Checking life and accident cover from your employer (convenio colectivo)

Terms used

• Convenio colectivo — The convenio colectivo is a sector or company agreement between employers and workers that sets pay and working conditions, sometimes including insurance.
• BOE — The BOE is Spain's national official gazette, where laws and collective agreements are published.
• Certificado de seguro — The certificado de seguro is a certificate from the insurer or employer confirming that you are covered, by which policy and for how much.
• Comité de empresa — The comité de empresa is the elected body of worker representatives in a company.

Key rules

• Duplicate cover: Find out what your employer already provides before you buy any separate life or accident policy.
• Where to look: Your contract, your convenio, your payslips and a written request to HR will show whether you are insured.
• Leaving a job: Group cover normally ends on your last day, so ask the insurer about conversion before then.
• Beneficiary: Ask the insurer who is named as beneficiary and correct it if it is wrong.

Check your employer's cover first

Many employees in Spain already have group life and accident cover through work, and never find out. Check before you pay for your own policy, or you may pay twice for the same risk.

Why you may already be covered

Many sector agreements (convenio colectivo) oblige the employer to take out a group policy. It usually covers death and permanent disability, often with a higher sum if the cause is a work accident. This is common in construction, metal, chemicals, commerce, hospitality, cleaning, security and offices or consultancies in many provinces. It is less common in other sectors, and it varies by province.

If your employer was required to insure you and did not, the employer can be made to pay the sum itself.

How to find out

Work through these in order:

1. Your contract. It may mention insurance or name the convenio that applies to you.
2. The convenio text. It is published in the BOE or your regional gazette. Read its insurance clause.
3. Your payslips. Some show an insurance deduction or a benefit in kind.
4. HR, in writing. Ask for a copy of the policy and a certificate of insurance (certificado de seguro). It should name the insurer, the policy number, the risks covered and the sums insured.
5. Your worker representatives. The comité de empresa knows what the convenio obliges your employer to provide.

The Ministry of Justice register of death-cover contracts will not help here. It mainly shows individual policies, and only after someone has died. It does not normally list group cover.

Read the amounts and the beneficiary

The sums are set in each convenio and vary widely. They are usually a fixed amount for death and another for permanent disability. Sometimes they are a multiple of your salary. Amounts can change at each renewal, so use the current convenio text.

Ask the insurer who is named as beneficiary. If the name is wrong or out of date, have it corrected.

Then compare the cover with what you need. Buy extra cover only to fill the gap.

If you leave the job

Group cover tied to your job normally stops on your last day. Convenio cover generally cannot be continued. Some policies allow conversion to an individual policy or a short extension, but only if the policy terms say so. Ask the insurer before your last day of work.

A claim for something that happened while you were insured stays valid.

The documents, checklist, warnings and questions below cover the detail.

Documents you need

• Your employment contract, which may mention insurance or the convenio that applies to you.

• The text of your convenio colectivo, published in the BOE (the national official gazette) or your regional gazette.

• Your recent payslips, which sometimes show an insurance deduction or a benefit in kind.

• A certificate of insurance (certificado de seguro) from your employer or HR, naming the insurer, policy number, risks and sums insured.

Checklist

• Look in your employment contract for any mention of insurance or of the convenio that applies to you.

• Find your convenio colectivo in the BOE or regional gazette and read its insurance clause.

• Check your payslip for an insurance deduction or benefit in kind.

• Ask HR or your employer in writing for a copy of the policy and a certificate of insurance.

• Ask your worker representatives (comité de empresa) what the convenio obliges the employer to provide.

• Note the sums insured for death and for permanent disability, and whether they are higher for a work accident.

• Ask the insurer who is named as beneficiary and correct it if it is wrong.

• Compare the group cover with what you need before buying any extra life or accident policy.

Check the current figures in your own convenio text, as amounts vary and can change at renewal.

What to watch out for

• Buying duplicate cover: Many convenios oblige employers to provide group life and accident cover, especially in construction, metal and other industrial sectors. You may pay for a policy you already have. Read your convenio and ask for the policy certificate before buying any extra cover.

• Assuming your sector has it: Cover is common in industry and construction but uneven elsewhere, and it depends on sector and province. You could wrongly assume you are covered. Confirm the clause in your own convenio and get the insurer's certificate in writing.

• Assuming the amounts are enough: Sums insured vary widely between agreements and may be small compared with your family's needs. Find the exact death and permanent disability amounts in the convenio, then decide if you need more.

• Looking in the wrong register: The Ministry of Justice register of death-cover contracts does not typically list group cover, so a search there can wrongly suggest you have none. Ask your employer or HR for the policy instead.

Frequently asked questions

Does my group life cover continue if I leave my job?

No, group life cover tied to your job normally ends on the day your employment ends. Some policies allow conversion to an individual policy or a short extension, but that is not a legal right.

What happens to a claim if the event happened while I was still employed?

Claims for events that happened while you were insured stay valid after you leave. The cover ends for new events, not for ones that already occurred during your employment.

How much does a convenio group policy usually pay for death or permanent disability?

The amount is set in each convenio and varies widely, so there is no standard figure. It is usually a fixed sum for death and for permanent disability, often higher for a work accident, and sometimes a multiple of your salary. Read the amounts in your convenio text, as they can change at renewal.

Will my employer owe me the money if it never took out the policy?

Yes, if your convenio obliges the employer to insure and it fails to do so, the employer can be liable to pay the capital directly. Check that your convenio has such a clause and ask for the policy in writing.