How much paro you get and for how long

Terms used

• Paro — Paro is Spain's unemployment benefit, paid to people who lose a job after paying enough contributions.
• Base reguladora — The base reguladora is the average daily amount you contributed for unemployment in your last 180 days worked, used to calculate your paro.
• IPREM — The IPREM is the public reference amount Spain uses instead of the minimum wage to set benefit limits, updated by the government.
• SEPE — SEPE is Spain's public employment service, which pays and manages unemployment benefits.

Key rules

• Dependent children: Having one or more dependent children raises your minimum, and two or more raise your maximum further.
• Overtime: Overtime is not counted in your base reguladora.
• IPREM: The euro limits move every year with the IPREM, so use the current figures.

The short version

Paro pays a percentage of your base reguladora, kept within a minimum and a maximum. How long it lasts depends on how many days you paid contributions. Having dependent children raises both the minimum and the maximum. The calculator below gives you an estimate, and the timeline shows the steps.

How your monthly amount is worked out

Your base reguladora is the average daily amount you contributed for unemployment over your last 180 days worked before you lost your job. Overtime is left out. To get a monthly figure, the daily average is multiplied by 30.

Paro then pays 70% of that figure for the first 180 days and 50% from day 181. The result is then checked against the minimum and maximum below. If it falls under the minimum, you get the minimum. If it is over the maximum, you get the maximum.

The minimum and maximum depend on the IPREM and your children

The IPREM is a public reference amount the government sets, normally each year. Paro limits are percentages of it, so the euro figures change when the IPREM changes. Check the current IPREM and the resulting limits with SEPE before you rely on any number.

The percentages of the IPREM are:

• No dependent children: minimum 80%, maximum 175%.
• One dependent child: minimum 107%, maximum 200%.
• Two or more dependent children: minimum 107%, maximum 225%.

These are based on the 14-payment IPREM. The decision tool below helps you pick the row that fits you.

A dependent child is under 26, or any age if they have a disability of 33% or more. The child must live with you and have income below 75% of the minimum wage.

How long paro lasts

You need at least 360 days of contributions in the 6 years before losing your job. That gives 120 days of paro. More contributions give more days:

This scale is for employees who lose their job involuntarily. It does not cover claims for a subsidy only.

Before you plan around the figure

Your estimate is only as good as your base reguladora and the IPREM in force when you claim. Ask SEPE for your contribution record and the current limits.

Choosing between options

Which minimum and maximum monthly paro apply to you?

• No dependent children: You have no dependent children: your minimum is 80% of the IPREM and your maximum is 175% of the IPREM.

• One dependent child: You have one dependent child: your minimum is 107% of the IPREM and your maximum is 200% of the IPREM.

• Two or more dependent children: You have two or more dependent children: your minimum is 107% of the IPREM and your maximum is 225% of the IPREM.

Count only dependent children: under 26, or any age if disabled at 33% or more, living with you and with income below 75% of the minimum wage. The IPREM is a yearly public reference figure, so the euro limits change each year.

Timeline and deadlines

• Your base reguladora is set from your pay in your last 180 days worked: Before your paro starts

• Paro pays 70% of your base reguladora: Days 1 to 180 of paro

• Paro drops to 50% of your base reguladora: From day 181 of paro

• Paro lasts 120 days if you contributed 360 to 539 days in the last 6 years: Shortest duration, at the minimum of 360 days

• Paro lasts up to 720 days (24 months) if you contributed 2,160 days or more: Longest duration

Estimate your paro amount and duration

Work it out

What you enter

• Days you contributed in the last 6 years (days): Your vida laboral report from Social Security, counting days worked in the 6 years before losing your job.
• Your average daily contribution base over the last 180 days worked (EUR): Your recent payslips or the vida laboral report; overtime is not counted.
• Number of dependent children (children): A dependent child is under 26 (any age if disabled at 33% or more), lives with you and earns under 75% of the minimum wage.

Figures used

• Monthly IPREM, 14-payment basis: 700 EUR (as of 2025; check the current figure before you rely on it)
• Minimum as share of IPREM, no children: 0.8 ratio (as of 2025)
• Minimum as share of IPREM, with children: 1.07 ratio (as of 2025)
• Maximum as share of IPREM, no children: 1.75 ratio (as of 2025)
• Maximum as share of IPREM, one child: 2 ratio (as of 2025)
• Maximum as share of IPREM, two or more children: 2.25 ratio (as of 2025)
• Rate for the first 180 days: 0.7 ratio (as of 2025)
• Rate from day 181: 0.5 ratio (as of 2025)

Worked example (with Days you contributed in the last 6 years 1,100 days, Your average daily contribution base over the last 180 days worked 60 EUR, Number of dependent children 1 children)

When the sum misleads

• If you have fewer than 360 days of contributions, the result is 0 days: you do not qualify for contributory paro, so ask the SEPE about a subsidy instead.
• Your real base reguladora may differ if your pay changed in the last 180 days, so treat the result as an estimate.
• Paro is capped by the monthly maximum and floored by the monthly minimum, so a very high or very low base will not change the amount.

Frequently asked questions

Does overtime count in my base reguladora?

No, overtime is left out of your base reguladora because it is contributed separately. The base is your average daily contribution base over the last 180 days you worked, and multiplying that daily figure by 30 gives the monthly amount.

How many days of paro do I get if I have contributed 1,080 days?

With 1,080 days contributed you get 360 days of paro, because 1,080 to 1,259 days falls in that band. Each extra 180 days contributed adds 60 days of paro, up to 720 days (24 months) once you reach 2,160 days.

What is the IPREM and why does it matter for my paro?

The IPREM is a public reference figure, used instead of the minimum wage, that sets the lowest and highest monthly paro you can receive. In 2025 it was 20 euros per day, or 600 euros per month over 12 payments. The government sets it each year, so the euro limits change with it.