Family benefits and minimum income

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. You will learn which benefits exist, whether you can claim them, and which office handles each one.

Start with "Minimum income (ingreso mínimo vital), who can claim as a foreign resident". It sets out the residence, income and household conditions, and it tells you quickly whether the national scheme is open to you. From there, move on to the application steps, the child benefits, the large-family title, the regional schemes, or the aid that sits outside social security.

Childcare subsidies, utility discounts and family tax deductions are covered elsewhere, not here.

Key rules

• Residence period: You must have lived legally and continuously in Spain for at least one year immediately before applying for the minimum income (ingreso mínimo vital), unless an exemption applies.
• Appeal deadline: To challenge a refusal or reduction, file a reclamación previa within 30 days of the notification.
• Decision time: The Seguridad Social has six months from the application date to decide; if it does not, the application counts as refused.
• Reporting changes: If you receive the minimum income, you must report any change in household, income, assets, work, residence or address within 30 days.
• Residence: A short-term visa or an irregular stay does not count towards your legal residence.
• Holder age: The holder must generally be aged 23 to 65, with exceptions for parents and victims of gender violence or trafficking.

Family benefits and minimum income: the whole process, step by step

From first check to challenge

• Check the national minimum income conditions, including the one-year legal residence rule (read the eligibility article): before you apply

• Check regional minimum-income schemes, which often ask for 6 to 12 months of registration (empadronamiento) in the region (read the regional schemes article): before you apply, as periods vary by region

• Apply for the minimum income and gather your evidence (read the application article): once you meet the conditions

• Wait for the decision; no answer counts as a refusal: six months from the application date

• Report any change in household, income, assets, work, residence or address: within 30 days of the change

• Challenge a refusal or reduction with a reclamación previa: within 30 days of the notification

• Take the case to the social court if the reclamación is rejected or goes unanswered: within 30 days of the rejection or of the end of the 45-day wait

• Look at child benefits, the large-family title and aid outside social security (read those articles): alongside any of the steps above

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Padrón certificate — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next, The large-family title (título de familia numerosa) and what it unlocks
• Identity document — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next
• NIE or residence card of both parents and of the children — The large-family title (título de familia numerosa) and what it unlocks

Income and work

• Proof of income — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next, Which aid does not come from social security

Other documents

• Proof that you have lived legally in Spain for the required period before — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next
• Household composition evidence — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next
• Bank account certificate — How to apply for the minimum income and what happens next
• Your EU registration certificate or card — Minimum income (ingreso mínimo vital), who can claim as a foreign resident
• Foreign birth certificates or other documents proving the parent-child link — The large-family title (título de familia numerosa) and what it unlocks

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.