Checking your work-life record (vida laboral) and fixing errors

Terms used

• NIE — The NIE is the identity number for foreigners that you need for tax, work and contracts.
• DNI — The DNI is the national identity card of Spanish citizens.
• Vida laboral — The vida laboral is the official record of every period you have been registered with the Social Security as a worker.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the government's electronic identity system, used to log in to official websites and apps.
• CAISS — A CAISS is a Social Security service office where you can be attended in person with an appointment.
• Alta — The alta is your registration with the Social Security for a job or activity; the baja is the end of it.
• Grupo de cotización — The grupo de cotización is a number from 1 to 11 showing your job category for Social Security contributions.
• Informe de bases de cotización — The informe de bases de cotización is a separate report showing the amounts on which you paid Social Security contributions.

Key rules

• Cost: Your vida laboral is free through every channel.
• Contribution bases: Your contribution bases are not in the vida laboral; you need a separate report for them.
• Correction order: Ask your employer to fix an error first, then claim to the provincial Social Security office.
• Evidence: Keep contracts, payslips and bank transfers, because a claim needs proof.

How to get your vida laboral

The vida laboral is free, and you can get it in several ways. The online routes are the fastest.

• Online or in the app: Use the Social Security website or its app with Cl@ve or an electronic certificate. You get a PDF straight away.
• SMS code, no certificate: Use your DNI or NIE and a mobile number already registered with the Social Security. The code arrives by SMS. The report is then sent by post or can be downloaded.
• By phone: Call 91 541 13 94 or 901 50 20 50. The report comes by post to your registered address, usually within a few days.
• In person: Book an appointment at a CAISS office and bring your DNI or NIE, plus your passport.

The documents box below lists what each route needs. Delivery times and channels can change, so check the current options on the Social Security website.

How to read it

The record lists each period you were registered (alta) as a separate line. For each line, check:

• Regime: general (employee) or autónomos (self-employed).
• Company or activity: the employer and its contribution account code.
• Alta and baja dates: when you were registered and when you were taken off.
• Contribution group: the grupo de cotización runs from 1 to 11 and follows your job category. For example, 1 is engineers and degree-level staff, 3 is administrative managers, and 8 to 11 are manual workers.
• Contract type and part-time coefficient: the CTP shows how part-time your contract was.
• Days counted: each period has its own days figure.

Near the end, the total days column adds up the days in alta. A separate figure, días de cotización, is the one used for benefits. Look at both.

Your contribution bases are not in the vida laboral. Ask for the separate informe de bases de cotización if you want to see them.

If something is wrong

Do it in this order:

1. Ask your employer first. Many errors are a wrong date or group, and the employer can correct them.
2. Send a claim to the provincial Social Security office (Dirección Provincial of the TGSS). Do it through the online office, or at a CAISS with an appointment. Attach evidence: contracts, payslips, bank transfers, Social Security documents or a labour inspectorate report.
3. If work was never registered, you can ask the labour inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo) to investigate.
4. If the claim is rejected, you can appeal administratively (recurso de alzada) or go to the labour courts.

Answers commonly take weeks to months, and this varies by office. Start well before you need the record for a benefit or procedure.

If whole months are missing, see the "What if months are missing" section below.

Documents you need

• Cl@ve (Cl@ve PIN or permanent) or an electronic certificate or electronic DNI, to download the record online or in the app. This is the electronic ID you need for the instant PDF.

• Your DNI or NIE, plus its date of issue or equivalent data, for the route without a certificate. The Social Security sends an SMS code to a mobile number registered with it.

• A mobile phone number registered with the Social Security, to receive the SMS code on the route without a certificate.

• Your DNI or NIE, shown with your passport, if you go in person to a CAISS office (a Social Security service office). You need an appointment.

• Evidence of the error, such as contracts, payslips, bank transfers, Social Security documents or a labour inspectorate report, to attach to a correction claim.

Checklist

• Download your vida laboral for free online on the Social Security website or in its app, using Cl@ve or an electronic certificate.

• Use an SMS code sent to your registered mobile if you have no certificate, or phone 91 541 13 94 or 901 50 20 50 to get it by post, usually in a few days.

• Book an appointment and bring your ID to a CAISS office if you prefer to ask in person.

• Check each period's regime (general or autónomos), the company, and the alta and baja dates against your real work history.

• Check the contribution group (grupo de cotización, 1 to 11) matches your job category, for example 1 for engineers and degree-level staff or 8 to 11 for manual workers.

• Check the contract type and the part-time coefficient (CTP), then compare the days counted in each period with the days you worked.

• Ask for the separate informe de bases de cotización if you want to see your contribution bases, because the vida laboral does not show them.

• Ask your employer to correct any error first.

• If that fails, send a claim to the provincial office of the Social Security (the Dirección Provincial) through its online office, or at a CAISS with an appointment, attaching your evidence.

• Ask the labour inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo) to investigate if a period of work was never registered.

What to watch out for

• Going straight to a claim: If you skip asking your employer first, you may lose time, because the claim process is slower than a simple fix by the employer. Ask your employer in writing to correct the error first, and keep a copy of the request.

• Claiming without evidence: A claim without proof is likely to be rejected, and you then have to appeal.

• Unregistered work left unfixed: Missing periods of registration do not count towards your record, and an employer may not fix them on its own. Ask the labour inspectorate to investigate the missing registration, and send your claim to the provincial Social Security office.

• Waiting for a slow answer: Answers commonly take weeks to months, and a rejection is not the end.

What if months are missing from your work-life record?

Start with your employer, then go to Social Security if that does not fix it. Most gaps are a registration the employer filed late or never filed, or a wrong date. Do the steps in this order.

Step 1: Ask your employer in writing

Send an email or letter that names the period that is missing or wrong. Ask them to correct or complete your registration (the alta). Keep a copy and proof that you sent it.

Step 2: Claim to Social Security

If your employer does not act, file a claim with the provincial office of the TGSS, the Social Security treasury body that keeps your record. You can do it in two ways:

• Online, through the Social Security's electronic office (sede electrónica).
• In person at a CAISS, a Social Security service centre. You need an appointment.

Attach proof that you worked in the missing period. Accepted evidence includes:

• Employment contracts.
• Payslips.
• Bank transfers showing you were paid.
• Documents issued by Social Security itself.
• A labour inspectorate report.

Messages with your employer and the names of colleagues who saw you work help too. They are most useful alongside the documents above.

Step 3: Report the employer to the labour inspectorate

If the employer never registered you, or registered you late, you can file a complaint with the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social. Do this online or at its provincial office. It can inspect the company, fine it and make it pay the missing contributions. You can also tell the TGSS about the case.

If your claim is rejected

The TGSS issues a written decision. If it rejects your claim, you can appeal within the administration (a recurso de alzada) or take the case to the labour courts.

Deadlines to watch

• A claim over a dismissal must be filed within 20 working days.
• Claims for unpaid wages generally expire after one year.

Acting early also keeps your evidence fresh. A union or an employment lawyer can check which deadline applies to you.

Processing times differ by provincial office, and a decision commonly takes weeks to months. Ask your office what to expect when you file.

Quick answers on social security numbers and your record

Is the social security number (NUSS) the same as my NIE?

No, the NUSS and the NIE are two different numbers. The NUSS is your 12-digit social security number, assigned by the social security treasury (TGSS). The NIE is your foreigner ID number, issued for identification.

Can I get a NUSS before I have a job?

Yes, you can ask for a NUSS without having a job, because it is a personal number you keep for life. Foreigners usually need a NIE, a valid residence document or a passport, and some offices ask why you want it. A NUSS alone does not give you permission to work.

Does having a NUSS give me a health card?

No, a NUSS alone does not give you a health card (tarjeta sanitaria). First ask the INSS, the national social security institute, for the document proving your right to healthcare, using an appointment (cita previa). Bring your ID or NIE, your NUSS, proof of address (padrón) and proof of why you are covered, such as a job registration. Then register at your local health centre.

Can someone else request my records or manage my social security matters for me?

Yes, you can authorise another person, but you need a signed authorisation with ID copies of both of you, or a registered power of attorney. Advisers and companies can also act for you through the official RED system. Some steps, such as giving fingerprints or signing, may still need you there in person.