Which aid does not come from social security

Terms used

• Empadronamiento — Empadronamiento is your registration at your town hall as a resident, and it is often needed to apply for local aid.
• Servicios sociales — Servicios sociales are the town hall or regional social services offices that assess your need and handle local aid.
• INSS — The INSS is the national social security institute that pays pensions, the minimum income and child-related benefits.
• SEPE — SEPE is the public employment service that pays unemployment benefit.
• IMV — The IMV is the national minimum income paid to low-income households through social security.

Key rules

• First stop: For emergency help, go to your town hall's servicios sociales centre, not social security.
• Unemployment benefit: Unemployment benefit comes from SEPE, not from your town hall.
• Regional help: Regional social services handle dependency help and the large-family title.
• Local rules: Requirements and timing vary by town hall, so ask your own office.

Local aid comes from your town hall or region

Many aids are not paid by social security. Town halls and regional governments give them through social services (servicios sociales). If you have a low income and live in a town, start with your town hall's servicios sociales centre.

What local offices usually offer

Typical aid includes:

• Emergency social aid for rent arrears, utilities and food.
• School meal and textbook grants.
• Childcare and nursery aid.
• Rent and housing aid.
• Reduced-price transport passes for low incomes.
• Home help (ayuda a domicilio) and dependency services.
• Heating and energy aid.
• Food banks.

What exists, and who qualifies, differs by town and region. Ask what your own town hall offers.

Which office handles what

• Social security (INSS): the minimum income (IMV), birth and child-related benefits, pensions and disability benefits. The Basque Country and Navarre run the IMV themselves.
• SEPE: unemployment benefit.
• Regional social services: regional minimum-income schemes, dependency help and the large-family title.
• Town hall: emergency aid, home help, empadronamiento and local tax discounts.
• Agencia Tributaria: tax deductions for families.

How emergency aid works

You normally book an appointment at the servicios sociales centre. A social worker assesses your situation and writes a report. Urgent cases can be decided in days. Others can take a few weeks. Payment often goes straight to your landlord or supplier, not to you.

You must usually be registered at your town hall in the municipality where you apply. If you are not yet registered, do that first. The documents list and checklist below show what to bring and the steps to follow.

Documents you need

• ID or NIE (foreigner identity number)

• Empadronamiento certificate (proof you are registered at your town hall) from the municipality where you apply

• Proof of income

• Your rent contract or recent bills

• Bank details for the payment

• Proof of the emergency, such as an eviction or arrears notice or a utility cut-off notice

Checklist

• Check that you are registered (empadronado) in the town where you apply.

• Contact your town hall's servicios sociales centre and book an appointment.

• Ask which documents your town hall wants for emergency aid.

• Gather your ID or NIE, income proof, rent or bills, bank details and proof of the emergency.

• Attend the appointment so the social worker can assess your need and prepare a report.

• Ask whether payment will go directly to your landlord or supplier, and when to expect a decision.

Frequently asked questions

Which office do I go to for unemployment benefit or the minimum income?

Unemployment benefit is handled by SEPE, and the minimum income (IMV) is handled by the INSS, the Seguridad Social office. In the Basque Country and Navarre, the regional administration handles the minimum income itself. Town halls do not handle either one.

Who pays emergency aid, and how is it paid?

Emergency aid is paid by the town hall, and the money often goes straight to your landlord or supplier rather than to you. A social worker first assesses your case. Urgent cases can be decided in days, others in a few weeks.

Which office handles the large-family title and dependency help?

Regional social services handle the large-family title, dependency services and regional minimum-income schemes. Your town hall handles home help (ayuda a domicilio) and local tax discounts. Tax deductions for families are claimed through the Agencia Tributaria, Spain's tax agency.