Extras and your yearly budget

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain with school-age children. You will see the full yearly picture, including the small recurring charges that families usually miss, and leave with a month-by-month budget you can follow for each child.

Start with "How to build a realistic yearly school budget for each child". It gives you the method and the order to work in. After that, the other pages cover the September cash peak, small recurring school payments, after-school activities, school trips and camps, and private tutoring and study academies.

Care before and after school hours, and holiday care, are covered elsewhere, as is your household's first-year budget.

Key rules

• AMPA fee: An AMPA fee is typically 15 to 40 euros per family per year, and it is separate from charges for activities or the comedor.
• Optional trips: Paid trips are voluntary, and a child who does not go must still be supervised at school that day.
• AMPA membership: Joining the AMPA is voluntary, and a school cannot make enrolment or admission depend on it.
• September peak: Expect books, supplies, uniform and the first bills to fall in September, so save ahead.
• Reservation fee: Private and some concertada schools ask for a reservation fee in spring or early summer, and it may not be refunded.
• Public school enrolment: Enrolment in a public school is free.

Extras and your yearly budget: the whole process, step by step

• Apply for a place and, at a private or concertada school, pay the reservation or enrolment fee once the place is offered: Spring to early summer; public school admission requests are usually made online from March to May, and enrolment is confirmed in June or July

• Collect the book and material lists, then plan the book purchase or ask about your region's free textbook scheme: Lists usually come out in June or July; families typically buy between July and early September

• Prepare cash for the start of term (see the September cash peak article): Before the school year starts in September

• Build your month-by-month budget with fees, meals and extras (see the yearly budget article): Before September, so you know each month's bill

• Pay monthly school bills: Usually 10 monthly instalments from September or October to June; some schools use 11 or 12, and the school's fee schedule shows the exact count

• Pay for after-school activities (see the extracurriculars article): Usually billed from October to May or June; summer activities and July care are billed separately

• Pay small recurring extras such as the AMPA fee, photocopies and outings (see the small recurring payments article): Through the school year, as they come up

• Pay for a school camp or language exchange (see the school trips article): Camps of 3 to 5 days, often in 5º or 6º Primaria or 1º ESO, are usually paid in two or three instalments; exchanges of one to two weeks are paid before departure

• Decide on private tutoring or an academia if your child needs catch-up support (see the tutoring article): Any time in the school year, once you see the need

Extras and your yearly budget: questions that cross several articles

Can a school make me join the AMPA to get a place?

No, a school cannot make enrolment or admission depend on joining the AMPA, because membership is voluntary. If a school pushes you or bundles the AMPA fee with other charges, you can refuse and complain to the school council or the regional education inspectorate. Read "Small recurring school payments: AMPA, photocopies, outings and insurance" for the usual fee.

Which school payments are voluntary in public and concertada schools?

Teaching, admission and enrolment are free in compulsory education, so no school can charge for them. Trips, extracurriculars, the comedor and transport can be charged, but only as non-profit and not required for the curriculum. Read "Small recurring school payments: AMPA, photocopies, outings and insurance" and "School trips, camps and exchanges (viajes de estudios): costs and opting out".

Do I have to pay for the seguro escolar in primary school?

No, the seguro escolar does not cover primary school, and it is compulsory only from ESO up to age 28. It has been 1.12 euros per year and is usually collected at enrolment. Any private policy a school offers is a separate optional extra, covered in "Small recurring school payments: AMPA, photocopies, outings and insurance".

When should I budget for books and materials?

Budget for books and materials between July and early September, because schools usually publish the lists in June or July. Some regions run free textbook loan schemes or vouchers, so check yours before buying. See "The September cash peak: what you need at the start of term" and "How to build a realistic yearly school budget for each child".

Do private schools charge a reservation fee before the school year starts?

Yes, private and some concertada schools often ask for a reservation or enrolment fee once the place is offered, between spring and early summer. Public schools do not charge for enrolment. The fee may be non-refundable or deducted from the first fees, so check the contract.