State retirement pension in Spain

It is for people thinking about moving to Spain, planning a move, or already settling in. It is especially useful if your Spanish career will be short, or if you are close to retirement and need to know how to claim.

Start with "At what age you can retire in Spain". Your retirement age sets the timeline for everything else. Then read "Will you get a Spanish pension after only a few working years?" to check whether you meet the minimum record.

Taxes on pensions, claiming pensions from other countries, healthcare through S1 and private pension plans are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Minimum record: You need at least 15 years of contributions, with at least 2 of them in the 15 years before you retire.
• Claim window: You can file your retirement claim up to 3 months before your retirement date, and a late claim is paid back at most 3 months.
• Payments: The pension is paid in 14 instalments a year.
• Final age: The ordinary retirement age stops rising once it reaches 67 in 2027.
• Retiring at 65: You can retire at 65 only with a long contribution record of at least 38 years and 3 months.
• Short record: If you fall short, you get no contributory pension, though other routes may exist.

State retirement pension in Spain: the whole process, step by step

• Check your retirement age (At what age you can retire in Spain): Years before you plan to stop work. In 2026 the age is 66 years and 8 months, or 65 with 38 years and 3 months of contributions; it reaches 67 in 2027

• Check you have the minimum record (Will you get a Spanish pension after only a few working years?): Years before retiring. You need at least 15 years of contributions, with at least 2 of them in the 15 years before you retire

• Add foreign work years if you worked abroad (How your foreign work years add to your Spanish pension): Well before you claim, because foreign periods must be certified

• Check credits for career breaks and childcare (How career breaks and childcare years count toward your pension): Before you estimate your pension, so gaps and childcare years are counted

• Estimate your pension (How Spain calculates your state pension): Before you choose a retirement date; the base is the average of your contribution bases over the last 25 years

• Decide whether to retire early, late or part-time (Retiring early, late or part-time, and what changes): Before you stop work; early retirement is possible up to about two years before the ordinary age, with a reduction

• File your claim (How to claim your Spanish retirement pension): Up to 3 months before your retirement date, ideally 2 to 3 months before

• Wait for the decision (How to claim your Spanish retirement pension): The INSS has 90 days to resolve; a late claim is paid back at most 3 months

• Check for a top-up if your pension is low (Top-ups for low pensions): Once your pension is awarded; the top-up is only paid to people who live in Spain

• Tell the INSS if you move abroad (Taking your Spanish pension abroad): When you leave Spain; the top-up ends and the base pension continues in your new country

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your ID document — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension

Income and work

• Proof of 2 years' seniority in your company — Retiring early, late or part-time, and what changes

The home and the lease

• Your relief contract — Retiring early, late or part-time, and what changes

Guarantees

• Your foreign insurance numbers — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension

Other documents

• Your Social Security number — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension
• A bank certificate showing your IBAN — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension
• The completed claim form — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension
• Certificate of life — Taking your Spanish pension abroad
• Proof that your last job ended — How to claim your Spanish retirement pension

State retirement pension in Spain: questions that cross several articles

Can I retire at 65 in Spain in 2026?

Yes, you can retire at 65 in 2026 if you have at least 38 years and 3 months of contributions. With less, the age is 66 years and 8 months, rising to 67 in 2027.

Do my years in other EU countries count towards the minimum record?

Yes, years in other EU/EEA or treaty countries can be added to your Spanish years to reach the minimum record. The 2 recent years are also part of the minimum record. Read How your foreign work years add to your Spanish pension next.

Do gaps in my record lower my pension?

Yes, gaps can lower your pension, but months with no contributions in the base period are filled with the minimum base, at 100% for the first 48 months and 50% after. Childcare years can also be credited. Read How Spain calculates your state pension and How career breaks and childcare years count toward your pension.

Will my pension top-up continue if I move abroad?

No, the top-up to the minimum stops when you move abroad, because it is only paid to people living in Spain. Your base pension continues in your new country and you must tell the INSS. Read Top-ups for low pensions (complemento a mínimos) and Taking your Spanish pension abroad.