Having a baby in your first year in Spain

Key rules

• Birth leave benefit: With enough contributions, you receive 100% of your regulatory base for the leave.
• Contribution test: If you are 26 or over, you need 180 days in the last 7 years or 360 days over your working life.
• Non-contributory benefit: Without the contributions, only the mother can claim, for 42 calendar days.
• No benefit: If you qualify for neither, plan for no state income during the leave.

The short answer

Your income during birth leave depends on one thing: whether you have paid into Social Security for long enough before the birth. If you have, you receive 100% of your base salary during the leave. If you have not, only the mother may get a small flat benefit for 42 calendar days. If neither applies, you get no income from the state during the leave.

The income gap, three ways

With the full birth leave benefit. You are paid 100% of the base salary used for sick-pay benefit (the "regulatory base"). The INSS pays it. For most employees this is close to normal pay, so the gap is small.

With the non-contributory benefit (mother only). You get 100% of the IPREM, which was EUR 600 a month in 2025. That is about EUR 25 a day for 42 days, roughly EUR 1,050 in total. If your normal pay is higher, the gap is large.

With no benefit. You get nothing from the state while you are on leave. Plan for no income for the whole leave, and save for it before the birth if you can.

Do you have enough contributions?

You must be registered and in alta (affiliated and contributing) in Social Security, or in an equivalent situation, on the day of the birth. The minimum then depends on your age at the birth:

• Under 21: no minimum.
• 21 to 25: 90 days in the last 7 years, or 180 days over your whole working life.
• 26 or over: 180 days in the last 7 years, or 360 days over your whole working life.

In your first year in Spain, the "last 7 years" test is often the hard part, because you have only a few months of Spanish contributions. Count your days early. Ask the INSS to confirm your total before you rely on the benefit.

How long the leave lasts

Each parent has 19 weeks of birth leave. The first 6 weeks come straight after the birth, are compulsory and are taken full time. The other 13 weeks can be taken in one block or in parts during the child's first 12 months. Single-parent families can combine both parents' entitlements.

Laws on extending the leave have been discussed recently, so check the current length with the INSS.

If you do not have the contributions

The mother can claim the non-contributory benefit, paid by the INSS. The father cannot. Requirements include living in Spain and having income below a set limit. It lasts 42 calendar days from the birth, and longer for a large family, a single-parent family, a disability or a multiple birth.

What to do now

1. Check that you are registered and contributing.
2. Count your contribution days against the table above.
3. Work out your monthly gap using the figures above.
4. Ask the INSS which benefit you qualify for before the birth.

The decision, timeline and questions below walk you through the choice and the dates.

Choosing between options

Which birth benefit can you claim?

• Birth leave benefit with 100% of your base salary: You are registered and contributing to Social Security at the birth and have enough contribution days for your age. You get 19 weeks of leave per parent, paid by the INSS.

• Non-contributory birth benefit for the mother: You are the mother, you lack the contribution record, you live in Spain and your income is under the set limit. It pays about EUR 25 a day for 42 calendar days, based on the 2025 figure of EUR 600 a month.

• No benefit, so plan for no income during the leave: You lack the contributions and you are not the mother, or the mother's income is over the limit. Budget for the full gap and ask the INSS what else applies.

Enough contribution days for your age means the leave benefit at 100% of your base salary. Without them, only the mother on a low income who lives in Spain can claim the 42-day benefit.

Timeline and deadlines

• Make sure you are registered and contributing to Social Security: before the birth, and still in place on the day of birth

• Count your contribution days: 90 or 180 days in the last 7 years if you are 21 to 25, 180 or 360 if you are over 26: before you apply

• Take the compulsory 6 weeks of leave in full time: immediately after the birth

• Take the remaining 13 weeks of leave, in one block or in parts: within the child's first 12 months

• If you lack the contributions, the mother claims the non-contributory benefit for 42 calendar days: from the day of the birth

Frequently asked questions

How many days of contributions do I need if I am over 26?

If you are over 26 at the birth, you need 180 days of contributions in the last 7 years, or 360 days over your whole working life. You must also be registered and contributing to Social Security when the baby is born.

Can the father claim the non-contributory birth benefit?

No, the non-contributory birth benefit is only for the mother. She must live in Spain and have income below a set limit. The father without enough contributions has no equivalent benefit in these rules, so ask the INSS what applies to you.

How much is the non-contributory birth benefit worth?

The non-contributory benefit is 100% of the IPREM, a yearly reference amount, which was EUR 600 a month in 2025.