Portugal’s parliament has approved a new universal basic income scheme, despite debate over the extent of changes made to the government’s original proposal. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) and Socialist Party (PS) voted in favor of the bill, introducing alterations while retaining a key condition: recipients must perform social work. The new scheme, known as PSU, aims to consolidate various existing social benefits into a single payment. Discussions centered on whether the amendments were merely rhetorical or represented substantial changes to the initial plan. While details of the social work requirement remain under scrutiny, the legislation’s passage marks a significant shift in Portugal’s social welfare system. The law formalizes a pre-existing requirement for social work as part of receiving benefits.