD gives 23,966 people supported, 41,773 products awarded and 45.2 million euros spent out of 46 million planned. This shows the size of the system, not the chance of approval in your case. ## National support for works at home The programme that existed was the **Programa de Intervenções em Habitações (PIH)**, within the PRR ("Acessibilidades 360º"). Câmaras applied and residents applied to the câmara. Call n.º 5/C03-i02/2023 paid 100% of eligible costs up to 15,500 euros per home to people with an incapacity of 60% or more; in Lamego the deadline ended on 30 October 2023. Searches point to new calls in 2024, which we could not open. **We found no open call.** ## Council programmes: three examples - **Matosinhos.** Regulamento n.º 4/2026 (*Matosinhos Para Todos, Habitação*), Diário da República of 5 January 2026. Incapacity of 60% or more, tax residence in the municipality, owner, tenant or household member. Support of 100% of eligible costs, up to 7,500 euros per home, from a total fund of 50,000 euros. Annex III lists seat lifts, stair climbers and lifting platforms, with the council's own note that the funded amount will hardly cover their price. Deadlines are announced on the council's website. - **Amadora.** "Mobilidade e Acessibilidade" programme, for people with an incapacity of 60% or more. The page lists installing stair-lift chairs, stair platforms and stair climbers. The council contributes after a socio-economic assessment; the page gives no percentage or limit. The regulation dates from 2020, a date we deduced from the file name. - **Porto.** Edital n.º NUD/376638/2024/CMP, of 11 June 2024. Also 100% up to 7,500 euros and an incapacity of 60% or more. The list of works has ramps, handrails, doors and bathrooms, with no lifts or platforms. It does not pay for equipment already funded by another programme. **Ask your câmara:** whether there is a home-accessibility programme, whether it pays for lifts or platforms, the degree of incapacity required, whether a call is open, and whether it can be combined with the SAPA. ## What about an apartment block? In a building with several flats, installation may depend on the owners: see [stair lift in an apartment building and condominium](https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/stair-lift-apartment-building). Also see how to [compare quotes](https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/compare-stair-lift-quotes) and the guide [stair lift or platform](https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/choose-stair-lift-or-platform), or use our tool at [/en/stair-solution](https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/stair-solution). ## What we could not confirm - **The percentage the SAPA pays and the maximum value per product.** The despacho we read does not state them; we did not open the consolidated Decreto-Lei n.º 93/2009 or the ISS practical guide. - **Whether installation is part of the funding.** The IDiPD says it does not pay for adaptation works; we saw no written rule on installing a stair lift. - **Decision times and waiting lists.** We saw the 2026 budget (Despacho n.º 7134-A/2026, of 3 June) only by its title. - **Whether a PIH call or another national programme is open.** We did not read the 1.º Direito programme of the Portal da Habitação. - **Current deadlines and budgets** in Matosinhos, Amadora and Porto, which may be used up. ## Sources (read on 3 November 2026) - Despacho n.º 11077/2025, Diário da República, 2nd series, n.º 181, of 19-09-2025: points 1 to 16 and Annex I, classes 12 17 and 18 30. - IDiPD, frequently asked questions on the SAPA. - IDiPD, news item on the 2025 report (the report itself not read). - Decreto-Lei n.º 93/2009 and amendments: cited through Despacho n.º 11077/2025, not read directly. - Matosinhos, Regulamento n.º 4/2026, DR 2nd series, n.º 2, of 05-01-2026: articles 3, 5, 6, 9 and Annex III. - Câmara Municipal da Amadora, "Mobilidade e Acessibilidade". - Câmara Municipal do Porto, Edital n.º NUD/376638/2024/CMP, articles 3 to 7 and Annex I. - Município de Lamego, support rules, Call n.º 5/C03-i02/2023 (PIH). - LexPoint, record of Despacho n.º 7134-A/2026 (title only). ## FAQ ### Are stair lifts on the SAPA list? Yes. Annex I of Despacho n.º 11077/2025 includes stair lifts with a seat and with a platform, lifting platforms and electric stair climbers, with the ISS as funder. ### Can I buy the lift and ask for the money afterwards? As a rule, no. According to the IDiPD, receipts for purchases made before the process are generally not accepted. Assessment and prescription come first. ### Does the SAPA pay for the works to install the lift? The IDiPD says the SAPA does not fund home adaptation works. Whether installation counts as part of the product, we could not confirm: ask the prescribing centre. ### Does my council pay for a stair lift? It depends on the council. Matosinhos (Regulamento n.º 4/2026) and Amadora name stair lifts or platforms; Porto does not. Ask yours and request the regulation. --- Source: https://casasemdegraus.pt/en/guides/who-pays-stair-lift-support. Independent information, not legal or tax advice.