Money and taxes
Budgeting the first year, banking, tax residency, income and social security.
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First-year budget and cash runway
Build your first-year budget
You will leave with one defensible first-year cash figure built from setup, monthly, annual and buffer costs, and a way to keep it honest.
Tax residency and filing
Becoming a Spanish tax resident
You will know whether and from when Spain taxes you as a resident, and how to keep the evidence to back your position.
Banking, payments, and credit
Opening a bank account
You will know what to bring, which route fits your status, and what to do if the bank says no.
Income, assets, investments, and pensions
Investment income and capital gains
You will know how your portfolio is taxed in Spain and which choices change the result.
Social security and benefits
Registration, records and your rights
You will understand who pays what, get your number and record in order, and know your rights and routes of challenge.
Banking, payments, and credit
Choosing a bank and account
You will pick a bank setup that fits your language, income, household and location, and know what it really costs.
First-year budget and cash runway
Helps you know how much cash the first year in Spain needs.
Turn the move into one first-year cash number, a runway and a stress test, including the costs newcomers miss. Each domain's own costs are linked, not re-planned.
Build your first-year budget
You will leave with one defensible first-year cash figure built from setup, monthly, annual and buffer costs, and a way to keep it honest.
How much cash you need for your first year in Spain · Building a budget from setup, monthly, annual and buffer costs · When your costs hit, from before departure to month twelve
Hidden costs and local charges
You will know which easily-missed costs apply to you, when they land and who pays them.
The costs newcomers to Spain most often miss · What the paperwork of moving to Spain really costs · What paperwork help costs and when it is worth paying
Cash runway and emergency buffer
You will know your runway in months, what could shrink it and how large and accessible your buffer should be.
How many months of cash runway you need in Spain · Covering the gap before your first Spanish paycheck · The cash crunch in your first 30 days after getting the keys
Budgets by household type
You will find the profile closest to yours, with the cost drivers and runway risks that profile has in Spain.
First-year budget for a single person with a Spanish job · First-year budget for a couple with two incomes · Can one income support a couple's first year in Spain?
Stress-test your first year
You will know where your plan breaks, how many months each shock costs and when to act.
How to stress-test your first-year plan · How long you can last after losing your job in year one · What a delayed or refused residence permit costs you
Funding the move
You will know how to fund the move, how much savings to commit and whether you are ready to go.
Ways to fund your move to Spain · How much of your savings to commit to the move · What to ask your employer to cover when relocating to Spain
Tax residency and filing
Helps you know when you are tax resident and file correctly.
Know when you become a Spanish tax resident and what you must file: residency tests, treaties, registration, the annual return, special regimes, non-resident tax, exit and dealing with Hacienda.
Becoming a Spanish tax resident
You will know whether and from when Spain taxes you as a resident, and how to keep the evidence to back your position.
How the 183-day rule counts your days in Spain · When Spain can claim you through your economic interests · How a spouse and children in Spain affect your tax residency
Dual residency and tax treaties
You will know which country is your tax home under a treaty, how to claim relief and what to do if both still tax you.
What decides it when Spain and your home country both claim you · When one spouse is Spanish tax resident and the other is not · Finding and reading Spain's tax treaty with your home country
Registering with the tax office (Hacienda)
You will know what to register, which address Hacienda uses and in what order to do your first-year tax tasks.
Registering in the tax census (censo) as a new resident · Your tax address (domicilio fiscal) and which address Hacienda uses · Moving house or region and which community taxes you
Filing your Spanish tax return (Renta)
You will know whether you must file, when, what to gather and how to complete and correct your first return.
Who has to file the Spanish income tax return (Renta) · The Renta season dates, payment and refunds · Filing your first Spanish tax return as a new resident
Income tax rates and regions
You will be able to estimate your tax, understand the calculation and see how your region compares.
How Spanish income tax is calculated from income to final bill · General and savings income and which of yours goes where · How income tax differs between Spanish regions
Special regime for new arrivals (Beckham law)
You will know whether you qualify, how to opt in on time and whether it beats ordinary taxation for you.
Are you eligible for the Beckham special regime? · Employee, director, entrepreneur or remote worker and who can enter · The Beckham election deadline and how to apply
Non-resident tax in Spain
You will know whether non-resident tax applies, how to file and how it differs from resident tax.
How non-resident income tax works in Spain · Non-resident tax if you live in another EU or EEA country · Filing the non-resident return (modelo 210) for rent or imputed income
Leaving Spanish tax residency
You will know when you stop being resident, what to file and which exit risks apply.
How to actually stop being a Spanish tax resident · Leaving Spain temporarily versus permanently and the return trap · Your last Spanish tax return and what still has to be declared
Tax office (Hacienda) notices and appeals
You will know what a notice means, how to respond by the deadline and what your options are.
A letter from Hacienda and what each type of notice means · Responding to a Hacienda requirement and meeting the deadline · Penalties, surcharges and interest on late or wrong filings
Family tax deductions
You will know which family deductions you can claim, what proof you need and whether to file jointly.
Family minimums for children, parents and disability on your return · Family tax credits for working mothers, large families and dependants · Claiming children or parents who still live abroad
Banking, payments, and credit
Helps you open accounts, move money and access credit in Spain.
Get reliable banking: open and choose accounts, pay and get paid, move money across borders, build credit and handle debt and account problems.
Opening a bank account
You will know what to bring, which route fits your status, and what to do if the bank says no.
Routes to your first Spanish bank account and what to expect · What documents a Spanish bank asks for to open an account · Opening a Spanish bank account before you move
Choosing a bank and account
You will pick a bank setup that fits your language, income, household and location, and know what it really costs.
Traditional bank, online bank or fintech: which to choose in Spain? · Spanish account fees and conditions: the real annual cost · Finding a Spanish bank that works in English
Direct debits and paying bills
You will set up, monitor and reverse recurring payments and pay rent and bills in a traceable way.
Setting up direct debits (domiciliación) for rent and bills · A charge you don't recognise: how to return a direct debit · Paying rent and deposits by bank, Bizum or cash
Cards, Bizum and cash
You will know which payment tool to use where, what the limits and traps are, and how to react to a lost card.
How everyday payments work in Spain · Debit, credit and prepaid cards in Spain · Using your foreign cards in Spain without extra fees
Moving money across borders
You will move money into and out of Spain cheaply, with the evidence banks will ask for.
Sending your first big transfer to Spain · Bank, Wise-type provider or FX broker: choosing a transfer method · Moving savings to Spain in stages or in one transfer
Building credit and borrowing
You will understand your credit position, how to build it, and which borrowing products to avoid.
Building a credit history in Spain from scratch · CIRBE and credit files: who holds your data in Spain · Does your home-country credit history count in Spain?
Debt problems and defaulter lists
You will know the first steps, your rights and how to clear or challenge a listing.
Falling behind on payments in Spain: your first steps · ASNEF and Badexcug defaulter lists: how to check and get off · When your account is seized (embargo) in Spain
Switching, closing and account problems
You will know how to regain access, challenge fees, switch banks and close accounts cleanly.
Your bank blocks, freezes or closes your account · Unexpected bank fees, overdraft charges and abusive clauses · Switching banks in Spain without missing a payment
Business banking and payments
You will set up the right business account and payment tools and know what lenders expect.
Do you need a separate business account as an autónomo? · Opening a company bank account, including the capital deposit · Taking card and Bizum payments in a small business
Income, assets, investments, and pensions
Helps you plan the Spanish tax treatment of income, assets and pensions.
Understand how Spain taxes what you earn and own: employment income, investments, property income, pensions, wealth and foreign-asset reporting, and how to time disposals around arrival.
Income tax map and treaties
You will see where each of your income streams and assets lands in Spanish tax and how to avoid paying twice.
How Spain taxes each type of income you have · Avoiding double tax with treaties and foreign tax credits · Records to keep for foreign income, gains and tax paid
Salary, benefits and equity
You will know what tax applies to your pay and how to avoid surprises from foreign payroll or share awards.
How payroll withholding (retención) works on your Spanish salary · Paid by a foreign employer while living in Spain · Which company benefits are tax-free in Spain and which count as pay
Investment income and capital gains
You will know how your portfolio is taxed in Spain and which choices change the result.
How Spain taxes interest and dividends (savings income) · Foreign dividends: Spanish tax plus tax already withheld abroad · How capital gains on shares and funds are calculated in Spain
Crypto tax and reporting
You will know which crypto events Spain taxes and what you must report and prove.
Selling, swapping and spending crypto: what Spain counts as taxable · Staking, DeFi, airdrops and mining income in Spain · Reporting crypto held abroad (Modelo 721) and what exchanges tell Hacienda
Rental income tax
You will know how rent from any property is taxed once you live in Spain.
Taxing rent from a Spanish property when you live in Spain · Taxing rent from a home abroad when you live in Spain · Tax on a second home you don't rent (renta imputada)
Pensions and retirement accounts
You will know who taxes your pension, how withdrawals are treated and what to decide before you become resident.
How foreign private and workplace pensions are taxed in Spain · Lump sum or regular income: how Spain taxes pension withdrawals · UK State Pension, US Social Security and other state pensions in Spain
Wealth and solidarity tax
You will know whether you owe wealth tax, how much and how to file.
Spanish wealth tax (Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio) for residents · The solidarity tax on large fortunes (Impuesto de Solidaridad) · Regional wealth tax allowances and what locks in your region
Reporting foreign assets (Modelo 720)
You will know whether you must declare foreign assets, how to value them and what to do if you missed a year.
Who must declare foreign assets (Modelo 720) and when · Valuing foreign accounts, shares and property for the declaration · Missed a foreign asset declaration? Late filing and penalties
Timing before you arrive
You will know what to sell, move or restructure before you arrive and what the calendar-year rule means.
Should you sell investments before you move? The calendar-year rule · Income and gains in the year you arrive · Restructuring investments and accounts before becoming resident
Social security and benefits
Helps you understand social security contributions and claim benefits.
Understand what Spanish social security covers and pays: registration, contributions, cross-border coordination and the main benefits.
Registration, records and your rights
You will understand who pays what, get your number and record in order, and know your rights and routes of challenge.
What your social security contributions actually buy you in Spain · Which Spanish body pays which benefit when your life changes · Which social security regime (régimen) applies to your job
Employee contributions and your payslip
You will read your payslip, know how your contract shape changes your record, and know what to do if contributions are not paid.
Reading the social security lines on your payslip (nómina) · Why your contribution rate creeps up each year (the MEI levy) · Contribution bases, minimums, maximums and the high-earner surcharge
Cross-border social security rules
You will know which system covers you, whether your foreign years count, and how to avoid paying twice.
How EU, EEA and Swiss social security coordination works for you · Do your home country's social security years count in Spain? · Does Spain have a social security agreement with your country?
Sick leave and work accidents
You will know the steps, the pay, your position as a new arrival and how to protect yourself if leave is challenged.
How sick leave (baja médica) works in Spain, step by step · How much sick pay you get and who pays it · Can you get sick pay in your first months in Spain?
Incapacity and non-contributory pensions
You will understand the incapacity grades, who can qualify, and what safety-net pensions exist.
Permanent incapacity in Spain, the grades and what each pays · How to apply for a permanent incapacity pension (incapacidad permanente) · Can you qualify for permanent incapacity after a short time in Spain?
Birth and family care leave benefits
You will know what social security pays around a birth, whether you qualify, and how to claim.
Parental leave pay (prestación por nacimiento), how long and how much · Do you qualify for birth benefit as a newcomer with few contributions? · How to claim birth benefit from the INSS and when to apply
Family benefits and minimum income
You will know which income-support and family benefits exist, whether you can claim them, and which office handles each.
Minimum income (ingreso mínimo vital), who can claim as a foreign resident · How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next · Child-related benefits you can claim in Spain
Unemployment benefit (paro) in Spain
You will know whether you qualify, how to claim on time, what you will receive and what to do to keep it.
Unemployment benefit in Spain, what a newcomer can count on · Which ways of leaving a job give you paro · How to apply for paro at the SEPE, and the deadline
State retirement pension in Spain
You will know whether you will get a Spanish pension, roughly how much, when, and how to claim and keep it.
At what age you can retire in Spain · Will you get a Spanish pension after only a few working years? · How Spain calculates your state pension
Survivor pensions and death benefits
You will know who can claim after a death, what is needed and what to do first.
Widow's and widower's pension (pensión de viudedad) in Spain · Survivor pension for unmarried partners (pareja de hecho) · Survivor pension when your spouse worked or married abroad
Related subjects
Questions in money and taxes usually lead into these.
Work and business
Employment, remote work, self-employment, running a business and your rights at work.
Immigration and residency
Visas, residence permits, the route that fits you, and keeping your status.
Housing and where to live
Choosing where to live, renting safely, buying, and settling into a home.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.