How public nursery fees are set by income

Key rules

• Who sets fees: Your region, and often your town hall, sets public nursery fees, so tables differ across Spain.
• Income bracket: Your bracket usually depends on household income per person, taken from a past tax return.
• Extras: Meals, extended hours and sometimes materials are charged on top of the base fee.
• Discounts: Siblings and familia numerosa status often reduce the fee, but rules vary by place.

Who sets the fees

Your region and, often, your town hall set the fee. There is no single national table. Education is run by the regions, and they set the price framework for public nurseries (escuelas infantiles) for children under 3. Where a town runs its own nurseries, it may set or apply its own fees inside that framework.

The split differs from place to place. In Madrid, the region sets fees for its own network and towns set them for theirs. In Catalonia, the regional government sets a framework and local councils set the fees. The Basque Country has its own scheme. Because of this, the figures you hear from friends in another region may not apply to you.

How your bracket is decided

Most regions place you in an income bracket. The usual method is:

• They take your household income from the tax return of a reference year.
• They divide it by the number of people in the family. This gives income per person (renta per cápita).
• The result decides your bracket.

Most calls base income on the tax return from two years before the call. The call itself sets any fallback if you have no income for that year, so read it if you were not in Spain or did not file a return then.

Some places use total family income, or multiples of the minimum wage or the IPREM (a public benchmark index), instead of income per person. The call for places states which method it uses.

If your income has dropped since the reference year, you can usually ask for a review. Ask the nursery office what proof they want.

What the brackets look like

Tables normally have several brackets. The lowest incomes pay nothing or a small fee. The highest pay a maximum fee. Tables are published each year and differ widely, so the same income can cost very different amounts in different regions. Find the current table for your region or town in the sources listed below.

What is not in the base fee

The base fee usually covers only the school schedule. Expect to pay separately for:

• Meals (comedor).
• Early-morning and afternoon extended hours.
• Sometimes materials.

Where meals are charged separately, they typically cost 4 to 6 EUR a day, roughly 80 to 130 EUR a month. Many regions give reductions on these costs to low-income families. Amounts are set each year, so check the current ones when you apply.

Discounts for siblings and large families

Many regions and towns reduce the fee for a second child in the same public nursery, and more for later children. Families with familia numerosa status (large family) often get 50% off in the general category and a bigger reduction, or free places, in the special category. Rules differ by region and city, so ask the nursery office before you apply.

Where to find your own table and aid is in the resource below.

Where to find your region's nursery fees and aid

• Your region's education department: Search its site for escuelas infantiles or primer ciclo to find first-cycle fees, calendars and aid. Madrid, Catalonia, Andalucía and Valencia each publish this on their own education department site.

• Your town hall's education or nursery office: Look for local fees, admission calendars and municipal nursery (llars d'infants in Catalonia) pages, since many town halls publish their own.

• Your region's official gazette (BOCM, DOGC, BOJA, DOGV): Check that a fee or aid document names the current school year, that its call number and publication date match the current year, and that a newer order has not replaced it. Treat third-party sites with caution, as they often show outdated figures.

Web addresses and page sections change, so check the current figures and dates with your region's education department or your town hall.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if my income has dropped since the reference year?

Yes, you can usually ask for your fee bracket to be revised if your income has fallen. Brackets are normally based on a tax return from two years before the course, so a recent drop will not show up on its own. Ask the nursery or town hall office which proof they accept.

How much do meals cost on top of the base fee?

Meals usually cost about 4-6 EUR a day, or roughly 80-130 EUR a month, where they are charged separately. Early-morning and afternoon extended hours, and sometimes materials, are also extra. Many regions give bonuses on meals to low-income families.

Can I get a discount if I have two children in the same nursery or a familia numerosa?

Yes, many regions and towns reduce the fee for siblings in the same public nursery and for familia numerosa (large family) status, but the rules differ by place. Usually the second child gets a percentage off and later children get more.

Are the fee tables the same across Spain?

No, each region or city publishes its own fee table every year, so the brackets and amounts differ widely. They usually run from free or a low fee for the lowest incomes up to a maximum fee for the highest. Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia and the Basque Country each publish their own.