Proving your income for school aid as a newcomer earning abroad

Key rules

• Reference year: Family income is checked for the tax year two years before the course starts.
• Foreign income: Spanish tax data will not show income earned abroad, so you document it yourself.
• Translation: Foreign documents not in Spanish or a co-official language normally need a sworn translation.
• Regions: Each region sets its own evidence and income rules for meal aid, so ask your education department.

Evidence rules and income limits change with each call and by region, so confirm them in the current call or with your education department.

How income is checked

The national school aid (MEFP becas generales) tests your family income mainly against Spanish tax data. When you apply online, each adult in the family gives consent so the administration can get their data from the tax agency (AEAT). The year tested is two years before the course starts. For the 2025-26 call, that was the 2024 tax year. Confirm the year in the current call.

If you have no Spanish tax return

The tax agency has nothing on you, so the data check will show no income. In that case the Ministry generally asks for other proof of your family's income, or uses whatever pay and other income the agency holds. Foreign income usually has to be documented by you.

Regions handle this differently. Ask your region's education department or the school office which evidence it accepts when there is no Spanish return.

What foreign evidence is usually accepted

• An official tax certificate or assessment from the foreign tax authority. This is the best option.
• If you have no tax certificate, payslips plus an employer certificate showing your annual income.

A document that is not in Spanish or a co-official language normally needs a sworn translation. Legalisation or an apostille may also be required. Ask the education department or school office whether your documents need one. The call or the regional office sets the details.

Do not refuse the tax data check

Each adult should give consent on the form. If an adult refuses, that person must provide the income documents themselves, usually a certificate from the tax agency. Without them, your application can be rejected or you can be asked to correct it.

Income limits

The Ministry's call sets maximum family income by family size, in levels 1, 2 and 3. The amounts rise with the number of family members and change with each call. Check the current table in the call on the Ministry's website.

Regional meal aid

Regional meal aid (comedor) has its own income test. It usually looks at income per person in the family, or at income against a multiple of the IPREM or a minimum-income reference. Lower income usually means more aid. Some regions give priority to families who receive minimum-income benefit, families supported by social services, or victims of gender violence. Check your region's call or ask the school secretary. Criteria are reset each year.

The documents list, checklist and warnings below cover the rest.

Documents needed for a school aid application

Documents for a school aid application

• Give consent on the online form so the administration can check automatically your identity (DNI/NIE) and your Spanish tax data from the AEAT, Spain's tax agency. Each adult in the family gives their own consent.

• Nothing to upload for academic enrolment and results: the school enters them. The padrón (municipal register) and residence data are sometimes checked automatically too, depending on the call and region.

• ID, NIE or passport for each family member.

• Proof of foreign income, because Spanish tax data will not show it: an official tax certificate or assessment from the foreign tax authority, or payslips plus an employer certificate showing annual income.

• Income certificate from the tax agency for any adult who refuses the tax data check. Without it, the application can be rejected or you can be asked to correct it.

• Padrón certificate showing who lives at your address. It is also commonly accepted as proof of household composition.

• Foreign birth certificates and a marriage certificate to prove family composition if you have no Spanish libro de familia (family record book). Get them apostilled or legalised if the call asks for it.

• Sworn translation into Spanish of any foreign document not in Spanish or a co-official language. A simple translation is often enough until the administration asks for an official one. EU public documents are largely exempt from legalisation.

• Disability certificate, only if you claim it, and proof of residence away from home, only where it applies.

• Bank account number (IBAN) of the account holder.

Checklist

• Give consent on the electronic application form for each adult in the family so the tax agency (AEAT) data can be checked.

• Confirm in the current call which tax year is tested and compare your family income with the threshold table for your family size.

• Gather an official tax certificate or assessment from the foreign tax authority if you earned income abroad.

• Get a sworn translation of any document not in Spanish or a co-official language, and ask whether it needs an apostille or legalisation.

• Check your region's meal aid call for its income criteria and any priority groups you belong to.

What to watch out for

• Refusing the tax data check: If an adult refuses consent, the application can be rejected or sent back for correction. Provide the income documents yourself, usually a certificate from the tax agency. Give consent on the online form, or attach the tax agency income certificate for that adult.

• Foreign income missing from the file: Spanish tax data will not show income earned abroad, so your income may look wrong or missing. Document it yourself with a foreign tax certificate, or payslips and an employer certificate, and ask your education office what it accepts.

Frequently asked questions

What if my region's school meal aid asks for income proof differently from the national grant?

Yes, regions often use their own income test, so check your region's call before gathering papers. Many look at family income per person, or income compared with a minimum-income reference, with more aid for lower income. Ask your region's education department or the school secretary.

Can some families get regional meal aid without meeting the income test?

Yes, some regions give priority to families on minimum-income benefit, in social-services support, or who are victims of gender violence. Ask your region's education department or the school secretary whether your situation qualifies.

Where do I find the national income limits for my family size?

The limits are in the table published in each annual call on the Ministry's website. They come in several levels and rise with the number of family members. They change from year to year, so use the table in the current call.