Self-employment and freelancing
Helps you register and operate as a self-employed autonomo.
Start and run as an autonomo: registration, Social Security quotas, income tax and VAT, invoicing, pricing, clients and advisers.
- topics
- 11
- articles
- 73
- of reading
- 8.2 hours
Begin with
Registering as self-employed (autónomo)
You will know whether and how to register as self-employed in Spain, in the right order, with the right activity code and no avoidable fines.
Do you need to register as self-employed (autónomo)? · How to register as self-employed (autónomo), step by step · What you need in place before you can register
More in self-employment and freelancing
10 more topics in this section, about 8.2 hours of reading in all.
Self-employed contributions (cuota de autónomos)
You will understand what you pay each month, why, how to keep it right, and what you get for it.
How self-employed contributions work by income bracket (tramos) · Estimating your income and choosing your contribution bracket · Annual regularisation: why you may owe or get back contributions
Income tax (IRPF) for freelancers
You will know what income tax you owe as self-employed, when, and how to reduce it legitimately.
How your freelance income is taxed (IRPF) · Simplified, normal or flat-rate (módulos) regime: which fits you? · Quarterly income tax instalments: who files and who is exempt
VAT (IVA) for freelancers
You will charge and declare VAT correctly for Spanish, EU and non-EU clients.
How VAT (IVA) works when you invoice: rates, charging and reclaiming · Filing your quarterly VAT return: what goes in and when · Are your services exempt from VAT? Teaching, health and similar
Invoicing and bookkeeping
You will issue compliant invoices with the right tools and keep the records Spain requires.
What a valid Spanish invoice (factura) must contain · Numbering invoices and correcting mistakes (facturas rectificativas) · Do you need invoicing software that meets the anti-fraud rules (Verifactu)?
Pricing and freelance income
You will price work to keep what you need after Spanish costs and plan for slow months.
Setting your freelance rate so you keep what you need · What freelancers really earn in Spain, and how long to break even · What being self-employed (autónomo) costs in your first year
Clients, contracts and late payment
You will win clients, agree safe terms, and know what to do when payment is late.
Finding your first clients in Spain as a newcomer · How Spanish clients actually pay: terms, approvals and August · What to put in a Spanish freelance contract
Advisers (asesoría) and admin help
You will decide between an adviser and doing it yourself, and work with either safely.
Do you need an adviser (asesoría) or can you do it yourself? · What an adviser (gestoría) does and what it should cost · Choosing an adviser you can trust, including English-speaking ones
Rules for specific freelance sectors
You will know which extra rules apply to your type of freelance work.
Freelancing in IT, design, writing or consulting: codes, tax and IP · Working in the trades or construction: registers, training and safety · Teaching, translating and guiding as a freelancer: VAT, licences and limits
Regional rules and local support
You will find the regional and local rules and help that apply where you live.
Self-employed in the Basque Country or Navarre: which rules differ · How to find the self-employment rules and help for your area · Regional grants and reduced-quota schemes for new freelancers
Changing, pausing and closing self-employment
You will keep registrations accurate and exit or pause cleanly without lingering quotas.
Changing your activity, address or regime after registering · Moving region or leaving Spain: what happens to your self-employment · Registering a family member who helps in your business (colaborador familiar)
Other sections in Work and business
Local jobs and salary reality
Helps you find local work and know your rights as an employee.
Remote work
Helps you set up remote work from Spain on a compliant footing.
Starting and running a company
Helps you decide on, form and run a Spanish company.
Credentials and regulated professions
Helps you get qualifications recognised and the right to practise.
Work culture and professional integration
Helps you work effectively and build a career in Spanish workplaces.
Need certainty before you act?
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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.