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.
- topics
- 10
- articles
- 85
- of reading
- 7.7 hours
Begin with
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
More in social security and benefits
9 more topics in this section, about 7.7 hours of reading in all.
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
Other sections in Money and taxes
First-year budget and cash runway
Helps you know how much cash the first year in Spain needs.
Tax residency and filing
Helps you know when you are tax resident and file correctly.
Banking, payments, and credit
Helps you open accounts, move money and access credit in Spain.
Income, assets, investments, and pensions
Helps you plan the Spanish tax treatment of income, assets and pensions.
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.