Checking your employer has registered you (alta) with social security

Terms used

• Alta — The alta is your registration with social security as a worker, which starts your cover and contributions.
• Resolución de alta — The resolución de alta is the written confirmation that your employer has registered you with social security.
• Informe de situación actual — The informe de situación actual is a social security report showing whether you are in alta now and with which company.
• Vida laboral — The vida laboral is a social security report listing all your registered work periods.
• Baja — The baja is the end of your social security registration with an employer, for example when a job ends.
• Finiquito — The finiquito is the final settlement your employer pays when the job ends, including unused holiday time.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the government's digital ID system for using official websites and apps.
• SEPE — The SEPE is Spain's public employment service, which pays unemployment benefit.

Key rules

• Alta timing: Your employer must register you before you start work, and no more than 60 days before.
• Proof: You can prove your alta yourself with your informe de situación actual, without waiting for your employer.
• Baja report: Your employer must report your baja to the TGSS within 3 calendar days of the contract ending.
• Unemployment claim: You have 15 working days after your job ends to claim unemployment benefit, and late claims lose benefit days.

Your employer must register you before you start

Your employer must register you (alta) with social security before you start work, and no more than 60 days before. If the alta is filed after you begin, it counts as late. The employer can be penalised and is liable for any benefits you would have missed.

Employers normally file the alta online through the RED system. Household employers use Import@ss instead, and since 2023 they must register their household employees too. Farm work, domestic work and self-employment have their own rules, so ask the social security office (TGSS) if you are not in the general regime.

How to prove your alta

You do not need to rely on your employer's word. You have three ways to check.

• Ask for the resolución de alta. Your employer must give you a copy of this confirmation.
• Download your informe de situación actual. It shows whether you are in alta today and with which company.
• Download your vida laboral. It lists every registered period. A new alta can take a few days to appear, so check again before you worry.

To download reports you need Cl@ve or a digital certificate, on the social security website or app. If you have neither, use the phone line, the Import@ss service, or a TGSS office (with an appointment). The documents list and the checklist below cover what to collect.

If your alta is missing or late, ask your employer in writing to fix it. The message template below gives you wording.

What happens at baja

A baja is the end of your registration when the job ends. Here is what follows.

• Your employer must report the baja to the TGSS within 3 calendar days of the contract ending.
• Your cover and contributions stop on the end date.
• You get a settlement (finiquito), including pay for any unused holiday time.
• You have 15 working days after your job ends to claim unemployment benefit (prestación por desempleo) from the SEPE, and late claims lose benefit days.
• To qualify, you need enough contributions: at least 360 days in the last 6 years.

While you receive unemployment benefit, you can stay covered for healthcare. If you do not qualify for the benefit, you may qualify for the subsidy. You can also keep paying in voluntarily through a special agreement. Rules and eligibility depend on how your contract ended, so ask the SEPE about your case.

Registrations to complete after arrival, by work model

Registrations after arrival, by work model

• Get your NIE and register on the padrón (the list of residents kept by your town hall). Everyone needs both, whatever the work model.: before you start

• If you are an employee, make sure your employer registers you with social security (alta) and gives you your social security number (NUSS) if you have none. The employer also withholds income tax (IRPF) and pays your contributions.: before your first day of work

• If you are self-employed, register for tax in the census (Modelo 036 or 037) with the Agencia Tributaria, Spain's tax agency, and join the autónomos scheme (RETA) with social security. You then file tax returns every quarter and every year.: before you start working

• If you work remotely for a foreign employer, ask whether the employer is registered in Spain. If not, you may need to register as self-employed, or EU or bilateral rules may decide where you pay. Either way, you declare your income to the tax agency as a tax resident.: as soon as you arrive

• Employee alta must be done before you start work and no more than 60 days before.: before your first day of work, and no more than 60 days before

• Keep these confirmations: the NUSS assignment document from social security; for employees, the alta resolution, your payslips and the contract communication to the public employment service (Contrat@); for RETA, the alta resolution and contribution receipts; for tax, the Modelo 036/037 acknowledgment and the certificado de situación censal; the NIE certificate or TIE card; and the padrón certificate from your town hall.: as each registration is completed

• Ask your employer to handle your alta. Ask the social security office (TGSS) for your NUSS and RETA registration, the tax agency for your census registration, and your town hall for the padrón.: when you start each registration

• If your alta is late or missing, check your vida laboral, then ask your employer in writing to fix it.: as soon as you notice a gap

• If your employer does not fix it, file a complaint with the labour and social security inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social), online or at its provincial office, and tell social security. You can also go to the labour courts. A dismissal claim must be made within 20 working days, and wage claims generally expire after one year. Keep messages, bank transfers and witness details as proof you worked.: if the employer has not fixed it after your written request

Documents you need

• Copy of your alta resolution (resolución de alta), which your employer must give you.

• Informe de situación actual from the social security website or app, showing whether you are in alta and with which company. You need Cl@ve or an electronic certificate to download it.

• Vida laboral report from the social security website or app, listing all your registered periods. You need Cl@ve or an electronic certificate to download it.

• Settlement (finiquito) from your employer when the job ends, including pay for unused holiday time.

Checklist for your first week of social security registration

Your first week of social security registration

• Get your social security number (NUSS). Apply with form TA.1 and your ID at a social security office (TGSS), usually with an appointment, or online with Cl@ve or a digital certificate.

• Ask your employer for a copy of your alta confirmation (resolución de alta).

• Download your informe de situación actual from the social security website or app to see that you are in alta and with which company.

• Download your vida laboral report, which is free and lists all your registered periods. A new alta can take a few days to show up, so check again if it is missing.

Message asking your employer to confirm your filings in writing

Send this by email so you have a written record. Fill in the blanks in brackets before you send it.

Message to send

Subject: Confirmation of my Social Security registration and contract

Hello [employer's or HR contact's name],

I started work on [start date] as [job title]. Could you please confirm in writing that my registration is complete? I would like to receive:

1. A copy of my signed contract.
2. The Social Security registration confirmation (the alta), showing my start date.
3. Confirmation that my contract was communicated to SEPE (Contrat@).

Once I am on the payroll, please also send me my payslips and the Social Security contribution receipts each month.

Could you reply by [date, for example one week from today]? If any of this is still pending, please tell me what is missing and when it will be done.

Thank you, [Your full name] [Your NIE or passport number] [Your phone number]

Spanish version

Asunto: Confirmación de mi alta en la Seguridad Social y de mi contrato

Hola [nombre de la persona de contacto]:

Empecé a trabajar el [fecha de inicio] como [puesto]. ¿Podrías confirmarme por escrito que mi alta está completa? Me gustaría recibir:

1. Una copia de mi contrato firmado.
2. El justificante del alta en la Seguridad Social, con mi fecha de inicio.
3. La confirmación de que el contrato se ha comunicado al SEPE (Contrat@).

Cuando ya esté en nómina, también agradecería recibir cada mes mis nóminas y los recibos de cotización a la Seguridad Social.

¿Podrías responderme antes del [fecha]? Si algo está pendiente, dime qué falta y cuándo estará listo.

Gracias, [Tu nombre completo] [Tu NIE o pasaporte] [Tu teléfono]

Good to know

• Document names vary between employers. The old TC1 and TC2 forms were replaced by an electronic system, so your employer may call the contribution receipt by another name. Any official proof of contributions is fine.
• You can also check your registration yourself. Download your Informe de Vida Laboral from the Seguridad Social website using Cl@ve or a digital certificate. It should show your employer and your start date.

Document names vary because social security now uses an electronic payment system, so accept the equivalent your employer holds.

Frequently asked questions

Does my employer have to register me if I work as a household employee?

Yes, since 2023 domestic employers must also register household employees with social security. Employers of domestic workers can file through the Import@ss service. Special regimes such as agrarian work have their own rules, so ask the social security office if that is your case.

How many days does my employer have to report my baja?

Your employer must report your baja to social security within 3 calendar days of the end of your contract, normally through the RED system. Your coverage and contributions stop on the end date.

Can I keep healthcare cover after my baja?

Yes, you may stay covered for healthcare while you receive unemployment benefit. If you are unemployed without benefit, you may qualify for a subsidy. You can also sign a special agreement to keep contributing voluntarily.

What if my new alta does not show on my vida laboral?

A recent alta can take a few days to appear on your vida laboral report. The informe de situación actual shows right away whether you are in alta and with which company. If it is still missing, call social security or book a CAISS office appointment.