Applying for and renewing the social energy discount (bono social)

Key rules

• Where to apply: Send your application only to a reference supplier, since other electricity companies cannot grant the discount.
• Cut-off protection: Your supplier cannot cut your supply for non-payment while your application is pending.
• Start date: If approved, the discount counts from the day the supplier received your application.
• Renewal: Renew before the end date if your status can't be checked automatically, or you may lose the discount.

Apply to a reference supplier

You apply to a comercializadora de referencia, not to any electricity company. These are the suppliers legally required to accept applications. They belong to the main energy groups, and each one publishes a freephone number, web form, email and postal address for applications. The national energy regulator and the energy ministry publish the current list, so check contact details there before you send anything.

You can apply by web form, phone, email, post or in person at a supplier office. Your supply must be at your main home in Spain.

The application uses an official form, which suppliers publish on their websites. It asks for:

• your details and your supply details
• your consent for the data check
• your supporting documents

The documents you need depend on your route. They are listed in the documents section below.

Keep proof of the day the supplier received your application. That date matters for when your discount starts.

How long the answer takes

The supplier has 15 days to answer a complete application. If documents are missing, it must tell you and you get 10 days to supply them. Send them quickly and keep proof that you did.

While your application is pending, the supplier cannot cut off your supply for non-payment.

When the discount starts

Once approved, the discount counts from the day the supplier received your application. The supplier applies it from the first bill after that date and adjusts the bill. Look at your first bill and the supplier's confirmation letter to check the start date.

How long it lasts and how to renew

The bono social is valid for two years, and the supplier must warn you before it ends.

For many households, renewal is automatic. The supplier checks your data with the tax agency and Social Security. If you qualify by income or another status that can be checked this way, you may not need to do anything.

Renewal is not automatic when your status can't be checked that way. An example is a large-family certificate. Then you must submit your documents again. Do it as soon as the warning arrives, before the end date, so the discount does not lapse.

If your application is refused or lapses, see the section on what to do below. The timeline and checklist below show the steps in order.

Timeline and deadlines

• Send your complete application to a reference supplier: on the day you apply

• The supplier checks your application and answers: within 15 days of receiving a complete application

• Send any missing documents the supplier asks for: within 10 days of the supplier telling you

• Your supply is protected from cut-off for non-payment: while the application is pending

• The discount starts, counted from the date the supplier received your application: on your first bill after approval

• Read the supplier's warning that your discount is ending: before the two years end

• Submit your documents again if renewal is not automatic: before the discount expires

Documents needed to apply for the social energy discount

Evidence to gather for each route

• Official application form, signed by the account holder and by every household member aged over 14. It includes a declaration that your details are true, that the supply is the home you live in, and that no one in your household has the bono social at another address. It also gives consent for the administration to check your data with the tax agency, the Social Security and regional authorities.

• Income route: if the data check with the tax agency (AEAT) is not possible, your income tax return or a tax data certificate for each household member.

• Income route: proof of who lives in the household, such as a certificate of registration at your address (empadronamiento) or the family book (libro de familia).

• Income route: ID for every adult member of the household.

• Large-family route: the official large-family title (título de familia numerosa) issued by your region, valid on the day you apply. If it expires, give an updated one or proof that you have applied to renew it.

• Minimum-pension route: usually nothing extra, because the supplier and the Ministry check with the Social Security (INSS) once you consent. If proof is asked for, bring an INSS certificate or resolution showing your pension and its amount.

• Ingreso Mínimo Vital (IMV, the minimum income benefit) route: the INSS resolution granting it, or a certificate showing you receive it.

Checklist

• Pick a reference supplier (comercializadora de referencia) and check its current contact details.

• Get the official application form from the supplier's website.

• Fill in the form with your details, supply details and consent for the data check, and attach your supporting documents.

• Send any missing documents within 10 days of the supplier asking for them.

• Check that your first bill after approval shows the discount from the date the supplier received your application.

• When the supplier warns you the two years are ending, submit your documents again if renewal is not automatic.

What if your bono social application is refused or lapses

Why an application is refused

Your supplier must tell you in writing that it has refused your application, and why. The usual reasons are:

• Your household income is above the limit.
• The home is not your main residence.
• The contract holder is not the person who applied.
• The power you have contracted is above the limit.
• Documents are missing or wrong.
• Your status certificate is not valid, for example an expired large-family certificate.
• Your details could not be confirmed.

The letter should also list any documents you still need to send. Read it first, because it tells you which fix to make.

Why it lapses

The bono social lasts two years. Your supplier must warn you before it ends. Renewal is often automatic if you qualify by income or vulnerable status. If you qualified with a certificate, you usually have to send it again.

If you do nothing or your renewal is rejected, you lose the discount. You are moved to the regulated tariff (PVPC) without the discount. You can then switch to a free-market contract if you prefer.

After the end date you get a period to send the renewal documents. The discount continues during that time. If your renewal is accepted, it carries on with no gap. Ask your supplier how long that period is now, because it has been extended before.

If you think the refusal is wrong

Go in this order:

1. Complain to your supplier's customer service and ask them to review the decision.
2. If that fails, take it to your local consumer office or your region's consumer authority.
3. You can also file a claim with the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, using its energy consumer claims route.
4. If your supplier belongs to the consumer arbitration system (Junta Arbitral de Consumo), you can ask for arbitration.
5. You can also go to the courts.

The right body for your claim can depend on your region and your supplier. Your consumer office can tell you which applies.

If the refusal is correct

You can apply again at any time. No waiting period is set. Fix the cause first: send the missing documents, change the contract holder, or get a valid certificate. A new application starts a new process from the beginning.

Before you send it, confirm with your supplier that no new rule applies.

Frequently asked questions

Can the supplier cut off my electricity while my application is pending?

No, the supplier cannot cut off your electricity for non-payment while your bono social application is pending. Once the application is accepted, the discount is applied to your bills.

Will I get the discount for the time I waited for approval?

Yes, once approved, the discount counts from the date the supplier received your application. It is applied from the first bill after that date, and that bill is adjusted accordingly.

Do I have to renew my bono social myself?

Not always: if you qualify by income or vulnerable status, renewal is mostly automatic through data checks with the tax agency and Social Security. Otherwise you must submit your documents again before the discount ends, for example a large-family certificate.